While the so-called ‘Apple Watch’ was first introduced by Tim Cook in 2014 and released the following year, the original Apple watch actually goes back to a little-known quartz watch from the 1990s.
In the 1990s, as Apple battled it out with ‘PC’, they started a promotional campaign between May and July of 1995 for customers who upgraded their operating system to the new System 7.5. These customers would receive these quirky quartz Apple watches as one of two potential promotional gifts. Users were offered the option of an Apple watch or software called “Conflict Catcher 3”.
1995 Apple System 7.5 quartz watch
These watches had an anodized aluminum case and hands of the same material. While the strap had “Mac OS” written on it and the case measures 33 mm in diameter. While these timepieces have never really been that attractive to watch collectors, there was one for sale on eBay for $2,500 USD back in 2015. In my opinion, the flashy colours that harken back to that familiar early digital age make it an interesting style piece or ‘fashion watch’. Memphis design or the Memphis Group would be the precise term, a design style that was born in 1981 in Milan. I, for one, would certainly admire this Apple watch over the more modern versions. I’ve never been one to collect watches based on specific design styles like Art Deco or Bauhaus, but there is something about the vibrance of the colours in this case that make it especially attractive.
Fast forward to 2015 and the ‘new’ Apple Watch has officially hit the shelves. The early versions focusing on basic fitness apps, the likes of which competed with the Fitbit. One of these early Apple Watch models was even made of solid gold!⁸ And as expected wasn’t much of a commercial success.
Apple continued releasing new models of the Apple Watch throughout the 2010s, meeting the significant demand for their new product. This culminated in 2019, when Apple alone outsold the entire Swiss watch industry in terms of units sold, with over 30 million units sold vs. about 21 million for the Swiss. This was also the year of the release of the Apple Series 5.
Other 1990s early Apple quartz watch / Credit: Watchuseek user Nurpur
Now, the System 7.5 watch wasn’t the only quartz Apple watch of the 1990s but it is somewhat well-known, not only for occasionally appearing at exorbitant prices on eBay, but also for being the ‘Apple watch’ before Apple Watches. Also, there is a decent number of NOS models available. What’s most interesting, however, is that there seems to be a complete lack of connection between these early Apple watches and the Apple Watch of the 2010s. While I detest smartwatches, I do admire their versatility and agree it is a natural step in horological evolution. If anyone is thinking of giving me a smartwatch in the future, this one would be best.
By: Andres Ibarguen
Read more:
“A timeline: A brief history of Apple Watch.” Verizon, https://www.verizon.com/articles/brief-history-of-apple-watch/.
Slivka, Eric. “Classic Apple Watches From 1995 Once Again Available for Sale.” Mac Rumors, December 11th, 2014, https://www.macrumors.com/2014/12/11/1995-apple-watch/.
Kooser, Amanda. “Original '90s Apple watch selling for $2,500 on eBay.” CNET, April 15th, 2015, https://www.cnet.com/news/original-90s-apple-watch-selling-for-2500-on-ebay/.
Barnes, Sara. “How the Memphis Movement Went Against “Good Taste” to Inspire Designers Today.” My Modern Met, April 27th, 2018, https://mymodernmet.com/what-is-memphis-design/.
Jacques, Maygen. “The History of the Apple Watch.” Super Watches, April 13th, 2021. https://www.superwatches.com/the-history-of-the-apple-watch/.
Kharpal, Arjun. “Apple Watch outsold the entire Swiss watch industry in 2019.” CNBC, February 6th, 2020, https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/06/apple-watch-outsold-the-entire-swiss-watch-industry-in-2019.html..