I wanted to hate the Apple Watch Series 6 when it hit stores. I’ve owned my battered and beloved Series 3 for years and saw this latest model as a ploy to part me from my hard-earned cash.

So what if it was faster, brighter, and could monitor your health in new ways? A watch is a watch, even if it’s a smartwatch. Or so I told myself.

In a moment of weakness, I caved and bought the 6 and realized how wrong I had been. After spending time with the Series 6, I discovered that while it looks similar to its predecessors on the outside, the seemingly minor iterations Apple has incorporated into this model make it a game-changer. It’s a glimpse into a possible future of personal computing that will monitor and inform us in ways we can only imagine.

Even in my short time with the 6, it’s no exaggeration to say it’s changed my life. That may seem like an exaggeration, but the Apple Watch is the most personal of all tech products. It lives next to your skin, 24/7. It monitors your intimate health data, from your EKG to your blood oxygen to your heart rate. In some ways, the Apple Watch knows me better than anyone, including myself.