Why did my Apple Watch SE fail to connect to my iPhone?

New Apple Watch SE failed straight out of the box. Paired with iPhone 14Pro then immediately tried to place emergency services call - tried to reboot and watch died completely. Returned thru Apple - brand new watch - now it says my iPhone is out of date - regardless of the fact my phone has auto updates enabled. I have 2 other Apple watches that work great - not impressed with the SE - yet.

[Re-Titled By Moderator]