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Tim Cook says Apple Watch “orders are great” in visit to Palo Alto Apple Store, wears custom watch with red crown

Screen Shot 2015-04-10 at 20.00.37

Tim Cook visited the Palo Alto Apple Store today to check out the Apple Watch buzz, as people around the world attend try-on appointments and (failed to) pre-order Apple Watch online. In an interview with CNBC, Cook said that customer response has been extraordinary and “orders are great”.

The interviewer asks Cook what he wears day-to-day. Cook says he swaps out bands depending on the occasion but likes the Apple Watch stainless steel with the white rubber Sport band. Weirdly, Cook’s watch features a custom red crown that is usually only found on certain Apple Watch Edition models. Photo below …

Screen Shot 2015-04-10 at 20.00.16

The red crown is normally reserved for specific Apple Watch Edition models, which color match the crown color with the watch band.

It’s unclear why Cook has this on the normal stainless steel model, although may hint at further customization options coming down the line. Before the release, there was some murmurs that Apple would offer engraving options although the company is yet to announce any such service. Another possibility (arguably more likely) is that Cook has some kind of internal testing Apple Watch unit that simply happened to feature a red crown and does not reflect public product plans.

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Comments

  1. dcj001 - 9 years ago

    “It’s unclear why Cook has this on the normal stainless steel model”

    This is a stupid thing to say, in my opinion.

    Which one would you expect him to wear – an 18 karat rose gold model with a rainbow colored band?

    • Yes, that one, exactly.

      • Why? He will have more customers looking to purchase the base model vs. the high end model. It’s actually quite smart for him to be seen wearing a base model; a rich multi-millionair wearing a $400 watch. You would expect him to wear the most expensive one, but that one will account for a very small percentage vs the cheaper models.

    • duepeak07 - 9 years ago

      The line above that refers to the red crown on the device, a stainless steel model. This is what the line you are referring to itself refers to, the stainless models don’t come with a red crown.

    • yojimbo007 - 9 years ago

      A tribute to project Red !?

    • Benjamin Mayo - 9 years ago

      I think you misread. I am referring to the ‘red crown’ anomaly, not Cook’s choice of casing.

      • drhalftone - 9 years ago

        I think you’re mistaken. That looks like that may, in fact, be the rose gold edition. Look in the background at the illuminated signs, which should be a cool white. The color is totally off with this video camera used to record the broadcast. I wouldn’t trust any of the colors, let alone to tell the difference between steel and rose gold.

  2. Scott Tomlinson - 9 years ago

    He’s the CEO of the company, its not going to be hard for him to get them to make a custom watch just for him

    • r00fus1 - 9 years ago

      Yeah, so a totally off-the wall custom model (i.e., gold with diamond crown or something) would be too extravagant and showy for Tim, but he’s got something that’s unique and still down to earth.

      Cool.

  3. Sounds like a good opportunity for entrepreneurs to create colored digital crown stickers.

  4. Paul Douglas - 9 years ago

    Uh, isn’t the most likely reason “he’s the CEO, he can get them to make any damn Apple Watch he wants”?

  5. Nils (@pointatmecom) - 9 years ago

    Why so complicated? Don’t you think as the CEO of that small company, he can choose any custom made watch he likes? Or someone in charge just gave this to him, special made, because he mentioned he liked the red crown.

  6. Magnolo Bugarin - 9 years ago

    Hmmmmm red sticker anyone?

  7. You should use target=”_blank”
    I’d really prefer if links opened in a separate tab or window.

  8. Sean McMahon (@seanmcm) - 9 years ago

    ugly looking watch

  9. Gazoo Bee - 9 years ago

    I hope they don’t change up these dials and that this is just a one-off for him only. The crown is the best way to tell at a glance what model someone is wearing.

    The aluminium ones don’t have any colour, the steel ones are black, and the edition watches are black or some other colour. We HAVE to know “at a glance” what model someone is wearing or how will we be able to JUDGE them?

  10. charismatron - 9 years ago

    Here’s what happened:
    Tim picks dials the design studio hotline:
    “Yo, Jony, throw on a crown with red on it for me, willya?”
    “Sorry, Tim; we’re all out at the moment. We have fuscia. Fuscia is such a plainly simplistic colour that fundamentally alters our perception so that the Watch crown literally dis-”
    “Jony! It’s okay. I got this.”
    Tim opens his desk drawer, and reaches for his favourite colour of paint thinking, “Paint: it just works.”

