Can you guess the price of the gold Apple Watch? There has been a lot of speculation about how much the 42mm and 38mm versions of the 18-karat Apple Watch Edition will cost, but we wanted to poll the 9to5Mac community to see where everyone stands. Put your guess in the comments, vote using the polls below, and we’ll check back in April to point fingers, etc.
[tweet https://twitter.com/markgurman/status/567751716188487682]
We do have some clues about how much it might cost: We reported recently that Apple Stores are being prepped with jewelry store-style touches for the Apple Watch launch, including safes that will store the expensive 18-karat gold Watch Edition models. That could be a hint that we’re looking at a product pricier than anything Apple currently has in stock at its stores.
There haven’t been any reports offering a solid price point for the device, but the WSJ echoes previous speculation that the gold model could sell for as much as the $4000 Mac Pro. It also did some math based on estimates claiming there could be less than a million units of the gold model available. The exclusivity of the gold edition could make a high price point a little easier to swallow for those early adopters that just have to have it.
With that in mind, we’ve come up with some likely price points for the gold Watch Edition. Vote in the poll below for both the 38mm and 42mm models (the price ranges should cover any difference in price between the models) and feel free to get more specific in the comments:
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$5000
$4999.99
If this were the Price is Right, you’d have been over and lost the prize. ;)
4,999.00 you’d be over too. Apple doesn’t do the 99 cents.
Apple never uses pennies in their prices for hardware.
Yeah, $4,999 would be the correct price. What funny is there are going to be companies that will take this Gold version and stick diamonds on it to increase the price even further to cater to the financially unchallenged.
I’m British. Price Is Right play by different rules …. ;)
$1.00 *BOOM* Both of you are over and I win.
it’s not worth guessing without knowing the weight of the casing and the dollar value per gram of gold. You should have included at least guesses at these two numbers in your article.
Also, why would the smaller version be any different in price from the larger version? Apple is going to charge more or less for the thing based on the size of the person? Something they can’t control?
Jeweler’s have said that the gold in the device will cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $600-$700; which corresponds to ~1/2 once of gold. This seems like a completely reasonable estimate to me. Therefore the gold versions will cost something like ~$750-$850 to produce at a maximum. So even at $1500 apple would be making $650-$750 in profit, which is obviously quite a high margin.
I think that $1500 is the most likely starting price for these devices. I don’t think that the safe’s are necessarily because the editions will be extremely expensive. Rather, in any case the devices will be fairly pricey, but their small size will mean that any would be thief could easily and discretely walk out with several; something that would be more difficult with bulkier computers.
Thanks. Based on that, then I would pick the lowest of the prices $1500 – $2500 because I believe the steel one will be in the $500 range.
Agree with you both. Source: Owned a jewelry store. Sold lots of gold, sold lots of watches.
I’m not sure if they will price the sizes differently for the Edition. I do think the two sizes of the Sport will be priced the same, and I think the two sizes of the regular version (or whatever it is called) will be sold at the same price.
I think your way off on this one….cost is of no consequence. This is the high end fashion watch and accordingly it will sell right along side gold watch’s from famous fashion brands. These have markup’s many times cost, its about fashion and exclusivity so I say its closer to 4500-6500 regardless of cost.
Note: I did not say along side “gold swiss mechanical watches”, this watch gold or not is not in that same league.
Quality Swiss watches have similar amounts of gold in them, but e.g. a Patek Philippe can easily cost $50,000. So don’t be too concerned about the gold content weight. $4,999 is about right; it’s got to be suitably expensive or the “financially unchallenged” will think it too cheap !
Huh? If the gold by itself is $600-$700, why did you get to $1,500? You didn’t even add any of the internals electronics, not to mention the prestige and the expectation of higher margins for luxury goods. Ask the Jewelers what the gold amount in a Rolex goes for and then ask them the price of those watches. Go ask manufactures the cost of the leather and cloth in a Hermes handbag and then get to the $5,000 to $10,000 actual price you find in a high end boutique.
I think this is going to be a luxury good. It will be priced on the basis of its prestige. And its prestige will go up with its price.
I think they will vary the cost in this case – it highlights the solid gold aspect. Agreed the other (aly/stainless) case sizes won’t price vary.
Most likely $650,000,999
This is one Apple toy I can easily do with out at any price.
$2500 for the 42mm and $2300 for the 38mm.
Do clothing stores charge different prices for a small versus a medium?
This isn’t a shirt. It’s made of gold and a battery and a screen, all of which are more expensive for a larger device. They sell the iPhone 6 Plus for $100 more than the 6. This is no different, except that now there’s probably an extra $100 worth of gold to factor in as well.
