Apple Says Its $17k Gold-Plated Watch Is Obsolete

Money well spent.

Midas Touch

If you splurged on a gold-plated Apple Watch back in the day, you're outta luck. MacRumors reports that Apple has internally relegated its gilded gadget to its "obsolete" list, meaning that — if yours is still ticking — it's effectively left for dead. So sayonara to seventeen grand.

As of September 30, Apple will no longer provide in-store repairs or even spare parts for the device, leaving owners with an 18-karat shell and a lapsed expiration date, as its software hasn't been updated by Apple since 2018.

Non-gold peasants are out of luck as well. The change, which still isn't officially reflected on Apple's public obsolete list, targets all first-generation Apple Watches.

Released as bespoke "Editions" models for the release of the original Apple Watch in 2015, the once glitzy upgrades sold for as much as $17,000. For something that costs as much as a decent used car, the watch isn't providing its owners with much mileage.

Eight years later and that money is looking like it could've been better spent on, say, an actual high-quality mechanical watch, which is virtually guaranteed to last a lifetime. You can safely bet on watchmakers staying around, but not on the whims of corporate tech.

Gold Standard

Though Apple had kept the watch alive for the past several years by keeping it on its "vintage" product list, the end was inevitable. With new versions being churned out every year, plus Apple's longstanding propensity for ditching its older tech, buyers shouldn't have expected their nonetheless expensive Apple Watches to last very long.

Also undoubtedly shortening its shelf life is that the Edition line of the watch was never popular with buyers to begin with, selling in the low tens of thousands. And go figure: with a starting price of $10,000, even the most die-hard Apple fanatics would get sticker shock.

Still, the bad sales weren't for lack of trying. The Silicon Valley company made a heavy push to endear itself to the luxury crowd, selling its gaudy watches to celebrities like Beyoncé, Karl Lagerfeld, and Drake. But profligate displays of wealth are no longer in vogue, as Apple has gone on to market its products as more sustainable instead.

Of course, if you do have such an Apple Watch, you should still hang on to it. It may be useless as a watch or really anything beyond its literal weight in gold, but it might have some novelty value down the line to collectors.

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