Apple Watch Ultra teardown shows that the rugged smartwatch isn't one to repair yourself

An in-depth teardown of the Apple Watch Ultra has provided a unique view of the smartwatch's internals - and it isn't one that's made for you to repair yourself.

Master meddlers iFixit show that Apple's first-gen rugged smartwatch is just as difficult to repair as the regular Series and SE devices have proven over the years, finding difficulty accessing the internal components without compromising the device.

As the video below shows, the internal screws on the rear aren't necessarily an easy gateway into the watch, as prying them open will see the waterproofing gasket ruined. It doesn't appear to be an easy fix, either, and will likely need careful repair to maintain the Ultra's 100-meter depth rating.

Similarly, the front also proves difficult to peel back without breaking the crisp OLED screen.

If you do manage to get into the internal department through the front, though, you're met with an extremely neat array of components. The speaker is much larger than that housed inside the Apple Watch Series 8, which, as we've experienced through our testing, helps not only the siren feature but the quality of calls, too.

So, despite it being a bit of a disappointment that the Apple Watch Ultra doesn't appear as ready for the operating table as it is for the outdoors, the fact that it has screws on the rear case for the first time does, as iFixit suggests, open up the possibility that things could be improved in the future.

And with growing pressure on the tech industry to create more sustainable products, we'd say things will only get better in this regard in future generations of the Ultra.