Want an Apple Watch Ultra 2 on launch day? You might already be too late

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Shipping delays are rife.

Apple Watch Ultra 2 side view
(Image credit: Apple)
iPHONE 15: What you need to know

Teaser image for Apple Wonderlust event

(Image credit: Apple)

- Apple Event - LIVE reaction
- iPhone 15
- iPhone 15 Pro /iPhone 15 Pro Max
- Apple Watch Series 9 / Ultra 2
- iOS 17
- watchOS 10

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 was announced at Apple's iPhone 15 event on September 12 and was immediately put up for preorder. That meant that people could start to place orders as soon as the Apple Store came back online, and those who delayed doing just that might have to wait a bit longer for delivery.

With Apple Watch Ultra 2 preorders having been running for a couple of days already, it seems that some configurations have already proven so popular that people ordering today will face a multi-week wait before their new watch arrives.

In fact, some Apple Watch Ultra 2 configurations are already starting to get worryingly close to a two-month delivery window. Buying the best Apple Watch could mean playing the long game.

The wait is on

The protracted shipping estimates were first spied by MacRumors and include up to a seven-week wait time for models that come with the Trail Loop in Orange and Beige across both the S/M and M/L sizes.

Those ordering some other models will fare better, with the Alpine band likely to make buyers wait a couple of weeks when ordering online.

Those who really can't wait for a new Apple Watch Ultra 2 could try their luck at physical Apple Stores come the September 22 release date of course, while Apple's retail partners may also have some stock on hand.

It isn't yet clear whether these delivery estimates mean that the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is selling well or if Apple simply doesn't have that many to go around. The new model isn't all that different to the original Apple Watch Ultra with the main differences being a faster S9 chip, on-device Siri, and some display upgrades.

We're covering all the Apple iPhone 15 event news and reactions now that Wonderlust is over. Don't miss all our iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Ultra 2, iOS 17and watchOS 10 coverage so far.

Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.