Apple Watch was launched back in 2015, and it was accompanied by Apple Watch Edition, made of gold, selling for up to $17,000.
Apple Watch Edition Wasn’t Quite a Success, Thanks to its Extremely Expensive Start
There was no hiding the fact that Apple wanted to position the Apple Watch as a fashion accessory. Not only that, it wanted it to be device for the ultra-rich, too.
Just take a look at the official launch from 2015, and everything will be clear to you.
But, the starting point of the Apple Watch was the Sport model. It had an aluminum casing, all the basic health features, and a Retina display with Force Touch.
It was affordable, ahead of its time and Apple’s first-ever journey in the world of smartwatches.
However, Apple wanted to go big in the fashion industry and the top 1%, and it launched Apple Watch Edition alongside the regular models.
Apple Watch Edition started at $10,000 for the 38mm model and $12,000 for the 42mm model. However, if you were planning to get the 18k model, you had to pay up to $17,000.
It was absolutely insane at the time.
This is the sort of pricing you go with when you are absolutely sure about the product you’re selling.
Funny enough, the Apple Watch Edition in gold was replaced by a ceramic model with Series 2, which cost up to $1,299. Definitely far more affordable yet unnecessary.
Apple gave up on the Edition series with the release of Apple Watch Series 8. The last Apple Watch Edition was released alongside Series 7.
Though the move was an interesting one, allowing the company to streamline its product lineup, a luxury model still exists to this day – Apple Watch Hermès.
If you’re willing to pay a little extra, you get some perks like an exclusive watch face and a Hermès watch band. Though the watch face remains exclusive to the watch itself, you can buy the watch band separately for your current Apple Watch if you’re willing to shell out at least $349.
Apple made a very risky move with the first Apple Watch Edition, and it did not pay off, clearly. Thankfully, with the latest release of Series 10, you get far better ‘premium’ choices in Titanium that are way more affordable compared to the first-ever Edition watches.
Whenever I look back at the original Apple Watch, it makes me wonder – what was Apple thinking back then trying to sell a wearable for $10,000 at the cheapest?
While Apple did find massive success with Apple Watch and it keeps on getting stronger with every passing day, but one thing is clear – Apple’s success did not lie with Edition watches at all.
