i cant pair my apple watch series 3 to my iphone x. it gets stuck on preparing. any tips?

Greetings lily_______,

To confirm, are you seeing "Preparing" after updating watchOS while pairing the Apple Watch? If so, does this show on the watch or the iPhone in the Watch app? The reason we ask is to ensure there right steps are taken for reaching a resolution.

If the Apple Watch doesn't show anything on the screen such as the Apple logo with dash progressing around it, and the Apple Watch was previously paired with another iPhone, you'll want to begin with the steps listed below. You can also find these steps, along with the additional steps that are recommended in the following article.

1. "Open the Watch app on your iPhone, tap the My Watch tab, then tap All Watches at the top of the screen.
2. Tap the "i" button  next to the watch that you want to unpair, then tap Unpair Apple Watch.
3. Tap again to confirm, then wait for the watch to unpair.
4. After Apple Watch unpairs, you can pair again."

If you can't pair an Apple Watch with your iPhone

Let us know how that goes!