The Apple Watch SE 3 is a certified refurbished 40mm GPS + Cellular unit sold through Back Market, one of the largest marketplaces for professionally refurbished electronics. Apple’s S10 chip inside is the same processor used in the Series 11 and Ultra 3 flagship watches. Always-On display, sleep score, sleep apnea notifications, and fast charging are all new to the SE line this generation. Battery life is 18 hours on a normal day, or 32 hours with Low Power Mode enabled.
A reliable smartwatch that’s perfect for iOS users looking for wrist candy
Buying refurbished means the watch has undergone a technical inspection and cleaning by the seller before it ships to you. Back Market runs that step through a network of professional refurbishers who follow a 25-point inspection standard, which is a level of quality control most used Apple Watches on eBay or elsewhere don’t come close to.
The SE 3 draws power from the S10 processor, an upgrade over the S8 in the SE 2. It is the same processor Apple put into the high-end Series 11 and Ultra 3 watches, so the SE 3 has the same performance as those top-tier models. That means it also has double-tap and wrist flick gesture capabilities. This lets you pinch your thumb and index finger together to answer an incoming call or dismiss a notification with a simple wrist movement.
The health features of the SE 3 are a continuation of what’s available on the 2nd generation. The new feature is an overnight readiness score added to the pre-existing sleep tracking. It’ll also track your 30-day breathing pattern related to sleep apnea and send you notifications when it identifies a possible reason to talk to a doctor. The SE 3 also includes retrospective ovulation estimates based on data collected by your wrist temperature. All other aspects, such as standard heart rate monitoring, activity ring tracking, workout tracking, and Fitness+, are carried over from the SE.
A major feature many have been looking forward to was the Always-On display. Prior SE watches weren’t always on, and you needed to raise your wrist to see the time, which is fine during a run but can be inconvenient in a business meeting or while operating a vehicle. On the SE 3, you don’t need to move your wrist to see the time, date, and other information displayed on the watch’s face, and it’ll automatically dim when your wrist is at rest to conserve battery. The Ion-X glass screen used in this model also has an additional level of protection and is 4x as resistant to scratches as the screen on the prior model. The SE 3 can go up to 18 hours on one full charge.
Back Market gives you a certified refurbished Apple Watch SE 3 at $190, down from the $299 retail price for the same GPS + Cellular configuration new. That’s 36% off through a marketplace that stands behind the unit with a 1-year warranty, plus a 30-day return window if the watch arrives with any issues.