The first Apple Watch was launched in stores in April 2015, but Apple had worked on the device long before. Now, thanks to rare Apple device collector Giulio Zompetti, we’ve been able to take a look at one of the earliest Apple Watch prototypes, built more than a year before its official launch.
2013 Apple Watch prototype
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a pre-production prototype of the original Apple Watch. In 2021, Zompetti had already shared images of a prototype from early 2014. However, the photos shared with 9to5Mac show a prototype from December 2013.
According to the collector, this prototype runs a version of the SwitchBoard based on an iOS 8 build made for the iPod touch. For those unfamiliar, SwitchBoard is Apple’s internal launcher for testing hardware features. It lets engineers and people working on the assembly process check that components like the camera, display, and speakers are working as expected.
On the back, this stainless steel Apple Watch prototype has the same layout as the 2014 prototype, with three heart-rate sensors aligned horizontally. It also has generic laser markings instead of the final ones with the model number.
Interestingly, Zompetti told us that this Apple Watch has a different charger than the final version. Although it resembles the current Apple Watch charger, he told us that this charger is not compatible with any other Apple Watch model. The Digital Crown also has a slightly different shape to the one used in the final version.
A few years ago, Zompetti shared images showing a rare first-generation iPod touch prototype that still runs an operating system named “OS X” instead of iPhone OS. He’s known for showing some of his rare prototypes on X (formerly Twitter), and they’re definitely worth a look.
As for the rare Apple Watch prototype, we have a special image gallery below:
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