Apple started accepting Apple Watch pre-orders at 12:01 AM Pacific today, and official retail packaging for the 18-karat gold Edition model is now beginning to appear on social media. Instagram user Iris Decreus shared the picture below of an Apple Watch Edition next to its suede box, which has a premium look compared to the regular packaging for the Apple Watch Sport and stainless steel Apple Watch.
Twitter user Fabien W. also shared multiple photos that provide a closer look at the Apple Watch Edition packaging earlier today. The outside of the box has an embossed Apple logo, while the inside appears to have a soft lining to keep the Edition free of scratches. The bottom of the box is embossed with the Apple Watch Edition logo, and official product documentation is included inside the box.
Apple Watch pre-orders and try-on appointments began today ahead of the wrist-worn device's release on April 24 in the United States, Australia, Canada, China, Germany, France, United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Japan and China. Apple Watch shipping times quickly slipped to 4-6 weeks or later after pre-orders became available, and the Apple Watch Edition and certain other models are not available to ship until at least June based on current estimates.
Thursday June 18, 2026 12:35 pm PDT by Juli Clover
watchOS 27 is the new version of watchOS that's coming to the Apple Watch this fall. It's a little light on features, but there are some useful new additions, including access to Siri AI.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
watchOS 27 will have Siri AI, so you'll be able to use many of the same Siri features that you have on the iPhone on your wrist. Right now, the...
Apple's decision to drop watchOS 27 support for five Apple Watch models – the Series 6, 7, 8, SE 2, and the original Ultra – likely caused some hand-wringing at this year's WWDC. The software's compatibility list cuts off three years of devices in one update. Fortunately, Apple today confirmed that unsupported watches will still work with iOS 27 when it's released in the fall.
Speaking to Tec...
Apple's watchOS 27, previewed at this month's WWDC, removes four built-in apps from all supported Apple Watch models, folding three of them into a single Find My app and dropping Walkie-Talkie entirely, based on the first developer beta released this month.
The largest change affects Find My. watchOS 27 developer beta 1 replaces the separate Find Devices, Find People, and Find Items apps...
Sorry - but at the prices they're charging, this simply isn't special / premium enough. At all.
Compare this to the packaging, for example, for the Omega Speedmaster Professional. I believe this is a special edition, but still could cost considerably less than the Apple Watch Edition..
I wonder who will be the first person on the planet to buy this idiotic expensive model.
Not like real watch which have some value, investing 10k for technology which will be obsolete a year from now is so idiotic that I can't believe apple really did that .
Sorry - but at the prices they're charging, this simply isn't special / premium enough. At all.
Compare this to the packaging, for example, for the Omega Speedmaster Professional. I believe this is a special edition, but still could cost considerably less than the Apple Watch Edition..
Apple's first foldable iPhone, with a book-style design featuring a ~5.5-inch outer display and a ~7.8-inch inner display with a minimal crease down the middle.