No. I just checked with one watch maker and they actually have the same price for both the women’s and men’s watch that’s of the same design, so I don’t know if the price is going to be different in this case. I know people hope that the smaller one would be cheaper, but I don’t know if Apple is going to do that since they are both expensive to make and they probably will be selling less of the smaller version.
http://www.askqq.co We’ve been wondering the same thing. My money is on 5000+
I can guess that has one “exclusive” post from Mark on the way to show us details about all price points of Apple Watch.
Don’t forget to share the date of upcoming apple-event in early next mouth.
$1599. I can’t see the gold watch being too ridiculous.
It’s a solid gold (not 100% pure) watch, it’s not plated. Plated, I can see being $1599, but I don’t think it’s going to be that cheap. What we can see is the actual case without any guts inside to see how thick the casing is and how much gold is being used, by weight. Remember, Gold is REALLY expensive per ounce. I wonder how much gold they lose during the milling process, because when they reclaim the left over gold, they don’t recoup what they paid for it. They have to remelt it down again and I’m some of it just gets lost in the mfg process. :-)
$4,999.
It will be $3000
Oddly you are the only one of all the people here giving that number. I think you might be very close to the real thing. A round 3000$ price sounds expensive enough for people who just want expensive stuff, but at the same time, it’s reachable by many.
more than $1
$999.99
Apple never uses pennies in their hardware prices…
I think they should make the 38mm and the 42mm the same price. I think it’s unfair if a man wants to buy a 42mm Apple Watch because of his bigger wrist, and he has to pay more for that.
but Apple always charges more for a larger size (MacBook, iPad, iPhone, iMac). I guess there’s less rationale for that in the case of a watch, but there is still some rationale (larger screen size, perhaps slightly larger battery). And, it would be unlike Apple to waste an opportunity to charge more ;).
I think I want the small watch anyway. I always preferred smaller watches, and hate the feel of something too heavy on my wrist.
1 Dollar. (Price is right strategy)
2.999$
Apple never user $ sign after the number.
Add to my comment above
$2999 For the 38mm
$3399 for the 42mm
$3,999
Apple Watch Edition 38 mm: 1999$
Apple Watch Edition 42 mm: 2499€
Sorry, I mean 2499$ not €. I’m Italian 😅
nothing is too much for the dedicated Apple sheep. Nothing says “cut my hand off” like the new, bulky gold Apple Watch!
http://www.cnet.com/news/web-trolls-are-narcissists-sadists-and-psychopaths-says-study/
That comment is dumb…. lots of people wear expensive Swiss watches that sell for thousands of dollars made of steel, gold, and some with diamonds, why would a gold Apple Watch suddenly be a “cut my hand off” type thing??
And anyone that uses the term “Apple sheep” in 2015 needs to be humiliated in public.
Grow up already.
I think a big difference is that a swiss watch will last for a very long time and doesn’t get outdated after a year when the next version comes out!
$1799 & $1999
1200
1200 what? cents?
(38mm / 42mm)
Apple Watch Edition = $1499 / $1599
Apple Watch = $449 / $499
Apple Watch Sport = $349 / $399
I like your overall price guesses. But I’m just not convinced that they will price the sizes differently for Watch and Watch Sport. Makes more sense for the Watch Edition. IDK just thinking ‘out loud.’
I don’t know if Apple’s going to charge more for the bigger version. The difference in cost to mfg isn’t all that much different. I just looked up watches by Movado and they charge the same amount for the same watch design regardless of size.
Well, larger version = more metal, more touch screen area. So, more money.
Maybe I am too frugal, but I seriously can not understand why anyone would spend thousands on a first gen Apple product. No matter how much gold is involved, it WILL look crap in three years time compared to the 3rd gen. Surely this price point is reserved for muppets with far too much money and no sense?
(Yes but don’t call me Shirley!)
Agreed. This is going to be nothing more than a status symbol for the affluent. Nobody should pay this much for a device that’s going to be obsolete every year either by new models with more features or by the necessity of more powerful hardware for newer OS demands. Unless they go the iPod Touch route and don’t update them for like 5 years.
You do realize that Apple products have good resale value, right? A first gen Apple Watch will easily sell for a decent price on eBay when next year’s models are announced, allowing early adopters to upgrade at a lower cost.
Have you ever bought a $10,000 handbag? If you use it daily it will be dirty and not look that great in a year or two. Does that appeal to you? I’m guessing it probably doesn’t. It doesn’t appeal to me either. But I am aware that there is an entire industry devoted to incredibly expensive handbags. Some of the most expensive commercial real estate in the world is devoted to selling them. People buy luxury goods just to have and show off that luxury.
The rich spend money without a thought, in a world full of the poor. They know nothing about the problems of the poor,and care even less !
