Macy's Launches Apple Watch Series 1 Black Friday Discount: 38mm for $180 and 42mm for $210

The latest Black Friday deal has gone live today, and this time it's for the Apple Watch Series 1, which debuted alongside the Series 2 in September 2016. The Series 1 models lack the advancements of 2017's Series 3 -- like LTE and a faster processor -- but the older Apple Watch is still a reliable device, and now with a cheaper entry price over at Macy's, it makes for a great holiday gift.

The retailer has the Apple Watch Series 1 discounted by $70 beginning today, with 38mm models running for $179.00 and 42mm models priced at $209.00. In terms of overall Black Friday deals, we know that Target will match this $70 off Series 1 deal beginning tomorrow when sales there go live. So if you're looking to get some shopping done a little early, Macy's offer is the first notable Apple Watch Series 1 deal happening this holiday season.

macys series 1 saleNote: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with LivingSocial. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Here's every Apple Watch Series 1 device available in Macy's sale:

As a point of comparison, the new non-LTE Apple Watch Series 3 models are priced at $329 (38mm) and $359 (42mm). Sales on Series 2 models have been appearing frequently throughout the fall, with the most recent dropping 38mm cases to $229 and 42mmm cases to $259. Until Black Friday sales, no notable deals had yet to arrive for the Series 1 devices following the launch of Series 3 in September.

If you purchase the Series 1, be aware that in comparison to higher-cost versions it has a slower S1P processor, lower water resistance (so it is not suitable for swimming), a display that doesn't get as bright, slightly lower battery life, and no LTE or GPS support. Otherwise, you'll be able to access all of the expected Apple Watch features like activity tracking, notification and phone call support with a connected iPhone, and more.

Also of note is an Apple Music deal going on at LivingSocial, where you can get a four month subscription to Apple's streaming music service for free. This deal essentially adds one extra month (priced at $9.99/month) onto Apple Music's existing three month free trial, and is only available to new subscribers signing up for an individual membership plan.

As always, you can visit our Black Friday Roundup to keep track of the latest deals going on heading into Thanksgiving and Black Friday. Some sales will begin going online a bit early today, but the bulk will see activation when retailers first open their doors tomorrow night between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. local time.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 11
Tag: Macy's
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)
Related Forum: Community Discussion

Popular Stories

Verizon New

Verizon is Down: iPhones Show 'SOS' Mode Due to Network Outage [Resolved]

Wednesday January 14, 2026 10:18 am PST by
Verizon is experiencing a major outage across the U.S. today, with hundreds of thousands of customers reporting issues with the network on the website Downdetector. There are also complaints across Reddit and other social media platforms. iPhone users and others with Verizon service are generally unable to make phone calls, send text messages, or use data over 5G or LTE due to the outage....
Apple Creator Studio

Apple Introduces New 'Creator Studio' Bundle of Apps for $129 Per Year

Tuesday January 13, 2026 6:11 am PST by
Apple today introduced a new Apple Creator Studio bundle that offers access to six creative apps, as well as exclusive AI features and content, as part of a single subscription. In the U.S., pricing is set at $12.99 per month or $129 per year. Here are the six apps included with an Apple Creator Studio subscription:Final Cut Pro on the Mac and iPad Logic Pro on the Mac and iPad Pixelmator...
iOS 26

Here's What's New in iOS 26.3 So Far

Monday January 12, 2026 1:15 pm PST by
Apple today seeded the second beta of iOS 26.3, nearly a month after the first beta. So far, the update includes a couple of new features for iPhones. iOS 15.3 through iOS 18.3 were all released in late January over the years, so it is thereby likely that iOS 26.3 will be released towards the end of this month as well. The update is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and newer. Below,...
maxresdefault

Apple Confirms Google Gemini Will Power Next-Generation Siri This Year

Monday January 12, 2026 7:38 am PST by
In a statement shared with CNBC today, Apple confirmed that Google Gemini will power the next-generation version of Siri that is slated to launch later this year. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. "After careful evaluation, we determined that Google's technology provides the most capable foundation for Apple Foundation Models and we're excited about the innovative...
airpods pro 3 design

