Original Apple Watch Added to Apple's 'Vintage Product' List

[iSearch]

Recently, I dug out my mother's Series 0 Rose Gold watch that's been stuck in a drawer for maybe a year or more. When I try to charge it, it says "Charging with this accessory is not supported by Apple Watch" and it stays stuck at 10%. I let it discharge for 3 days and tried charging it again, but it still repeats the same message. It seems other people had the same issue around the time of release, but so far I haven't been able to find any solutions that work.

 

[fitshaced]

I was a big doubter in this Apple Watch at first. I though the battery life made it a non starter. I got a Garmin which had smart watch functionality and a much better battery. But it didn’t have sufficient integration with the iPhone. I got this Apple Watch and then never went back to a regular watch. Sure, it’s OS was slow and it had silly limitations around music, photos etc. But it’s now difficult to go without wearing an Apple Watch. Can’t remember if I could use Apple Pay with this version or not but I now use it quite a bit.

I also really liked the look of this Watch. Every new design change has been an improvement but they really got this right from the beginning where others started or stuck with round watches.
I still have this watch. It’s rubbish and only useful to tap for the time when it’s on a charger. But it’s hidden away in storage right now.

 

[unQuestionable]

Love my Series 0 until this current Series 6 now. Such a crazy difference. It’s wild. It’s also crazy how the OG Apple Watch was designed in tandem with the iPhone X that came out over two years later. Loved that aesthetic and is the reason why I rock stainless everything these days. I get the stainless watches because of the Sapphire Crystal display. That Series 0 still has not one scratch on the display and never rocked a case nor screen protector. Such a worth-it investment for anyone wondering about the price difference.

 

[Heat_Fan89]

Meanwhile both Tag Heuer and Rolex send their regards.

 

[TallManNY]

I remember the hype over this.

This taught everyone to chill when it comes to first gen apple products.

Only excellent first gen product is the Airpods Max but when you come to think of it they aren't really first gen.

First gen iPod was amazing as well.

 

[ChrisA]

Imagine if you bought a gold one.

Yes, collectors thought these watches would be valuable. Now we know, it were just more disposable consumer electronics.

At least the gold case has some value.

 

[RedDeliciousPinkLady]

Also used my Series 1 for timers and alarms. It would take a couple seconds just to start a timer, driving me nuts. Much better with the Series 6.

Yeah, I usually use Hey Siri on my iphone (8) to start the timer because you're exactly right, it takes too long to register it, or I'll just deduct 10-15 seconds from whatever time I need entered. Was it this slow even with the original OS on it? The 6 was already out when I received this.

 

[Sir_Macs_A_Lot]

Does this mean I can get that stainless steel band for under $500 now?

 

[Sir_Macs_A_Lot]

Also used my Series 1 for timers and alarms. It would take a couple seconds just to start a timer, driving me nuts. Much better with the Series 6.

Just replaced my S1 with an SE last week. Like day and night. My S1 sometimes took 10-15 seconds before displaying the timers.

 

[Sir_Macs_A_Lot]

Meanwhile both Tag Heuer and Rolex send their regards.

While I’d love to spent thousands on those…I can’t see myself using them everyday, like I do my AW. I’d be worried wearing my Rolex while biking. Plus, I don’t think it’ll keep track of my heart rate.

 

[4jasontv]

I have a watch that was my great grandfathers. I can’t believe how slow it is. Takes a full sixty seconds for the big hand to move one notch.

 

[justdefend]

Still using my Series 0 Apple Watch Hermes! Battery life lasts about one day and still works as a daily driver.

 

[GrandeLatte]

I see Apple Watches as disposable electronics, this is why I went aluminum. As soon as there's reasonable technology increment, I go to the newest watch.

 

[MacsRgr8]

Imagine if you bought a gold one.

It might even become a rare collector's item... not to use, but to "own", So might even be a good investment.

 

[matrix07]

A move I actually agree with, they were vintage the day they were released...virtually unusable since day 1.

Looks like I didn’t get the memo since I used it for a full 2 years. 🙄

 

[Darth Tulhu]

The iPad 3 with Retina display was the worst. It was too slow to handle the graphics and was only on the market for 6 months.

Yep, it was the first-gen Retina iPad.

 

[frownface]

So what's a gold Apple Watch Edition realistically worth today? I had a mate who argued that it'd appreciate in time like any other fine watch.

 

[sananda]

I have the SS series 0. The packaging was pretty impressive. I kept it all.

I'm actually wearing mine right now.

I still rock my OG Apple Watch every day - guess that makes me a Hipster now

I'm still using mine, too.

Still using my Series 0 Apple Watch Hermes! Battery life lasts about one day and still works as a daily driver.