But these are people who buy a new $5000 watch or purse or leather briefcase every 2 years (or less) anyway. Buying a $2000 or $5000 watch every 2 years is nothing to the kind of customer who will be attracted by such a status symbol. I can think of two people I know personally who will practically brag about buying a new Apple watch every year or two.
I think this is going to be like the original release of the iPad – less than you think. The 38mm will be closer to $2500 and the 42mm $3500. The $4,000 figure that has been bounced around is a smoke screen so they can generate – gee, look how reasonable they priced it.
I agree, actually. I think Apple is encouraging this speculation so that when they announce the price of something like $1999 it will be like “boom” and everyone will be “wow, such good value”. Tim Cook will have a slide which shows the price of gold Rolex watches etc., and then cut to the slide with the $1999 price. They have played the whole thing perfectly. It will almost seem like a two-thousand dollar watch is cheap!
Actually not that hard to get a rough estimation based on gold prices, but Apple could price it far higher just to make it more desirable for it’s more well-of customers.
The watch is going to weigh in around 50 grams, so 50 grams of gold is about $1,920 but I expect apple to round that number up and charge $1,999.
Sport – $350
Steel – $599
gold – $1,999
Yea that’s about where I’d guess too. You have to factor in psychological thresholds like US $499 (which I think the steel one will be). $1,999 is expensive but not outrageously so. You know the marketing people are considering the optics of it. Apple is AFFORDABLE high end, not 1% high end. To release a mockably expensive gold edition would tarnish their image, not enhance it.
Agree. And they will compare it to the price of Rolex gold watches, to make it seem like $1999 is a steal! The press will be like: “Apple disrupts the luxury market and undercuts luxury watchmakers”. And by magic, a two-thousand dollar watch will be marketed as a breakthrough price.
Even if the price is $2499 or $2999, that’s going to be the strategy – comparing it to the price of other solid gold watches.
The amount of gold it contains is not that relevant. My all gold submariner sells for close to $30k today, my GMT II for about $8K. There is not $22k in gold in the Sub. How much more in mfg cost is the 128gb iPhone vs the 64gb? I say $9990.00 USD for the larger Apple Watch
I think that the problem with these kinds of argument is assuming the the gold version of the apple watch is directly comparable to expensive traditional watches. In the case of those mechanical watches the price of the gold isn’t so relevant because the price of hand crafting a very precise and complex machine is often greater than the price of the gold. In addition those brand can capitalize on their cache for higher margins.
Apple’s case with the edition is very different simply because the exact same watch without the gold will be available for a much lower price. Therefore, we know that the cost of the gold is what’s limiting the price and it makes it harder for apple to justify a higher price through branding.
Now imagine if Rolex had your submariner in both gold and another material that are otherwise exactly identical. If the difference in cost is not only an order of magnitude more than the price of the non-gold model, but also and order of magnitude more than the actual value of the gold it becomes much harder purchase to justify.
People will then say that sales don’t matter as the device is meant to be exclusive. However, I don’t feel that that’s a great argument either since apple with want to recoup the money associated with setting up the infrastructure to produce the gold watches in the first place.
Whatever the price will be; I’m sure that apple has chosen it to be the price that nets them the greatest return. At this point I’m still not convinced that the higher prices that people are speculating does that.
They do. Luxury watches are often sold in a stainless steel and a gold version costing multiples. The watches are nearly identical except for the material.
I think Apple is going to price this as a luxury good. Apple will make a great guess but this could either be a mammoth success or a mammoth failure.
Watch Sport $349
Watch $499
Watch Edition $999
Honestly, any more than this would be too much. I personally think better prices points would be:
Sport $249
Watch $349
Edition $749
I think both sizes will be the same price.
I think they’ll drop the prices when they release the 2nd gen version and keep the 1st gen on the price list to offer more styles.
Go check the price of gold watch. It’s not going to cost less than 1000$.
$4899
I’m guessing $1499 for the 38mm
Gold watches are expensive. VERY expensive. Even $5000 would be remarkably low-end for a gold watch. Even for “off-brands”, prices in the $10,000 to $15,000 range are the norm. Brands with any degree of cache easily fetch $20,000 plus.
Apple never tried to make the cheapest laptop or the cheapest phone. Is it reasonable to think that they would try to make the cheapest gold watch?
Actually maybe. Apple is a an enormously rich company and they are going to sell tens of millions of these things. They are not trying to make huge profit margins on it. Gold Watches might be 0.5 percent of Apple’s revenue. They may also be able to acquire bulk discounts on the gold in ways that boutique watchmakers would be unable.
So yeah, while Apple likes to profit on each product sold, there’s no need for them to pad their gold profit margins and it might do more harm than good if their uber expensive toy gets parodied by late night talk show hosts.