Apple Releases New AirPods Pro 3 Firmware Update

Tuesday January 13, 2026 11:29 am PST by
Apple today released a firmware update for the AirPods Pro 3. The latest firmware has a version number of 8B34, up from the previous version 8B30. Apple has a support document for AirPods firmware updates, and it indicates that the 8B34 update contains unspecified "bug fixes and other improvements." No other AirPods models received firmware updates today. How to install AirPods Pro...
Low Cost MacBook Feature A18 Pro

Apple Is Expected to Launch These Four MacBooks in 2026

Friday January 9, 2026 8:17 am PST by
2026 could be a bumper year for Apple's Mac lineup, with the company expected to announce as many as four separate MacBook launches. Rumors suggest Apple will court both ends of the consumer spectrum, with more affordable options for students and feature-rich premium lines for users that seek the highest specifications from a laptop. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. ...
maxresdefault

Google Gemini-Powered Siri Will Reportedly Have These 7 New Features

Tuesday January 13, 2026 7:52 pm PST by
Apple and Google this week announced that Gemini will help power a more personalized Siri, and The Information has provided more details. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. As soon as this spring, the report said the revamped version of Siri will be able to… Answer more factual/world knowledge questions in a conversational manner Tell more stories Provide...
fcp pcp iwork creator studio

Some Apple Apps Will No Longer Receive Every New Feature Without a Subscription

Tuesday January 13, 2026 10:50 am PST by
If you are not interested in subscribing to the new Apple Creator Studio bundle introduced today, you will officially start to miss out on some new features. Apple said some "exciting new intelligent features and premium content" in Pixelmator Pro, Keynote, Numbers, Pages, and Freeform will only be accessible with a Creator Studio subscription. In the U.S., a subscription costs $12.99 per...
iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

10 Reasons to Wait for This Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Thursday January 8, 2026 2:56 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
iOS 18 Siri Personal Context

Elon Musk Reacts to Apple and Google Teaming on Gemini-Powered Siri

Monday January 12, 2026 11:38 am PST by
Elon Musk today expressed concern about Apple and Google partnering on a more personalized version of Siri powered by Google's generative AI platform Gemini. "This seems like an unreasonable concentration of power for Google, given that [they] also have Android and Chrome," wrote Musk, in a post on X. Musk serves as CEO of xAI, the company behind Gemini competitor Grok. It is unlikely...

Top Rated Comments

H.E. Pennypacker Avatar
106 months ago
Will make for good stocking stuffers at my house.
My kids have been bad this year so I’ll probably get this as their “coal”. They’ll have to behave better if they really want that Rolex next year.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DakotaGuy Avatar
106 months ago
Great stocking stuffers for the kids
Times like this I realize I had a bad Mom and Dad. I mean they loved me a lot, kept me fed, clothed and took care of my general well-being the best they could, but I just got crappy little things in my stockings. I guess that’s all they could afford. I will say however when I was a 5th grader and they got me a new chrome BMX bike from Sears (FS 600... yeah I’m 40 and I remember the model) that was a pretty awesome Christmas! Of course it was the only thing I got that year, but it was awesome!
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
chfilm Avatar
106 months ago
The series 2 is fine, except when it comes to the workout app - which is the one app where speed would be crucial. It's SO laggy, especially when dealing with music via bluetooth headphones, it's killing me every time I go running and try to skip a song..
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
44267547 Avatar
106 months ago
Is there a noticeable speed difference between series 0 and series 1? My series 0 is really slow and I'm curious if I'll be able to notice a significant improvement.
Yes. It's not drastic, however load times, WatchOS updates and navigating the Apple Watch menu's make a difference. I believe Series 1 will see at least two more years of updates.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
joonyaboy Avatar
106 months ago
I’d buy my wife one at that price but I know she’ll never keep up with it, charging wise
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jonnysods Avatar
106 months ago
Value and tech will intersect pretty nicely next year with the Series 3. It will have a years worth of updates and a sale price that reflects retailers wanting to move inventory to make room for the Series 4.
Exactly. I have the S2 right now, it runs a little choppy but it works. Now that Apple are accelerating the release of watches faster than I anticipated it only works in yours and my favour all the more.

PS I love your avatar!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)