Earlier this month, Apple launched the Apple Watch Ultra, entering a market dominated by legendary watches designed for extreme environments — think outer space, the depths of the ocean and the summit of Everest.

However, Apple Watches have always been wrist-worn multipurpose devices as much as they are watches. They trace their lineage not back to those analog master timepieces but to the Pulsar, or Seiko’s 1983 watch, the Data 2000 — a device that could store up to 2,000 characters of data. At the time, the world was not prepared for computers to be worn on our wrists. Yet, a quarter century later, consumer fitness trackers hit the market, and by 2015, the Apple Watch raised the bar for wearable tech.

Several features separate Apple Watches from the rest. It’s not just the rugged appearance, the insane battery life or expanded 49mm display; the device boasts features created in consultation with explorers, athletes and adventurers. Jeff Williams, chief operating officer for Apple, said at the device’s unveiling, “Inspired by their stories, we set out to create an Apple Watch designed specifically for exploration, adventure and endurance, and it’s extraordinary.”

The Ultra certainly packs a technical punch. While on the wrist, it leverages human body heat to offer a broad operating temperature range — from –20 to 55 degrees Celsius. This is a highly regarded development amongst those who remember pulling the battery from a mobile phone to warm it enough for use while skiing a mountain.

RCGS Explorer-in-Residence Ray Zahab, who we reached in Pangnirtung, Nunavut, was one of the explorers consulted in the design of the new watch. He said he is most excited about the durability and accuracy of the Apple Watch Ultra.

The MIL-STD 810-certified watch boasts new safety features that leverage tech to deliver a revolutionary user experience. We broke down the science behind some of these features to better explain why this smartwatch is so groundbreaking.