New prototype shows Apple considered ceramic for original Apple Watch

Apple Watch ceramic (Image credit: iMore)

What you need to know

A newly-shared prototype appears to show a ceramic Apple Watch from 2014.
The date suggests Apple was testing ceramic before the original Apple Watch was launched.

Apple first used ceramic as a material for an Apple Watch case with the arrival of Apple Watch Series 2. But a newly-shared prototype shows Apple was testing the material long before then — possibly early enough for its use on the original Apple Watch.

The prototype was shown in images shared by collector @DongleBookPro over the weekend, complete with a manufacturing date of 2014 — the same year Apple announced Apple Watch. Apple didn't release a ceramic Apple Watch until Apple Watch Series 2 in 2016, so it's clear it was testing the material long before that.

Proto-2F Ceramic Original Apple Watch (S0)

Interestingly this was manufactured in 2014, indicating Apple could have launched the ceramic model with the original watch opposed to the Series 2 pic.twitter.com/Bq4ZaOZ7fOProto-2F Ceramic Original Apple Watch (S0)

Interestingly this was manufactured in 2014, indicating Apple could have launched the ceramic model with the original watch opposed to the Series 2 pic.twitter.com/Bq4ZaOZ7fO— Dongle (@DongleBookPro) July 3, 2021 July 3, 2021

Even in its banged-up state, a ceramic Apple Watch still has a look of quality about it!

Ceramic isn't currently a material that Apple offers for Apple Watch Series 6, but it's one of the most striking of all of those Apple has used. With Apple set to announce Apple Watch Series 7 later this year, could it bring ceramic back as an option? I'd like to see it do exactly that, but if you can't wait for that to happen the Apple Watch Series 6 is still a great watch. You can bag one for a bargain price if you check out our list of the best Apple Watch deals, too.

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.