Remember the Lower-Cost Apple Watch Series 1? It's Vintage Now

Apple today updated the public-facing vintage and obsolete products list on its website. The page confirms that all first-generation Apple Watch models are now obsolete, as we reported earlier this month based on an internal memo. Obsolete products are no longer eligible for repairs or service at Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers.

Apple Watch Series 1 Vintage Feature 2
Another addition to the page is the Apple Watch Series 1, which is now classified as vintage. Introduced alongside the Apple Watch Series 2 in September 2016, the Series 1 was a more affordable model that lacked the Series 2's built-in GPS, brighter display, and improved water resistance. It was also only available with an aluminum case, whereas the Series 2 had aluminum, stainless steel, and ceramic case options. In the U.S., the Series 1 started at $269, compared to $369 for the Series 2.

Apple considers a product to be vintage once five years have passed since it was last distributed for sale. Apple discontinued the Series 1 in September 2018 after introducing the Apple Watch Series 4, so that five-year mark has now been reached. Vintage products are no longer guaranteed to be eligible for repairs at Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers, with service subject to parts availability.

Nowadays, the Apple Watch SE is the budget model, with pricing starting at $249.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Render Front Page Tech

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. iPhone 17 Pro's alleged design via Front Page Tech Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone...
iCloud General Feature Redux

iPhone Users Who Pay for iCloud Storage Receive a New Perk

Thursday March 20, 2025 12:01 am PDT by
If you pay for iCloud storage on your iPhone, Apple has a new perk for you, at no additional cost. The new perk is the ability to create invitations in the Apple Invites app for the iPhone, which launched in the App Store last month. In the Apple Invites app, iCloud+ subscribers can create invitations for any occasion, such as birthday parties, graduations, baby showers, and more. Anyone ...
Generic iOS 18

Apple Seeds iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 Release Candidate With Priority Notifications, Ambient Music and More

Monday March 24, 2025 10:07 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming a week after Apple released the fourth betas. iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 can be downloaded from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software Update. With iOS 18.4, Apple is adding the Priority Notifications...
airpods max 2024 colors

Don't Buy Into Apple's Hype About AirPods Max Gaining Lossless Audio

Monday March 24, 2025 4:24 pm PDT by
Apple today announced that AirPods Max with a USB-C port will be gaining support for lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio with a firmware update next month, alongside the release of iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, and macOS 15.4. For context, audio files are typically compressed to keep file sizes smaller. There are lossy compression standards like MP3 and AAC (Advanced Audio Codec), which...
Generic iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Coming Soon With These New Features for Your iPhone

Tuesday March 25, 2025 6:45 am PDT by
Apple is expected to release iOS 18.4 to the general public as soon as next week, following more than a month of beta testing. Apple's website says some iOS 18.4 features will be released in "early April," so the update should be out as early as Tuesday, April 1. Apple this week seeded the iOS 18.4 Release Candidate, which is typically the final beta version, barring the discovery of any...
iOS 18

Top 5 New Features Coming in iOS 18.4

Friday March 21, 2025 3:26 pm PDT by
We're not getting new Siri Apple Intelligence features in iOS 18.4 as expected, but the upcoming update does have quite a few new additions that will be worth upgrading for. We've rounded up the five best features to look forward to, and if you're not running the beta, you can expect to get access to these in early April. Priority Notifications If you have an iPhone or iPad that supports...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Iridescent Search

Foldable iPhone Expected to Launch Next Year, Costing Around $2,000

Monday March 24, 2025 3:43 am PDT by
Apple will launch its long-rumored foldable iPhone next year with a ~$2,000 premium price tag attached, expects well-connected Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman. Gurman's comments on Apple's launch plans for its first foldable device appeared in the Q&A section of his latest Power On newsletter. Earlier this month, the reporter said Apple's foldable iPhone could be arriving "as early as 2026,"...
ios 19 messages app

Here's What Apple's iOS 19 Messages App Might Look Like

Tuesday March 25, 2025 11:52 am PDT by
Leaker Jon Prosser today shared a mockup of what he says the Messages app will look like in iOS 19, demoing an interface with rounded, translucent bubble-shaped navigation buttons at the top and softer, rounder corners for the keyboard and word suggestions. Jon Prosser's Messages app mockup The return button, a button for going back to the Messages list, and the FaceTime button have a deeper...

Top Rated Comments

FasterQuieter Avatar
19 months ago
I remember the series 0. That thing was slooooow.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mr. Dee Avatar
19 months ago

Doesn’t that force you to keep on an older iOS version on your paired iPhone? Or is Series 3 still supported by Watch OS 10?
Its on Watch OS 8.7.1 which still works with my iPhone X 16.7.1.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Blackstick Avatar
19 months ago

What about the man mini 2014? I thought that would be listed as obsolete since the 2018 came out in October.
It's 5 years from the date last sold. Soooo probably by next month it's going vintage.

Besides California, Vintage = Obsolete for the rest of us. Apple won't service them.

The interesting one is the MD101LL/A (Mid 2012 13" MacBook Pro)... I'm not sure it'll ever die, Apple sold it so damn long.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tomtad Avatar
19 months ago
It’s interesting they called this the Series 1. I feel the original reasoning behind the ‘series’ name is they would have kept the names. The Series 1 being the lower cost watch, Series 2 the higher end. When the new gen came out it would still be the Series 2. Had the Ultra then joined with this naming scheme it would be the Series 3.

Then it was ditched and they just stuck with an iPhone style numbering system for each new generation of watch, just prefixed with ‘series’.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mr. Dee Avatar
19 months ago
Still using my Series 3 and I feel like its gonna be around for a while.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cyb3rdud3 Avatar
19 months ago
Still use my Series 2. The extra water resistance has worked well over the years. It's been swimming with me in seas all over the world. It's proven a really tough and durable watch, which handily can pay easily as well, and performs reliably public transport transit mode as well around the world.

Still haven't seen anything in the newer versions that materially improves on my use cases for a watch.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)