It not only beeps—it displays the text. You can (though I prefer not to) also take phone calls on the watch. May Apple Watch is about 1¼″ wide, and I can easily see the time and much of the rest of the face without my glasses; when I use it for exercise (without glasses), I can see the parts I need to see.
I went without a watch for many years and was dubious that I’d be comfortable with my Apple Watch (especially given the much larger size, wider band, etc.), but I found I got used to it almost immediately. It provides a lot of unintended humor along with its usefulness.
There is a “like” button (heart) for me.