CANBERRA: The Apple Watch could be the company’s most expensive product of Apple. Grail Watch predicts the larger Apple Watch Edition will go for $US9,999, with the smaller version retailing for $US7,999.
That’s mostly because the Apple Watch Edition has a frame made from solid 18-karat gold, which is very expensive.
Grail Watch notes that gold sells for between $US1,200 and $US1,300 per ounce these days. By that measure, the Apple Watch Edition’s frame would cost around $US8,300 for the larger 42mm version, excluding all other costs.
That’s assuming the watch’s case is made from solid gold, not gold-plated. But the blog notes that Apple’s marketing material never uses “gold-plated” or “gold-filled,” which is conventional terminology for gold-plated materials, and that Apple must abide by laws governing how jewellry makers describe their products.
The conventional wisdom so far has been that the Apple Watch Edition will cost $US5,000. Apple has only announced the price of the low-end Apple Watch Sport, which will sell for $US349.
But gold-framed luxury watches usually go for well above the $US10,000 mark. Cartier’s Tank MC lists for $US22,000 and Jager-LeCoultre’s Reverso Squadra Hometime lists for over $US23,000.
Even if the Apple Watch Edition sells for less than its analogue competitors, it will still be Apple’s most expensive product.