I'm also still wearing using my Series 0. Although it's not the same watch I got on launch day, I got a different watch when I had Apple replace the battery a few months ago.

I find it entirely adequate for knowing the time, tracking my activities, being notified of messages, Apple Pay and changing tracks/adjusting volume when listening to music. I'm pretty satisfied. But it's quicker to get my iPhone out of bag and open Dark Sky than to open Dark Sky on the watch!

 

[Shirasaki]

I was immediately put on his sh*t-list when I mentioned that it has a Li-On battery and the CPU architecture is going to be outdated before it even hits the shelves. I almost lost my job because of it (insubordination).

While I can’t say your move here was good, I love how you pointed out the DOA demise of Apple Watch 0 and slapped the absolute reality to all of those fans etc around you. I waited until apple released series 3 before jumping the gun to get my first Apple Watch: the series 3. I’m still rocking a series 4 and it works great to me with ok battery life. It will last another year until iPhone 14 comes out.

 

[Jaspers dog]

Without doubt the most 'Beta', 'not ready for market' product Apple has released since the Newton. I've been using Apple stuff for nearly 30 years and I had the first iPod, iPhone, iPad and countless Macs over that period all by and large good to revolutionary. I'm deeply embedded in the Apple ecosystem for work but this never looked like a starter, a watch that barely lasted a day and wasn't waterproof. I'm using a Garmin Fenix 6 which can track my GPS activities for hours/days sleep etc etc and minimum gives me 4 days. The UI is not Apple standard but the functionality for an active person knocks the Apple Watch even in Series 7 guise into a cocked hat.

 

[GrandeLatte]

So what's a gold Apple Watch Edition realistically worth today? I had a mate who argued that it'd appreciate in time like any other fine watch.

I don't know. I think it's pretty high up there. Its appreciation is not because it is a "fine watch", but rather it is a piece of Apple Computer history. It might be a collector's item in that sense. Didn't some iPod or iMac first generation got bid up prices like crazy. This might be the case with the gold Apple Watch.

 

[ApplesAreSweet&Sour]

Imagine if you bought a gold one.

The hype for AW was out of this World at that time.

I specifically remember Jay-Z or Beyoncé being "spotted" wearing special edition ones that supposedly had $17k price tags. Obviously a promo stunt done with Apple, but still.

I guess it hadn't dawned upon anyone that, as cool as it is, AW is still another disposable device with new models annually.

 

[ApplesAreSweet&Sour]

Without doubt the most 'Beta', 'not ready for market' product Apple has released since the Newton. I've been using Apple stuff for nearly 30 years and I had the first iPod, iPhone, iPad and countless Macs over that period all by and large good to revolutionary. I'm deeply embedded in the Apple ecosystem for work but this never looked like a starter, a watch that barely lasted a day and wasn't waterproof. I'm using a Garmin Fenix 6 which can track my GPS activities for hours/days sleep etc etc and minimum gives me 4 days. The UI is not Apple standard but the functionality for an active person knocks the Apple Watch even in Series 7 guise into a cocked hat.

Agree 100%.

The fact that tons of us bought into the hype and got the edition models only to realise how underpowered they were at the time is still crazy to think about.

Those retailed for several thousands but would probably drop by equally amounts every year if you held onto them.

I must think that there would be much more value in repurposing the metals in the band and chassis than actually trying to sell it second hand as an AW. Sure, it's pretty. But it's literally and officially obsolete now no matter how many Ks you dropped on it. So I really don't see anyone wanting them unless they have value as collectors items(I doubt it).

AW has come a long way now. But I honestly think it was really only the Series 3 or 4 where AW showed to be more than a "beta" product.

 

[Pez555]

If you did, you did so as a fashion statement and not as a long-term timepiece, so...


As for me, my Stainless Steel Series 0 served me well until I replaced it with my current Space Black Stainless Steel Series 4.

Did exactly the same as you. Will be going for stainless steel 7 now too.

 

[ApplesAreSweet&Sour]

AW is quintessential planned obsolescence creating such waste and redundancy in purchases. after my series 2 couldn't last more than 2 years, I was done. battery life, the necessary phone pairing, and then becoming a casualty of not having software that could adequately keep up with the phone updates...

yes all tech products, apple in clued, are steeped in planned obsolescence, the watch just takes the cake.

AW is just particularly striking as a consumable because Apple promoted it as a luxury timepiece and the World has bought and appreciated clocks and wrist watches for more than a century.

Now you get the same aesthetic and prices as those everlasting watches, but you're essentially forced to replace it no later than 5-7 years from purchase. And that's without considering the battery which is definitely done in just 2-3 years.

I guess that's the price we have to pay for all of those features that you'd never see in a regular wrist watch.