High-End 18-Karat Gold Apple Watch Could Cost Up to $1,200

[Iconoclysm]

If you don't own any gold accessories and don't know any man who does except gangsters, then you must live in the ghetto.

Or he lives among those who prefer platinum and silver?

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Congrats, but this isn't a sport watch. It's the "Edition". If someone is going to drop over 1k on a gold watch, they probably want the ability to wear it with formal attire

Formal attire? A 1k watch isn't formal in the least...unless you're talking about a high school prom.

 

[rowspaxe]

Haute Horlogerie costs much more than $1200. There is also nothing haute horlogerie about a piece of electronic equipment.

I see problems as apple tries to straddle between a tech company and fashion company. Although I see nothing compellling about the watch--simply introducing say the sport watch would be more or less like a new ipod, etc.

But when you get into a managerie of style varios-- it starts to feel more retailish than tech. Imagine the returns of this product!

Ulitmately the apple watch is a digital watch--and i dont think much fashion allure will attach itself to it. The sport health watch will sell and everthing else will eventually be scrapped

 

[SHNXX]

My Omega Seamaster Pro is 11.6 mm thick

So that's 0.9mm thinner than the Apple Watch.
Do you think this is a meaningful difference in the metal?

 

[Flying Wall E]

$1200 every year for the egotistic rich douche to have the latest and greatest, genius

I will never understand comments like that, the mentality behind them nor why would someone be an "egotistic rich douche" just for spending $1200 of his own money every year on something he wants.

 

[lordofthereef]

You don't want to buy an $1.2K Apple watch to discover 14months later there is a new round model with more sensors.

If you;re in the market for a $1,200 watch, I am sure you could get over it.

 

[SHNXX]

Or he lives among those who prefer platinum and silver?

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Formal attire? A 1k watch isn't formal in the least...unless you're talking about a high school prom.

I don't know if you hang out with people who buy high-end watches but people tend to like precious metals of all colors, including yellow gold, white gold, rose gold, platinum, non precious metals like titanium and even some non metallic materials such as forged carbon, crystal (richard mille made a watch made entirely of crystal sapphire), etc.

 

[mbh]

I think the watch must be plated because the price of gold varies per day so it would be hard for Apple to lock in a price for a whole year unless they priced it at the highest level so they wouldn't lose money if gold prices spiked upward.

I think the usual Apple solution for that would be to just charge a premium amount that would cover any reasonable changes in gold prices. Surely they've got financial models to cover all the angles.

Jony doesn't seem like a gold plating kind of guy. My guess is that it's solid and there just isn't all that much metal in the watch case. It sure looks to be jam packed with watch stuff.

 

[brewcitywi]

Agreed

Well it's supposedly only 12.5mm.
Do you know anything about how thick watches usually are?

I literally have a watch that's over 30mm deep and 53mm wide, and it's awesome! Seriously, if iWatch is 12.5mm deep, and 38 and 42mm wide, it's right in the luxury watch wheelhouse.

For a lot of guys right now...the iWatch is way too small to be an everyday timepiece. I'm not complaining, just dispelling the idea that iWatch is too bulky...that is crazy when you study timepieces.

 

[ricci]

They should have a high end watches! Watches from $3000 to $10000! This is not expensive for a watch! Just saying! And from a company that sells the high end!

 

[greg555]

In the images of the watch on Apple's website, it says on the back of the watch "18-KARAT GOLD". There is no modifier like "10 micron", "plated", "filled", etc. that would suggest any gold-on-base metal. The 18K might be relatively thin, and be supported by some other material, but it is likely solid gold, and is going to be pricey.

That's what I was thinking. The writing is on the wall (watch back).

 

[skottichan]

You don't know what misogyny means.

"Dislike of, contempt for, or ingrained prejudice against women."

Saying something would look better on a woman is not misogyny.

No, you're right. Still smells kind of sexist though.

Plenty of men wear gold watches, my father and grandfather included.

 

[groovyd]

am guessing if you keep this watch in pristine condition then it will retain collector value and only slowly increase in value over time. i can easily see gen 1 apple watch going for 100k in the year 2050 on ebay.

 

[SHNXX]

I literally have a watch that's over 30mm deep and 53mm wide, and it's awesome! Seriously, if iWatch is 12.5mm deep, and 38 and 42mm wide, it's right in the luxury watch wheelhouse.

