US Series 5 Watch in the UK?

[Kiretas]

I'm travelling to the US next week and it looks like it would be a bit cheaper to buy a Series 5 Watch there, rather than here in the UK.
When I was there last year, an assistant in an Apple Store advised me not buy a Series 4 because the cellular wouldn't work in the UK.

Is it still the case that the Series 5 has different models for global regions?

Given that my first generation stainless steel has developed a fault this week, I'm driven to replace it quite quickly.
I've always been happy with the watch connection to my phone, so cellular is something I've got no desire for.

If the watch does still have regional models, will everything other than the cellular work fine in the UK?

Thanks

 

[danmart]

The Watch is still regional, so very unlikely to work in the UK. I only say ‘very unlikely’ rather than ‘won’t’ as there are a few more shared bands that allow global emergency calling.

Also, be ware that Apple US and UK are separate companies and so there would be no guarantee that they would help you if your Watch bought abroad stopped working. For lower price items they tend to help customers out for good will. For an item worth hundreds / thousands they may be less inclined to help.

 

[mk313]

check out the replies in this thread: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...ier-band-compatibility.2200668/#post-27788012

It's the first time I've actually seen a reply by someone using the device (Itada) not someone speculating on f it would work or not. Based on that feedback, as long as you have the right bands on the watch, you will be able to use the cellular connection in the UK.

 

[Kiretas]

Hmm, so it seems that if I'm not interested in cellular, it really doesn't matter. The concern more is that if something goes wrong, Apple UK are unlikely to offer help and service it?

Given my original Apple Watch has only just packed in and Apple won't touch it without a huge fee, it seems like maybe it's worth the risk.