I placed my order through Apple Store app + Apple Pay. Apple authorized my Amex for the full amount of the order immediately after placing it. Will most likely drop off though and get reauthorized when it ships.
CommBank Debit Mastercard (Australia).
Automatically got charged the $579AUD for the watch without the pre-authorisation. Stuck in Pending though on my account.
Yesterday evening a pending transaction appeared on my credit card for $69. I guess that is my AppleCare+ going through. It's a step in the right direction
I used Apple Pay and got my email confirmation at 12:05am. Would have been earlier but I had to enter my billing address again for some reason. Still have a delivery date of 4/24-5/8.