Am I missing something here? I just tap and hold on watch face and swipe left/right to choose another watch face.

I don’t see what exactly is missing here.

Looks like yes. I’ve noticed the same. In fact, hyperlinks etc. are also green - the only place blue color remains now is blue ticks (after message is read).

That green shade is bit tacky - should’ve been a bit subdued. And it looks much worse with dark mode.

I have screen protector and case (AWU2). It makes already bulky watch even bulkier but I’ll settle with bad looks rather than scratches. And I’ve bumped it quite a few times.