Hello LeslieAD8,
Thank you for reaching out to Apple Support Communities, and we'll be happy to help in any way we can. We understand you're having issues with your watch not starting up as expected. Have you tried restarting your iPhone? and your watch to resolve the issue?This simple step resolves a multitude of issues:
Restart your iPhone - Apple Support
Restart your Apple Watch - Apple Support
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How to restart your Apple Watch if you have watchOS 9
- If your Apple Watch is charging, take it off the charger.
- Press and hold the side button until you see the power button
in the upper-right corner of the display. - Tap the power button.
- Drag the Power Off slider.
- After your watch turns off, press and hold the side button again until you see the Apple logo.

How to restart your Apple Watch if you have watchOS 8 or earlier
- If your Apple Watch is charging, take it off the charger.
- Press and hold the side button until you see the Power Off slider.
- Drag the Power Off slider.
- After your watch turns off, press and hold the side button again until you see the Apple logo.

Force restart your Apple Watch
You should force restart your Apple Watch as a last resort and only if it's not responding.
Don’t force restart your Apple Watch if you're updating watchOS. After you see the Apple logo and progress wheel, leave your watch alone and on its charger until the update finishes.
To force restart your Apple Watch, press and hold both the side button and Digital Crown for at least 10 seconds, then release both buttons when you see the Apple logo."
We hope this helps.
Cheers!