The Apple Watch Series 12 starts at $399 in the US, pre-orders opened today, September 9, and the watch arrives in stores on Friday, September 18. Apple also sells it through its upgrade lease at $11.99 per month over 24 months.
That is the same $399 starting price as last year’s Series 11. Unlike the iPhone 18 Pro, which went up $100 this year, the entry Apple Watch holds its price while adding a new chip, new heart sensors and faster charging.
Apple Watch Series 12 price by model
| Configuration | US price |
|---|---|
| Series 12, starting price | $399 |
| Apple Upgrade lease | $11.99 per month for 24 months |
| Titanium (radiant gold, natural) | Not published |
| Ceramic (pearl white, night blue) | Not published |
| Cellular models | Not published |
| Apple Watch Hermès Series 12 | Not published |
| Apple Watch Ultra 4, starting price | $799, or $24.99 per month |
Apple’s press release lists only the $399 starting price and the lease rate for Series 12. It does not give prices for the titanium, ceramic or cellular models, or for the new bands, so expect those to appear on the Apple Store rather than in Apple’s announcement.
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The Ultra 4 sits at $799, or $24.99 per month over 24 months, which is also unchanged from the Ultra 3.
Apple Watch Series 12 pre-order and release date
- Pre-orders: open now, from September 9
- In stores: Friday, September 18
- Launch countries: US, UK, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, India, Japan, UAE and more than 50 other countries and regions
- watchOS 27: free update on Monday, September 14, four days before the watch ships
Apple has not published a launch-day store time or a pre-order cutoff for September 18 delivery. The Ultra 4 follows the same schedule, with pre-orders today and stores on September 18.
The software arrives first. iOS 27 and watchOS 27 land on September 14, and watchOS 27 requires an iPhone 11 or later, or an iPhone SE (3rd generation), running iOS 27.
What $399 buys
The entry Series 12 comes in 42mm and 46mm sizes with the S11 chip, the new Health Sensing System that reads heart rate every 5 seconds and HRV every 5 minutes, the 0 to 10 Readiness score and the Audio Intelligence features that run on the S11’s Secure Exclave.
Battery life is rated at up to 24 hours, with up to 10 hours of outdoor workout tracking, and 15 minutes on the charger gives 12 hours of use. Aluminum models get Ceramic Shield 2, which Apple says is 60 percent tougher than the Ion-X glass on Series 11 aluminum.
There is no cheaper new option this year. Apple did not announce a new Apple Watch SE, even though the Apple Watch SE 3 went unavailable ahead of the event. Apple has not said whether a new SE is coming, so for now the Series 12 at $399 is the entry point to the new lineup.
