Back in 2015, Apple tried to pitch its brand new Apple Watch at luxury watch fans with a ludicrously expensive gold 'Edition' model, starting at $10,000. That model was discontinued after a year (and is already obsolete, since watchOS 5 and above aren't compatible with it), but the luxury design could be making an unexpected comeback with the Apple Watch Series 6.
A renowned Apple leaker has shared images (below) of a gold Apple Watch, along with a plush leather case complete with an in-built lightning charger. In a subsequent tweet, the leaker claims that casing options for the Apple Watch Series 6 will include a gold edition – which means the ultimate tech/fashion flex could be making a comeback. Check out the Apple Back to School Sale for deals on the Apple Watch, iPad and more.
While the current Apple Watch Series 5 range includes two 'Edition' models, Apple has considerably toned down the, er, luxury (read: price). The titanium model starts at $799/£799, while the white ceramic edition starts at a still-whopping $1299/£1299. But if the gold Edition does return in a similar fashion to its $10,000 predecessor, its price could blow these out of the water.
If Apple does indeed resurrect the gold Apple Watch Edition at a price anything like the original's, we'd hope to see software support last a little longer than before. Watch OS 5 was released in 2018, which means the first Apple Watch Edition had a lifespan of just 3 years. Things move quickly in the tech world, so we can only hope that Apple chooses to reflect that with a price closer to the current titanium and ceramic models.
2015's Apple Watch Edition (Image credit: Apple)
Still, if recent Apple Watch rumours are to be believed, the Series 6 could be pretty future-proof. Indeed, increased wireless capabilities could even see it (or a subsequent model) eventually replace your iPhone. And if you're going to end up with one device to rule them all, why not go for gold? (Okay, we'll wait for the price first.) Until then, the Apple Watch Series 5 is still a mighty powerful smartwatch – check out the best Apple Watch deals below.
Daniel John is Design Editor at Creative Bloq. He reports on the worlds of design, branding and lifestyle tech, and has covered several industry events including Milan Design Week, OFFF Barcelona and Adobe Max in Los Angeles.
