Warning: long post.
Here is my take on the Series 3 Edition ceramic in grey:
I have been a watch fan for a long while and have over the years invested in watches from Jaeger Le Coultre, Rolex and Breitling. Before Apple came out with the Apple Watch, I was a very happy owner of a Rolex Explorer II with a white face. I loved the utility of the Rolex and at the time the substantial weight of this large 42mm metal watch with its metal bracelet.
So when the Apple Watch was announced I wanted to have something in that direction and went for the silver stainless steel with the silver Apple link band. I really like the similarities ito of weight and the good look for work dress as well as sports.
When the Series 2 came out, I just upgraded to the new stainless steel and kept the band. I also originally eyed the White ceramic when it was announced, but felt it was too flashy for my use in the office. At the time I really got into minimalism and essentialism and got rid of a LOT OF stuff in my life. This included selling all my Swiss watches, which I did not use any more, as I preferred my Apple watch as my daily driver. I love the idea of „one device to rule them all“.
Fast forward another Apple season and I „had to“ make a choice on series 3. I was hoping for a new color option for the ceramic model and maybe even a new material like titanium or carbon. So the grey ceramic looked interesting. But I had huge doubts that it might look too dull or not dressy enough vs. the steel model I got used to. I also like the new Hermes deployment buckle in dark brown Ebene and thought that is the perfect choice: get the Hermes which also includes the orange sport band and get a new link band in silver as my original one looked quite used after two years. So three bands which allow flexibility from dressy (Hermes Ebene) to Rolex-sporty (link) to pure sports (orange sport band). That is what I ordered with a 3 weeks wait on the Hermes. Buyers remorse set in imidiately and I was wondering if the various band changes in the future (I do sports at least every 2nd day) will be the exact opposite to my new love of minimalism. I also had a chance to see the watch live in an Apple store in London during a trip and did not like how the leather band connects with the watch.
That was the moment where all became „ceramic clear“ for me: go with the edition, as it will be the most minimalistic execution while also being the highest quality construction. It will also not scratch so easily as the steel version, where both precious models I owned have very light but visible scratches on the steel. For my regular running (100-150km per month) it would also be lighter and more comfortable to wear than running with the link steel version like I did over the past two years. So I cancelled my Hermes, sent back the Apple link bracelet which had already arrived and bought (at a premium) the edition in grey through ebay, as I did not like to wait till end of October.
It arrived quickly and I could not be happier. Here is why: I love the stealth luxury aspect of this model. I know about all the craftmanship that went into the ceramic casing and I know about the price, but the watch is not showing this of to others like an expensive Swiss watch tends to do. I love how comfortable it wears and that it will look pristine in the months to come, as it does not scratch easily. I especially like the light weight of the package, which is funny as I was always so happy how heavy my Rolex Explorer II felt. People change I guess ;-)
While the steel version interprets what Rolex and Omega have established on Swiss tool watches, the ceramic edition reminds me of the Swiss Richard Mille watches that Rafael Nadal and other top atheletes wear. They are out of this world ito of price (up to 750k USD), but are the lightest weight complication watches and use cutting edge material combination to achieve this. Even the rubber bands and how they connect look similar to Apple Watch (see the comparison picture I did). Maybe that is where Jony Ive got his idea for the red dot from, too ;-) Any Swiss watch aficionado will probably hate me for this comparison, but as my first two generations of steel apple watches were my equivalent to a tool watch Rolex, my new grey ceramic edition is my equivalent to a Richard Mille. And while the Richard Milles are way more extravagant, they also are only recognized by watch experts. Just like the ceramic is only recognized by people like us here on this threat. So one watch to rule them all and that for now is the ceramic grey Apple watch edition for me. Until next year that is.
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