Apple now sells three watches, and every other model it has released is off the store. The useful part for anyone shopping outside Apple is that watchOS 27 supports eight models, five more than Apple stocks, so a discontinued Apple Watch can still take Monday’s free update.
The cut-off is the number to check before buying an older watch. Series 9, Series 10, Series 11, Ultra 2 and Ultra 3 are all supported. Series 7, Series 8, Apple Watch SE (2nd generation) and the original Apple Watch Ultra are not on Apple’s list, and watchOS 26 is as far as they go.
What Apple sells, and what it supports
| Item | Apple’s published position |
|---|---|
| Sold on apple.com | Apple Watch SE 3 from $249, Series 12 from $399, Ultra 4 from $799 |
| Dropped from the store | Series 11, Ultra 3, and every model before them |
| Supported by watchOS 27 | SE 3, Series 9, Series 10, Series 11, Series 12, Ultra 2, Ultra 3, Ultra 4 |
| Left off the watchOS 27 list | Series 7, Series 8, SE (2nd generation), Apple Watch Ultra |
| Paired iPhone required | iPhone 11 or later, or iPhone SE (2nd generation or later), on iOS 27 |
| Per-model trade-in values | Not published by Apple for any Apple Watch |
Series 11 and Ultra 3 were on sale a week ago at $399 and $799. Apple’s Series 11 shop address now returns an error and the Ultra address leads to Ultra 4, so the only Apple price for last year’s pair is the one they launched with in September 2025.
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What a supported older watch actually gives you
The gap is battery and sensors rather than software. A Series 11 is rated at up to 24 hours of normal use and 38 hours in Low Power Mode, matching Series 12 exactly, and it runs the same S10 chip as the current $249 SE 3.
| Model | Launch price | Battery, normal use | watchOS 27 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Series 9 (2023) | $399 | Up to 18 hours | Supported |
| Series 10 (2024) | $399 | Up to 18 hours | Supported |
| Series 11 (2025) | $399 | Up to 24 hours | Supported |
| Ultra 2 (2023) | $799 | Up to 36 hours | Supported |
| Ultra 3 (2025) | $799 | Up to 42 hours | Supported |
| Series 8 (2022) | $399 | Up to 18 hours | Not on the list |
| SE (2nd gen, 2022) | $249 | Up to 18 hours | Not on the list |
| Apple Watch Ultra (2022) | $799 | Up to 36 hours | Not on the list |
What no older watch gets is the hardware Apple announced on September 9: the new Health Sensing System with heart rate every five seconds, HRV as often as every five minutes, the Readiness app and the S11 chip behind Audio Intelligence. Those arrived with Series 12 and Ultra 4, as our pre-keynote preview anticipated and the press releases confirmed.
What Apple publishes about refurbished
Apple Watch is one of the categories Apple names in its Certified Refurbished program, alongside Mac, iPad, iPhone, AirPods, Apple TV and HomePod. The published claims are savings of “up to 15%”, a standard one-year limited warranty, eligibility for AppleCare coverage, free shipping and returns, and delivery in a new white box with accessories and cables.
Two cautions. Apple’s promise of a new battery and outer shell is stated for refurbished iOS devices, and Apple does not extend that wording to Apple Watch. And Apple publishes no refurbished Apple Watch model list or price on a page we can cite, so treat availability as something to check rather than assume.
The checks worth running before you buy an older watch
- Confirm the exact model is one of the eight on Apple’s watchOS 27 list, because the generation names are close and the cut-off is not.
- Read that model’s own tech specs page for sensors. Apple’s comparison grid marks ECG and Blood Oxygen as present on SE 3 while the SE 3 specs page lists neither, so the grid is not a safe source.
- Check your iPhone clears iPhone 11, or iPhone SE (2nd generation or later), on iOS 27.
- Compare battery ratings honestly: 18 hours on most older models, 24 on Series 11 and Series 12, 42 on Ultra 3 and 50 on Ultra 4.
- Decide whether you need a feature Apple has tied to the S11 chip, because no update will add it to older hardware.
- Remember the SE 3 is still new at From $249, which is often the cheapest supported route.
What has not been confirmed
Apple publishes no trade-in value for any individual Apple Watch, no price for the models it has discontinued, no refurbished Watch inventory and no repair pricing for its September 2026 products. It has also never published how many years an Apple Watch keeps receiving major updates, so this year’s cut-off is the only guide to next year’s.
watchOS 27 arrives free on Monday, September 14 for all eight supported models, and Series 12 and Ultra 4 reach stores on Friday, September 18. Check the update list before buying anything older this weekend.
