While the Apple Watch wasn't the first smartwatch on that particular market, Apple has done an excellent job of establishing a solid range - across various price-points - for buyers.

The entry-level Watch SE at €299 and the mainstream Watch Series 8 at €499 are well-made, solid performers that most people with an iPhone would look at first.

However, the Apple Watch Ultra, at €999, is a different proposition and is aimed firmly at those who pursue adventure not just at weekends, but maybe professionally.

It is swimproof with water resistance to 100 meters and it has IP6X dust resistance, but it's ruggedness doesn't stop there.

It is also tested to MIL-STD-810H standards, specifically for altitude, high and low temperatures, immersion, shock and vibration. That's good news for say, serious climbers, while installing the Oceanic+ app turns the Watch Ultra into a fully capable, easy-to-use dive computer.

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This is a serious sports watch, wrapped up in a beautifully designed titanium case with a 49mm dial. That sapphire crystal dial is protected by a rise in the case which helps to shield it from edge impacts.

Also noticeable for existing Apple Watch owners is when you take it out of the box, you'll see this is the biggest and brightest Apple Watch display. Twice as bright in fact, as any other Apple Watch.

Like other Apple products, the startup and set-up is straightforward. After putting the watch on your wrist you bring your iPhone close and you start the pairing process.

As part of this set-up process you can choose a function for the new Action button which is located on the left side of the timepiece. This pairs a function like Workout, Waypoint or Dive to the button, giving you easy access while you focus on the adventure at hand.

The set-up process is also an opportunity to choose a watch face. This isn't a permanent selection though, and at any time you can scroll through the faces and select a new one. I've noticed Apple Watches on people's wrists over the last couple of years, and I'm always surprised that most people seem to stick to the standard activity face, with the analog clock and circles.

The Watch Ultra has really useful and good-looking faces, and they are worth checking out. The Chronograph Pro has a tachymeter timescale to measure speed based on time travel over a fixed distance and the GMT face allows two time-zones to be displayed.

The best all round activity face is probably the Wayfinder, which caters for runners, hikers, and underwater enthusiasts.

With a good face selected, you can add what are called complications, which are the small features you get inside a traditional watch face.

The watch displays digital versions of these, and it's here you can make the watch show exactly what you need, depending on your type of sport or activity. There are lots of potential complications including compass, maps, timer, waypoints and heart rate.

Health tracking is excellent, but is also enhanced for active users with training zones automatically calculated and personalised using your health data.

There's L1 and L5 GPS dual- frequency GPS, which for makes for not only more location accuracy but also more precise activity metrics. The watch offers 36 hours of battery life, with up to 60 hours in lowpower mode. That's an improvement for Apple watches, but still falls short of competitors, like the Huawei GT3 Pro which has a solid twoweek battery life.

It's not just battery life though, where the Watch Ultra trails. Suunto, a wonderful Finnish watchmaker have exceptional watches for serous divers and climbers, and cost hundreds of Euros less.

Then there's Garmin, which leads the outdoor-watch market, some with seven-day battery, solar power options and even the ability to control a Garmin autopilot on a boat, from your wrist.

The Apple Watch Ultra is well designed, brilliantly engineered and stands above the other Apple watches.

It's not the best rugged, outdoor watch you can buy but if you're an iPhone owner, and don't need professional level features found elsewhere, it is a solid start at the great outdoors from Apple.

Pros: Improved battery, water resistance and excellent health tracking

Cons: An expensive sports watch for iPhone users