And the high end watch market is ripe for disruption.
THIS!!
Sports 349.00
Steel 449.00
Edition 999.00
I’ll get an Edition.
4800
14800
148000
I also think it will be around USD 4,999. If this will be the priciest product Apple sells (at least until the rumored car comes out), it would have to be more than USD 3,999 for the highest priced Mac Pro. Also, the price will be driven by the prestige factor and price comparisons with other high-end watches (some costing two or three times more), not just on the material cost of 18-karat gold.
1299$ for the 38mm Apple Watch Edition, and 1399$ for the 42mm.
Gold is at $1209 per troy ounce right now. there are 31 grams per troy ounce. So each troy ounce would be $38 per gram. Half an ounce,Troy weight, would cost under $600.00. So you could be looking at around $1,200 to $2,000 for the gold alone in the gold version. In the end, it depends on the amount of actual gold used and it’s proof in the mix.
Like all its other watches, too damn much!
I think no more than $1500 would be a great price for the apple watch.. i definitely wouldn’t buy a $5000 apple watch no way.
Compared to a typical gold watch with a gold watchband that adds considerably to the cost, there’s not a lot of gold here, so it may not be quite as expensive as many think. Plus there’s sensors, electronics, lcd, etc taking up space. I’m thinking $1199.
$1999, duh.
you forgot the word “Only” – get ready to hear everyone talking about how this watch costs ONLY $1999….brilliant marketing
1999 and 2299
$949.00
Does it come with a sign for your back that says “Steal my Gold Apple Watch”? How about armed guards at each Apple store now? Will drivers keep glancing down at their Apple Watches and slamming into the back or cars or running down pedestrians? – Debbie Downer :-)
$1699
$9,999.
3499$ for the bigger Gold Watch
2999$ for the smaller Gold watch
$7,999…
There’s no option for 4500-5000.
I don’t think they are going to use prices ending in 99 because that’s useless for such expensive things. 4500 feels right.
Frankly anyone who spends a lot of money on a product which will a) be replaced in a year, and b) is a fat, chunky, clearly first generation model is a muppet.
or rich? it’s all a matter of perspective. to someone with bags of cash, buying a new Apple watch every year or two is like a normal person buying a new iPhone every year or two.
I’d say 1500.. it really depends on whether or not it is gold plated or solid 18k gold. Personally, I can’t imagine apple using using solid 18k gold, but you never know. Interestingly, I recently read that 18k gold is used to reduce chances of allergic reaction.
Apple is in the business to sell products and they clearly don’t want to sit on gold watches. Who knows, they might hit a lower price point, but it would surprise me to see higher prices.
$2199
freediverx.
you may be right, but whatever you say i cant see someone getting a good price for an old status symbol that is instantly outdated by the new version. gold or not, just my opinion.
but i am going to buy the steel one. looking forward to it!
What makes the watch different from an iPhone, iPad, or a MacBook, all of which retain significant retail value for years?
It has to be priced at at least $2499 in order to sell anything. The fact that the Edition’s only differentiator is its materials means that it is purely a status symbol, so the Veblen effect comes into play here. If the BoM comes to ~$800 then one should expect a price of between $2500 and $3200 with margins of 65-75%.
I really cannot imagine it being any lower than that. In the UK I would expect a price of £1999 including VAT.
I’m thinking $3500-ish. It’s got to be enough to remain exclusive, but low enough so a few “common folk” can get one. I stress a FEW b/c even at $2500, that’s already out of the question for most folks when you can get a GREAT Ironman at Target for $70!
I could care less how much it is…I am much more interested in how Apple developed the custom alloys for the watches. In-house dev? With 3rd party like LQMT? Any patents filed? Need to know…asking for a friend!
I’m guessing starting at $2,999.00 for the 38mm
$6,666.66
$2500 – $3500
38mm – 1999$
42mm – 2249$
3500-4500
At least $5,000 and maybe $10,000. I don’t think it will be $20,000 like John Gruber since they aren’t offering it with a link band. Gold has a high markup. At current prices the gold alone is over $1,000 and remember that gold prices are volatile.
I think most of the people who voted are missing what Apple is trying to do here. They’re a world wide company trying to bust in the HIGH END fashion world. They hired Angela (from Burberry) for a reason. There are plenty of wealthy people in a america but think about where a lot of the press is focused, Paris, where you don’t hear much about low end clothing lines but the likes of Gucci, Givenchy, Ferragamo, etc. They all have one thing in common. Ridiculous mark ups and margins. Same with Rolex and the other higher end watches. A Solid gold rolex goes for $20k+ while a steel watch with the exact same movement goes for $6k. My vote was for $10k+ and I think i’m right but theres no way it goes for less than $5000.