So, I know this thread is about AW updates...While this doesn't necessarily fit perfectly, I'm pretty sure it's something that's changed with a recent update...
I had been running the N preview on my Nexus 6P over the weekend. Just switched back to the stable MM build, which required a reset of the phone. I'm at work without my watch charger and didn't even think about how pairing asks you to connect the watch to power or even that I'd have to reset it.
So, I reset the watch once the phone was back up and running, hoping I could at least turn it off without pairing it if it insisted that I connect to power.
When it finally booted up, it did ask me to connect to power, but I swiped to the right and it let me go ahead and pair with my phone without having it on the charger!
I kinda get why they request that, but my watch was fully charged this morning, so I'm glad to see that I could skip that part and get back to using my phone and watch.