  11. If this watch really works and the user interface is decent, it really has potential https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/infrav-no-blood-glucose-vital-signs-monitor-watch . I like the Apple Watch but before I’ll buy it, it has to be a totally autonomous device with lots of sensors.

  12. kevicosuave - 9 years ago

    It’s the Apple Watch Platinum Edition. You plebeians can’t even afford to know about it!

  13. marikski - 9 years ago

    White gold, just for the CEO!

  14. patstar5 - 9 years ago

    And I’ve had an lg g watch for 5 months now, what is apple trying to achieve? They just want to make a new product to keep Ive with them and take more money from there brainwashed followers. Is apple making this as a companion to your phone? I like that my watch is out of the way, it’s nice to get notifications and not have to pull out my phone. But it’s still a watch, it looks like apple is making the apple watch do everything but tell time.
    Google is adding iOS support to android wear so you could get a huawei watch or moto 360 and use it with your iPhone. Huawei watch looks way better than apple watch. Too bad it hasn’t been released..

    • r00fus1 - 9 years ago

      Go away. No, seriously, I think there’s an LGinsider.com out there somewhere, right?

      • patstar5 - 9 years ago

        The watch is OK, pretty basic feel of smartwatch. Did it sound like I was praising them? I do look forward to the lg g4, has f 1.8 aperture. Should be really great camera!
        Well Samsung copied apple on the galaxy s6, and htc one is horribly asymmetrical.
        I think Motorola is my favorite manufacturer, Moto x is probably best phone of 2014. Some reviewers called it android’s iPhone. My great aunt has the moto x 2013 and she loves it. Nice size and easy to use

  15. Jamie Gilder - 9 years ago

    It’s not surprising that the CEO of the company can get a custom watch, but it is surprising that he’s chosen to custom it. – Something like that is obviously intentional, so it’ll be interesting to see if there’s more to it.

  16. Thomas Massengale - 9 years ago

    He likes the steel version, but he wears the as yet unreleased platinum version.

  17. Iatropoulos George - 9 years ago

    Please people don’t bother with such kind of articles. Why should we care about Tim’s watch? As Apple customers shouldn’t we have more important things to care about? For example, where is that ipad pro and when apple is going to really improve our beloved ios? Where are the macbook pros with 17 inch displays? When apple is going to give real customization for our macs and not only for gimmicky things like the watch? So people don’t eat the bait… Care about what is real and not all these gossipy things.

    • incredibilistic - 9 years ago

      “Care about what is real and not all these gossipy things.”

      Yet everything you said prior to this statement is, to some degree, “gossipy” since none of it exists.

  18. vandy75 - 9 years ago

    LOL did you ask him? Perhaps it was a platinum watch. It was rumored that they considered platinum and that it may in fact be coming.

  19. thewizardspeaks - 9 years ago

    It is a Platinum Watch…

  20. Apple has a long history of making product(RED) program products like iPods and iPhone cases. I wonder if this has something to do with that? They haven’t release a (RED) band yet. Now, despite there ‘red’ bands, neither the leather nor the fluoroelastomer are the signature shade Apple uses for it’s (RED) projects.

  21. patthecarnut - 9 years ago

    “The red crown is normally reserved for specific Apple Watch Edition models, which color match the crown color with the watch band. It’s unclear why Cook has this on the normal stainless steel model”

    I dunno, maybe because he’s Tim Cook and can customize his any way he wants…

  22. Quite often internal models will have some kind of distinctive marking so they are easily traced if they are stolen, or lost in the field. It also lets demonstrators know if they are accidentally showcasing beta hardware. Demo Apple PCBs are also red, so it wouldn’t surprise me if the crown is being used for the same purpose.

  23. Kelly Haney - 7 years ago

    Greetings from the Future! We now know that Tim is actually rockin a Cellular Apple Watch prototype in those pictures.

Author

Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Benjamin Mayo

Benjamin develops iOS apps professionally and covers Apple news and rumors for 9to5Mac. Listen to Benjamin, every week, on the Happy Hour podcast. Check out his personal blog. Message Benjamin over email or Twitter.