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

Wednesday November 22, 2017 6:42 AM PST by Mitchel Broussard
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.

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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 Roundups: Apple Watch, watchOS 6
Tag: Macy's
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)
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H.E. Pennypacker
27 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.
Rating: 6 Votes
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DakotaGuy
27 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!
Rating: 2 Votes
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chfilm
27 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..
Rating: 1 Votes
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Relentless Power
27 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.
Rating: 1 Votes
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joonyaboy
27 months ago
I’d buy my wife one at that price but I know she’ll never keep up with it, charging wise
Rating: 1 Votes
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jonnysods
27 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!
Rating: 1 Votes
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macs4nw
27 months ago

.....PS I love your avatar!

Extreme 'notchy' male pattern baldness? :D
Rating: 1 Votes
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69Mustang
27 months ago

My thoughts as well. But I also asume Series 4 might see a redesign as performance and other features such as better CPU, waterproof or LTE were already introduced. So getting a Series 3 than while a new design or slightly streamlined one might be introduced could be painful.

I can see how it could be painful for some in that "gotta have the latest and greatest" crowd. I've never been one to subscribe to that philosophy so it would be a no-brainer for me to get the year older model. I don't even like smartwatches and dislike the styling of the Apple Watch altogether. That doesn't mean I can't see the value for those who do like AW's. Series three is the best AW there is right now. Next year, if a new watch comes, the Series 3 will be 2nd best. It will still be a great smartwatch. It'll just be a great smartwatch with an even better price.
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Actually, retailers wanting to move inventory has nothing to do with Series 4. The reality is they have zero indication if Apple will or will not release a new Watch. Retailers hosting annual sales for an Apple Watch is nothing more than liquidating current stock or older tech for the sake of end of year sales. Even if a Series 4 doesn't launch in 2018, retailers will still discount the same sales, perhaps just with a different model. They don't care about any unannounced future Apple Watch models, they want numbers in sales and customer base. Period.

What you say is true. Although the point of my post had nothing to do with the Series 4 per se and everything to do with moving old inventory, I can see how including the tidbit about the Series 4 might have shifted the focus for some. Apologies.
Rating: 1 Votes
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jonnysods
27 months ago
Such a good price. Looking forward to grabbing a series 3 next year for a great price!
Rating: 1 Votes
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Return Zero
27 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.


It's noticeable. Whether it's worth the cost of upgrade is a bigger question. The series 3 (cellular or not) packs in even more speed with a lot of other features, so if I were you I might wait for some year-end deals on that. But my series 1 is still going strong and I have no complaints about the speed at all.
Rating: 1 Votes
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