https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/2/23900158/apple-watch-edition-gold-2015-obsolete-unsupported-beyonce

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Apple will no longer fix the $17,000 gold Apple Watch

Apple will no longer fix the $17,000 gold Apple Watch

/

Apple's original watch models, including the ridiculously expensive
Edition versions, are now 'obsolete' -- something that doesn't happen
to real luxury watches.

By Umar Shakir, a news writer fond of the electric vehicle lifestyle
and things that plug in via USB-C. He spent over 15 years in IT
support before joining The Verge.

Oct 2, 2023, 9:12 PM UTC|

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Beyonce Apple Watch gold band
Queen B with that exclusive all-gold link band and original Apple
Watch Edition. Image: Beyonce.com

It was never clear who the $10,000 to $17,000 18-karat gold Apple
Watch was for, beyond celebrities and the ultrarich, but I hope
whoever bought one way back in 2015 expected Apple to stop supporting
them at some point. That day has come. Apple has now internally
listed all first-gen Apple Watch models, including the solid-gold
Edition, as "obsolete," MacRumors reports.

Apple's obsolete label doesn't just mean the end of software support.
That ship has sailed; the original Apple Watches (widely referred to
as Series 0) never updated beyond watchOS 4.3.2 in 2018. It means the
end of hardware support: the company will no longer provide parts,
repairs, or replacement services.

The solid-gold Apple Watch Edition was something of a passion project
for Apple's former lead designer, Jony Ive. When it launched, it was
seen on the wrists of influential celebrities, including German
fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, who, like Beyonce, wore it with a
gold link bracelet that was never available to the public.

The Edition was Apple's first attempt at competing with the luxury
watch market, and the solid-gold version only lasted a year before
Apple dropped it in favor of much cheaper (but not cheap!) ceramic
and, later, titanium Editions. Most people don't have Beyonce or
Lagerfeld money. Even folks who do drop five figures on watches tend
to want something that'll still tell time (and hold its value) in a
couple of decades.

You could spend $10,000 to $30,000 on a Cartier Tank, still get a
square watch, and not worry about whether you could get it serviced
eight (or 80) years later. As long as luxury watch manufacturers like
Cartier exist (or Patek Philippe, Rolex, etc.), you can get
first-party repair service. If your $17,000 Apple Watch needs to be
repaired, you can try your luck with a third-party repair shop, DIY a
battery replacement, or, if you have the necessary panache, just wear
it anyway. Karl Lagerfeld didn't even set his up!

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