For a lot of guys right now...the iWatch is way too small to be an everyday timepiece. I'm not complaining, just dispelling the idea that iWatch is too bulky...that is crazy when you study timepieces.

haha. now that's a saucer.
I don't know how old you are but as you grow older, you will realize that anything above 47mm is ridiculous

 

[UpperQuadrant]

Wow, only $1,200 for 18K Gold...not bad at all! That's actually pretty damn cheap!

Who knows if it's $1200 for the Gold watch, they are just plating it, it's not solid gold and there are ways to plate them to make it more affordable. Since they are making these in a lot higher quantity, the plating cost is probably a lot cheaper.

My guess is that they will be selling quite a lot more of them than a typical Gold plated watch. Heck, I have a gold Movado watch I only paid $500 for and it only tells the time. I get a lot of compliments on it, but I don't see anyone else wearing the same watch since they didn't make that many of this particular model.

I'm pretty sure they are just going to PVD coat it and I don't think it's that expensive to do that and it's a very durable finish. I can see them charging maybe $700.

What I think Apple is going to do is every year or two come out with a new model and then just delete the top end watches and make the least expensive model a little cheaper, but they really can't cram that much into a watch so I don't think it's a type of product that's going to get updated as often as iPhones and iPads.

How many times did Nike update their Fuel band?

I think they'll come out with a new model with more sensors and then come out with more styles since they just hired that one designer buddy of Ive.

 

[UpperQuadrant]

The Apple Watch value to an individual really depends on what they value more - fashion/functionality vs longevity.

Many people here complain about buying a new phone every 1-2 years. And if not subsidized even more.

Also - and I might be mistaken - but the resale value on watches aren't going to be as high as resale on phones after 2 years of use.

I don't think they are ultimately going to updating the guts on these watches every year, at some point they'll cram as much as they can and it'll just be updating the software and coming out with other styles.

 

[63dot]

There are two sides to me and watches. I like high end like let's say a $1,200 dollar Omega on sale at Macy's which hits all the luxury points just right but I also like high tech but for techie features and not gold.

Give me the fully functional $349 dollar Apple Watch because what that has is the reason I want it in the first place. The gold doesn't seem to add much and would be as excessive as a 14kt iPhone or iPod.

 

[Woodcrest64]

I want to know the story behind these pictures. xD

lol! I was wondering that my self.

 

[UpperQuadrant]

am guessing if you keep this watch in pristine condition then it will retain collector value and only slowly increase in value over time. i can easily see gen 1 apple watch going for 100k in the year 2050 on ebay.

If it's in original packaging and never worn, it might retain it's value, but I don't think it'll reach $100K. Maybe the first one off the assembly line or one that was owned by someone famous. I'm surprised they can't engrave the things on the back.

Do they still offer engraving anymore on iPhones, iPods and iPads?

 

[Oracle1729]

Don't forget, this is the magic awesome super-gold designed by Apple metallurgists and twice as strong as everyone else's gold

 

[Konrad]

Cool

Just remember, when you show up at Starbucks with the iPhone 6+, a MBP and now with the gold watch, you will be much cooler than the other 80 million trend setting hipsters next to you.

 

[UpperQuadrant]

Duh, sell it for 1000 and buy the next one.

And the watches will come out every 12 months and you will always have the same problem so I guess you ain't getting an Apple Watch for your birthday.

I guess Rolex doesn't improve their watches every year. Try them.

Rolex might release a new model, but they keep their line up pretty consistent, but they might have something pretty fancy with diamonds, platinum, etc. Rolex only really changes the materials/diamonds and finish, the guts are pretty much the same.

 

[Keirasplace]

That's the most important question! For those who buy the high-end Edition version, what will they do, how will they feel when the next iteration is released?

Will Apple have a regular, annual, release schedule with the Watch, or will they go a couple of years or more between hardware releases?

First edition buyers should beware of these things and expect that it could get outdated quickly.

People that buy the top end don't care. They buy it sight unseen.

 

[firewood]

Sad to see that my once favorite tech company is now turning into a sleazy pointless fashion brand.

Not turn into. Expand into. Why be good at one thing when one can be good at two? They still design bleeding-edge 2 billion transistor 20nm processor chips. What fashion company can do that?

 

[Carlanga]

$1200 actually seems pretty low for gold. I guess we'll see the real prices when they're announced.

there isn't that much gold in there though...

 

[iJandro]