the price of the watch does not put off buyers

A connected watch for 999 euros, that’s Apple’s daring bet in 2022 with the Apple Watch Ultra. If there is a demand for high-end watches, one could wonder if the Cupertino company was not taking too much of a risk by venturing into this field. The Apple Watch Ultra is not a connected watch to put on all wrists, which the Apple Watch Ultra 2 confirms. However, the fact of not offering a watch for all audiences does not prevent the Apple brand from making it a success.

In its latest report, Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) analyzes the sales of the current generation of Apple Watch. This American market research specialist wanted to understand how Apple Watches are selling before the refresh of the range with the Series 10, Ultra 3 and SE 3.

The study found that the Series 9 (43%) and Series 8 (19%) were the top-selling models in the “June 2024 quarter.” Together, they account for nearly two-thirds of Apple Watch sales, despite having different trajectories. In the US, the Series 9 faces a sales ban when it features the blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) measurement feature. Meanwhile, the Series 8 is no longer sold directly by Apple and maintains its sales through resellers.

Apple sells more Watch Ultra than Watch SE

Logically, the latest watch from the American giant dominates with 43% of Apple Watch sales, more than the Ultra, Ultra 2 and SE combined (32%). The Apple Watch SE follows suit with 12% of sales, but the most interesting thing is the performance of the Apple Watch Ultra. Together, the two high-end watches represent 20% of total Apple Watch sales (11% for the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and 9% for the Watch Ultra). They outsold the Watch SE 2 (12%) and the Nike (5% combined) during this period.

It may be surprising to see that the Apple Watch SE, the affordable watch from the American manufacturer, only captures 12% of sales. In France, it is priced at 279 euros while the Series 9 starts at 449 euros. Finally, an Apple Watch Ultra 2 costs 899 euros in our region.

The problem for the affordable watch is that it seems to suffer from internal competition. A little more expensive, the Series 9 has more advanced features and a more polished design. Between the two, we also find the Series 8 which tends to get closer to the Series 9 while remaining more affordable. It is therefore difficult for the affordable watch while the Ultra models do not suffer from this competition. These niche watches for athletes and adventurers find their audiences, taking advantage of the premium image of the Apple brand.

“Old” Apple Watches are still popular

According to the authors of this study, Apple Watch sales are distributed “quite similarly” to those of iPhones and iPads. It is also interesting to note that nearly one in three Apple Watches sold during the June quarter was an older generation. A trend that shows that Apple has not made significant changes to justify an upgrade. For the consumer, it allows them to save money or switch to another product from the brand. Keeping older generation products in its catalog helps grow the firm’s ecosystem.