Apple has published exactly one price for Apple Watch Series 12 in the US: $399, which a footnote on Apple’s US Store page ties to the 42mm model, plus an Apple Upgrade lease from $11.99 a month over 24 months. The titanium, ceramic, 46mm, GPS plus Cellular and Hermès prices are not in Apple’s press release, and Apple’s Store page does not show them in served content, so this page lays out what is confirmed and what a buyer still has to look up.
That matters more this year than last, because Series 12 adds a third case material. Alongside aluminum and titanium, Apple has brought back ceramic in pearl white and night blue, as our Series 12 announcement coverage explained, and Apple has said nothing about what the ceramic case costs.
Key facts
| Item | What Apple has published |
|---|---|
| Starting price | $399 (Apple’s press release) |
| What $399 buys | The 42mm model, per Apple’s US Store page footnote |
| Monthly option | Apple Upgrade lease from $11.99 a month over 24 months |
| Case materials | Aluminum, titanium, ceramic |
| Sizes | 42mm and 46mm |
| Connectivity options | GPS, and GPS plus Cellular |
| Titanium, ceramic, 46mm, cellular, Hermès prices | Not published; not shown in served content on Apple’s Store page |
| Pre-order and in-store dates | September 9 and Friday, September 18, 2026 |
The one price Apple has confirmed
Apple’s press release says Series 12 starts at $399 and is available with an Apple Upgrade lease from $11.99 a month over 24 months. Apple’s US Store page adds one clarifying footnote, describing the base as the Apple Watch Series 12 42mm with a purchase price of $399.
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That footnote is the only detail Apple has given about which configuration the starting price covers. It names the size but not the case material or the connectivity, so the reasonable reading is that $399 is the least expensive combination Apple sells, and every other option costs more.
The $399 starting figure is unchanged from the Apple Watch Series 11, which launched at the same price in September 2025.
Every Series 12 configuration Apple lists
| Case | Finishes | Sizes | Connectivity | US price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aluminum | Dark bronze, black, light gold, space gray | 42mm, 46mm | GPS or GPS plus Cellular | From $399 (42mm); other combinations not published |
| Titanium | Radiant gold, natural | 42mm, 46mm | Not stated by Apple | Not published |
| Ceramic | Pearl white, night blue | 42mm, 46mm | Not stated by Apple | Not published |
| Hermès | Radiant gold titanium | Not stated by Apple | Not stated by Apple | Not published |
Apple’s press release confirms four aluminum finishes, two titanium finishes and two ceramic finishes, and its product page lists 42mm and 46mm cases in GPS and GPS plus Cellular versions. It does not say whether every material comes in both connectivity options, so the table leaves those cells open rather than assuming.
Aluminum models are the only ones Apple says get Ceramic Shield 2 on the front crystal, which it rates as 60 percent tougher than the Ion-X glass on Series 11. Apple has not described the front crystal on the titanium or ceramic models.
What changes between the cases, and what does not
Apple’s release attaches no feature differences to the case material beyond the finish and the front crystal. The S11 chip, the Health Sensing System with heart rate every 5 seconds and HRV every 5 minutes, the Readiness score, Audio Intelligence, the 24-hour battery rating and the 15-minute charge for 12 hours of use are described once, for the whole line.
- Heart rate every 5 seconds and HRV every 5 minutes, on every model.
- Readiness score from 0 to 10 with four recommendations, on every model.
- Sound Recognition, Live Rewind, Siri Recap and Shazam, on every model.
- Up to 24 hours all day and up to 10 hours of outdoor workout, on every model.
In other words, on Apple’s published information, paying more for titanium or ceramic buys a different case and finish, not different sensors. The Apple Watch Ultra 4, from $799, is where the extra money changes the battery and GPS figures.
Where the missing prices will appear
Apple’s Store page for the US is where the per-configuration prices would appear, and that page does not include them in served content, which is why no figure appears here. The same is true of Apple’s Store pages for Canada, Australia, Germany, France, India, Japan, Singapore and the UAE, where Apple’s regional releases likewise give one starting figure each: C$549, A$649, €449, €449, ₹56,900, ¥71,800, S$599 and AED 1,599.
Apple has also not published band prices for the new Sport Band, Sport Loop, Milanese Loop and Modern Buckle options, nor a price for the Hermès Series 12 with its Clou de Selle and Rocabar Club bands.
What Apple has not said
- The price of any 46mm, titanium, ceramic or GPS plus Cellular configuration.
- Whether the ceramic case costs more than titanium, or the reverse.
- Which connectivity options titanium and ceramic models come in.
- The Apple Watch Hermès Series 12 price.
- Band prices, and whether the Apple Upgrade lease covers configurations above $399.
- The front crystal used on titanium and ceramic models.
Pre-orders are open now, with in-store availability on Friday, September 18. If you want a titanium, ceramic or cellular model, configure it on Apple’s Store page for your country to see the price, because Apple has not put those numbers in any release we can cite; our pre-event Series 12 preview and the full event recap cover the rest of what was expected and what actually arrived.
