Apple Sunset

Apple Watch Series 1

Discontinued 12 Sept 2018

Released

16 Sept 2016

Announced

7 Sept 2016

Pre-orders opened

9 Sept 2016

Launch price from

$269

Discontinued

12 Sept 2018

Lifespan

2 years

Category
Apple Watch
Status
Discontinued
Apple support status
Obsolete (Apple no longer services it)
Release type
Refresh of an existing model
Previous model
Apple Watch (1st generation)
Replaced by
Apple Watch Series 3
Official Apple page
No longer available on Apple’s website
Tech specs
Apple specs ↗
Press release
Apple Newsroom ↗
More information
Apple Watch on Wikipedia ↗

Notes

At $269 the Apple Watch Series 1 was the cheapest watch Apple has sold, and it was the original Apple Watch with a faster chip fitted. Apple announced it on the same day as the Series 2 and sold the two alongside each other, the Series 2 for people who wanted to swim or run without a phone, this one for everybody else.

What the cheaper price gave up is easy to list. The Apple Watch Series 1 had no GPS, so a run needed an iPhone in a pocket to be measured. It was rated IPX7 for splashes and rain rather than 50 metres for swimming. The screen reached 450 nits where the Series 2 managed 1000.

What it kept was the dual-core processor, which was the main reason the original watch had felt slow, along with the same 38mm and 42mm cases, the same 18 hours of battery and the same 8GB of storage. Aluminium was the only case material offered.

It was announced on 7 September 2016 at the ‘See you on the 7th’ event. Pre-orders were available from 9 September, while it was released to shops on 16 September, priced from $269.

Check out the Apple Watch Series 2 that launched alongside it.

Apple Watch release history

  1. 2026

  2. 18 Sept 2026

    Apple Watch Series 12 LaunchCurrent

  3. 9 Sept 2026

    Apple Watch Series 11 Discontinued

  4. ↑ about 1 year later
  5. 2025

  6. 19 Sept 2025

    Apple Watch Series 11 Released

  7. 9 Sept 2025

    Apple Watch Series 10 Discontinued

  8. ↑ about 1 year later
  9. 2024

  10. 20 Sept 2024

    Apple Watch Series 10 Launch

  11. 9 Sept 2024

    Apple Watch Series 9 Discontinued

  12. ↑ about 1 year later
  13. 2023

  14. 22 Sept 2023

    Apple Watch Series 9 Released

  15. 12 Sept 2023

    Apple Watch Series 8 Discontinued

  16. ↑ about 1 year later
  17. 2022

  18. 16 Sept 2022

    Apple Watch Series 8 Released

  19. 7 Sept 2022

    Apple Watch Series 3 Discontinued

    Apple Watch Series 7 Discontinued

  20. ↑ about 1 year later
  21. 2021

  22. 15 Oct 2021

    Apple Watch Series 7 Released

  23. 14 Sept 2021

    Apple Watch Series 6 Discontinued

  24. ↑ about 1 year later
  25. 2020

  26. 18 Sept 2020

    Apple Watch Series 6 Released

  27. 15 Sept 2020

    Apple Watch Series 5 Discontinued

  28. ↑ about 1 year later
  29. 2019

  30. 20 Sept 2019

    Apple Watch Series 5 Released

  31. 10 Sept 2019

    Apple Watch Series 4 Discontinued

  32. ↑ about 1 year later
  33. 2018

  34. 21 Sept 2018

    Apple Watch Series 4 Released

  35. 12 Sept 2018

    Apple Watch Series 1 Discontinued

  36. ↑ about 1 year later
  37. 2017

  38. 22 Sept 2017

    Apple Watch Series 3 Released

  39. 12 Sept 2017

    Apple Watch Series 2 Discontinued

  40. ↑ about 1 year later
  41. 2016

  42. 16 Sept 2016

    Apple Watch Series 1 Released

    Apple Watch Series 2 Released

  43. 7 Sept 2016

    Apple Watch (1st generation) Discontinued

  44. ↑ 1 year, 4 months later
  45. 2015

  46. 24 Apr 2015

    Apple Watch (1st generation) Released

More in Apple Watch

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