I'm toying with getting an appointment there at the end of the week, can you post after to say what models they have for try on?
Just got back after going for my appointment.
The staff in the Oracle seemed incredibly helpful and friendly - I arrived a little early for my appointment but they were very laid back and didn't seem to mind (though the shop wasn't very busy). The models they had which I could see in the drawer were 42mm SG Sport, 38mm silver Sport, modern buckle in all colours, leather loop in blue and brown, Milanese in both sizes and link bracelet in both sizes (but no Space Black watches). I also think they had the Classic buckle, but since I wasn't interested in it he didn't show it to me and I can't be sure. He specifically mentioned about having no SB watches, so if you want to look at them you're probably out of luck.
The person I had for my appointment genuinely seemed to love the product, though he wasn't anal about what I did with it. The way it seemed to go was he'd show me the band and how it fastened, and then gave me the watch and I was allowed to do everything. It was a really great experience, and much better than some I've read on here. Hundreds have posted their impressions already, but just to reiterate: the 38mm is
tiny, can't imagine how you'd use it. Very glad I went with 42mm, it looked almost perfect on my 185mm wrist. They are very beautiful and compact little things - I'd call them pebble-like if that didn't have other connotations! The Sport watches are very light - I preferred the heft of the stainless steel, alas that's a bit too much for me at the moment. Preferred the look of the aluminium though. As far as bands go, the Sport is very comfortable and surprisingly easy to fasten; the Milanese is pretty but looked a bit thin to me compared to the face and was quite fiddly to get on and off; the leather loop was fantastic, and the medium size was just right for me, even though Apple's guide suggested I needed a large; and the link bracelet is a marvellous feat of engineering, even if I don't need to swap links all the time. The only bands I didn't try were the classic and modern buckles, as I feel the classic is boring and the modern didn't fit me.
He then also asked if I wanted to mix and match the bands. I tried the blue leather loop with the SG watch which looked nice, but think I'd prefer it with silver. Also tried the Milanese with the 38mm Sport, but we both agreed we're too OCD to live with the non-matching connector
All in all, it was a great experience. We chatted about going online vs the Apple Store app, and how not many managed to get a launch day delivery (apparently we're the lucky ones with the 24/4 - 8/5 range!). Employees, as said, get 50% off, but apparently they had to order through the website so most are stuck with May/June deliveries. The person who handled my appointment ordered a blue leather loop SS watch. It was really great to be able to talk all these nerdy details without someone thinking I'm a madman! They also let my friend who I was with at the time join in trying them on, and the employee didn't seem to mind when we had three or four watches out at once. My friend now wants a SG Sport, though will have to wait a few months!
Edit: Forgot to say - he showed me the 'diagnostic port' on the bottom of the watches (by then it was obvious we'd both been reading blogs like MR for the past few weeks/months...) but said they had no idea what it was yet. He speculated that it was for flashing software onto them quickly, but also said some watches they have have it covered up. He also confirmed the the Sport band comes in three pieces, but I think that was pretty common knowledge now. Employees also wore the Edition watches while setting up the displays instore, ostensibly they are all retail models under the glass display table. Must've been fun
