The Original Apple Watch Is Obsolete
The first-generation of Apple Watch released back in 2015 is now classed as obsolete by Apple.
Apple regularly updates a page listing which of its old products are designated vintage (products that haven't been sold for between five and seven years) or obsolete. An obsolete product is more than seven years old and Apple no longer offers any services for them, including repairs or providing spare parts.
Although the first Apple Watch isn't officially listed as an obsolete product by Apple yet, MacRumors has seen an internal Apple memo confirming these so-called "Series 0" smartwatches became obsolete on Sept. 30.
The change means all 38mm and 42mm variants of the original Apple Watch can no longer be repaired through official Apple channels. You may remember Apple offered an Apple Watch Edition with an 18-karat gold case which cost $17,000 back in 2015. Just because it cost a small fortune doesn't mean it avoided becoming obsolete. However, it's likely to be worth far more than the original asking price at auction years from now if kept in good condition. A factory-sealed original iPhone sold for more than $63,000 earlier this year, after all.
Such is Apple's business model, if you owned the original Watch it's likely you've been tempted to upgrade to more recent models (and bands). If you're still wearing an original Watch, look after it as fixing any faults just became much more difficult. Thankfully, we do have services such as iFixit continuing to offer guides and spare parts for our aging devices.
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