Paper of Time - Watch Face

Review by eFreeware

Paper of Time is a watch face for Wear OS smartwatches, made by EK Watch Faces and sold for $1.99. It takes the familiar idea of a paper-textured dial and builds a whole display around it, with colour and pattern variants plus a long list of complications that pull health, battery and calendar information onto your wrist.

The reason to consider it is the combination of a crafted visual style with the practical data most people actually check during the day. Rather than choosing between a face that looks good and one that shows you steps, heart rate and your next appointment, Paper of Time tries to do both. There are no ads and no in-app purchases, so the price you see is the price you pay.

A face that carries your day's numbers

The complication set is the strongest argument for this watch face. It covers steps, calories, battery level, heart rate, your next event and calendar entries, and it adds two custom complication slots so you can put something of your own choosing on the dial. That is a broad spread for a single face, and it means you can treat the watch as a quick-glance dashboard instead of opening separate apps for each piece of information.

Two custom slots are the part I find most interesting. They let you adapt the face to what matters to you rather than accepting a fixed layout. Someone tracking training might keep heart rate and calories visible; someone with a packed schedule might favor calendar and next event. The face gives you the room to make that decision yourself.

Two permissions must be turned on by hand for everything to work: sensors and receive complication data. That is a normal step for a Wear OS face with this much live data, but it is worth doing during setup so the health and calendar fields populate as intended.

Paper, colour and the moon

Visually, the face offers 30 colour variants and 10 paper pattern variants. That is a generous combination, and it means the same underlying design can shift from something muted and understated to something brighter without changing the layout you have learned. If you like to match your watch face to a band or an outfit, the range gives you plenty of room.

The live moon phases are a nice touch for anyone who likes a bit of natural rhythm on their dial. It is not a feature everyone will use, but it adds character to a face that is already more decorative than most utility-first designs.

The face supports always on display, so the design can remain visible when your wrist is down. It also follows your phone's 12- or 24-hour setting, which keeps the time format consistent with however you already read clocks. Distance units are selected automatically based on your phone language in the United States and United Kingdom, so km or miles should appear without you configuring anything.

Shortcuts that save a swipe

Beyond the complications, the face includes shortcuts to alarms, SMS, the music player and settings. These are the small conveniences that make a watch face feel integrated rather than purely decorative. Being able to jump straight to your alarms or music controls from the dial is the kind of thing you notice most when it is missing.

The combination of information and shortcuts is what makes Paper of Time more than a skin.

The face is built for Wear OS devices running API 33 or higher, so it is aimed at reasonably current watches. The developer states that the phone app is a placeholder to make installation and discovery easier, with the actual face running on the watch.

Installing it without the payment loop headache

Installation follows the usual Wear OS pattern. The developer advises making sure your watch is connected to your phone, opening the phone app and tapping the download-to-watch option, then following the prompts on the watch. Install it from the watch and the face should be ready to pick within a few minutes.

There is also an alternative route through a web browser on a PC. The developer notes that any issues on that side are outside their control, which is a fair warning given how store installations can behave across devices.

One practical note the developer includes is about a payment loop. If you are prompted to pay again, you will only be charged once; waiting five minutes or restarting the watch and trying again is the suggested fix, which they attribute to a synchronization issue with Google's servers. It is the kind of hiccup worth knowing about before you start, because it can otherwise look like something has gone wrong with your purchase.

Who this face is built for

Paper of Time suits people who want their watch face to look considered rather than purely functional, but who are not willing to give up the data they check throughout the day. The paper textures and colour range give it a distinct character, while the complication list keeps steps, heart rate, battery and calendar within reach.

It also fits anyone who likes to tinker with their watch's appearance. With 30 colours and 10 patterns, plus two custom complication slots, there is enough variation to keep the face feeling fresh without switching to something entirely different.

At $1.99 with no ads and no in-app purchases, the cost is a one-time decision rather than an ongoing commitment. With over 10,000 installs and a 4.2 rating from around 300 ratings, it has found a reasonable audience among Wear OS users. If you are on an older watch below API 33, that is the main practical boundary to check before buying.

A crafted face with real utility

For the price of a coffee, Paper of Time offers a watch face that balances style and substance. The paper patterns and colour variants give it personality, while the complications and shortcuts make it useful beyond appearances. It is a considered package rather than a quick reskin.

Once running, the face should deliver the combination of look and information it promises.

I would recommend Paper of Time to Wear OS owners who want a face with a distinct paper aesthetic and a broad set of complications, and who are comfortable enabling the necessary permissions. If you prefer a minimal digital readout or you are on a watch below API 33, this is not the face for you.

What's new

- Security update performed.