Apple now sells exactly three Apple Watches: Apple Watch Series 12 from $399, Apple Watch Ultra 4 from $799, and Apple Watch SE 3 from $249. Everything else has gone, including last year’s Series 11 and Ultra 3, whose store pages no longer resolve on apple.com.
That makes the value question unusually simple this year. The only older watch Apple still sells is the SE 3 that arrived in 2025, still at $249, and unlike the iPhone line none of the three starting prices moved on September 9.
Key facts: the three watches Apple sells
| Apple Watch SE 3 | Apple Watch Series 12 | Apple Watch Ultra 4 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple’s price | From $249 | From $399 | From $799 |
| Sizes | 40mm, 44mm | 42mm, 46mm (43mm and 47mm in ceramic) | 49mm |
| Chip | S10 | S11 | S11 |
| Battery, normal use | Up to 18 hours | Up to 24 hours | Up to 50 hours |
| Low Power Mode | Up to 32 hours | Up to 38 hours | Up to 84 hours |
| Peak brightness | 1000 nits | 2000 nits | 3000 nits |
| Heart sensors | Optical heart sensor, temperature sensor | Health Sensing System, second-generation electrical heart sensor, blood oxygen | Health Sensing System, second-generation electrical heart sensor, blood oxygen |
| Water and depth | 50m water resistance | 50m, depth gauge to 6m | 100m, scuba to 40m |
| Case material | Aluminium | Aluminium, titanium or ceramic | Grade 5 titanium |
Prices are the starting figures Apple publishes. Everything else comes from Apple’s spec pages for each model.
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The value pick is the SE 3, and here is the trade
At $249 the SE 3 is $150 below Series 12 and runs the same watchOS 27 that arrives on September 14. It uses the S10 chip, the same generation that powered last year’s $399 Series 11.
What $150 buys you if you step up: the S11 chip, the new Health Sensing System with the second-generation electrical heart sensor and blood oxygen, a display that goes to 2000 nits rather than 1000, six more hours of rated battery, and a choice of titanium or ceramic instead of aluminium only. Apple has not published which of the new health features run on SE 3, so treat the sensor gap as the deciding line rather than assuming a software workaround.
Ultra 4 at $799 is a different purchase entirely: a 50-hour rating, 3000 nits, 100m water resistance with recreational scuba to 40m, and two free years of satellite. If none of that describes your week, the $400 gap above Series 12 is hard to justify.
Where the older watches went, and what Apple pays for them
Series 11, Series 10, Ultra 3, Ultra 2 and everything before them are no longer sold by Apple. The values below are what has been recorded for individual models since September 9, not a table Apple publishes, and every figure is an upper bound for a watch in good condition.
| Model | Recorded value now | Recorded value before September 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Apple Watch Ultra 3 | $430 | New listing |
| Apple Watch Ultra 2 | $265 | $305 |
| Apple Watch Series 11 | $200 | New listing |
| Apple Watch Series 10 | $150 | $165 |
| Apple Watch Series 9 | $115 | $135 |
| Apple Watch SE (3rd gen) | $115 | New listing |
| Apple Watch Series 8 | $90 | $95 |
| Apple Watch Series 7 | $65 | $70 |
| Apple Watch SE (2nd gen) | $60 | $60 |
Note the direction. Apple Watch values were cut or held flat on the day of the event, so waiting for launch week to trade in a Series 9 or an Ultra 2 cost money rather than earning it.
The only confirmed launch offer
Best Buy’s listing is the single retailer promotion we can confirm: trading in an eligible Apple Watch takes up to $325 off a Series 12 pre-order, and the offer expires on 9/18/2026. Best Buy lists Series 12 from $449 for the 46mm GPS model, from $549 with cellular, and up to $799 in titanium.
Elsewhere, Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 are on pre-order at Amazon at list price with no discount, no gift card and no credit attached. They do show configuration prices Apple has not published: 42mm GPS at $399, 46mm GPS at $449, cellular at $499 and $549, titanium at $699 and $749. Those are the retailer’s prices, not Apple’s.
Walmart, Costco and Target have published no Apple Watch launch offer, and Apple’s own gift card promotion covers Macs and iPads only, so there is nothing else published to wait for.
If you are buying an older Apple Watch second hand
- The software floor is watchOS 27, which Apple lists for SE 3, Series 9, Series 10, Series 11, Series 12, Ultra 2, Ultra 3 and Ultra 4.
- Series 7, Series 8, Apple Watch SE (2nd generation) and the original Ultra do not get watchOS 27, so a cheap Series 8 is already at the end of its major updates.
- Apple lists Watch as a Certified Refurbished category, but publishes no schedule for which models appear or when.
- A used watch carries no Apple warranty unless coverage remains from the original purchase.
What has not been confirmed
- Apple publishes only the starting prices of $249, $399 and $799. There is no full per-configuration price list on Apple’s pages for titanium, ceramic or cellular models.
- Apple does not publish a per-model Apple Watch trade-in table. Its estimator asks condition questions instead.
- AppleCare+ pricing for Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 has not been published.
- Apple has not said whether Series 11 or Ultra 3 stock returns through any channel.
Series 12 and Ultra 4 have been on pre-order since September 9 and reach stores on Friday, September 18, the same day as AirPods 5 and iPhone 18 Pro, as set out in our event recap. watchOS 27 and iOS 27 arrive on September 14. If the Best Buy trade-in route is the one you want, its expiry lands on launch day itself.
