Black Friday is still two weeks out, but Amazon didn’t wait. A bunch of Apple Watches are already on sale, so I went through the whole lineup and checked every price myself. Some of these deals are genuinely great. A couple of the so-called deals aren’t deals at all.
Everything below is a discount I could verify on Amazon today, with the list price right there in each box. If a watch didn’t have a real cut, it didn’t make the list. Simple as that.
Missing from the list: the Series 12, and it needs a quick explanation. Amazon’s 42mm price is barely under Apple’s, and its 46mm costs more at Amazon than straight from Apple. The older SE 2 keeps showing up cheap in search results too, but it’s a 2023 watch now, and the renewed listings are refurbished, not new. This list is new watches with cuts I could prove.
- Biggest cut: the Apple Watch Ultra 3 with the Ocean Band at $649, a full $150 off
- The Ultra 4 is the newest Apple Watch there is, and it’s already down to $699.99
- Series 11 starts at $339 in the 42mm, last year’s flagship for a lot less
- The SE 3 only drops $9, but it’s still the cheapest Apple Watch worth buying
Every deal at a glance
| Model | Was | Now | You save |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ultra 3 GPS + Cellular 49mm, Ocean Band | $799 | $649 | $150 |
| Ultra 4 GPS + Cellular 49mm | $799 | $699.99 | $99 |
| Ultra 3 GPS + Cellular 49mm, Milanese Loop | $899 | $749 | $150 |
| Series 11 GPS 46mm | $429 | $379 | $50 |
| Series 11 GPS 42mm | $399 | $339 | $60 |
| SE 3 GPS 40mm | $249 | $239.99 | $9 |
Ultra 3 with the Ocean Band is the headline deal
Start here, because this is the cut everything else gets measured against. You get Apple’s adventure watch with the 49mm titanium case, satellite messaging for the middle of nowhere, and a depth gauge for diving, and Amazon has it at $649. That’s last year’s flagship Ultra money for a watch that still does nearly everything the new one does.
That Anchor Blue Ocean Band helps the deal, too. It’s all ridges and drainage holes, built to get soaked and dry fast, and the dark blue looks better in person than it does in photos. If your weekends involve water, this is the configuration to buy.
Apple Watch Ultra 3 GPS + Cellular 49mm, Titanium Case with Anchor Blue Ocean Band
49mm titanium case · Emergency SOS via satellite · Depth gauge and water temperature sensor
Price: $649 (was $799, save $150)
Where to buy: Buy on Amazon
Ultra 4 is the new one and it’s already $99 off
New Apple Watches almost never go on sale this fast, which is why this one’s fun. Apple’s newest Ultra landed two months ago and Amazon already has it at $699.99, with the brightest screen Apple has ever put on a watch, 5G, and a readiness score on the dial that tells you if today is a workout day or a couch day.
Get this one if you always want the newest thing and you were paying full price anyway. The $99 just makes it sting less.
Apple Watch Ultra 4 GPS + Cellular 49mm
49mm titanium case · 3,000-nit Always-On Retina display · 5G cellular
Price: $699.99 (was $799, save $99)
Where to buy: Buy on Amazon
Ultra 3 with the Milanese Loop is the same watch in a suit
Same watch, dressed completely differently. Swap in the Black Titanium Milanese Loop and the whole thing turns into something that works with a blazer, and the magnetic clasp is weirdly satisfying to fidget with. Amazon cut this configuration by $150 as well, down to $749 from $899.
This loop version costs more than the Ocean Band one because woven titanium is fancy. At $150 off, that gap is a lot easier to live with.
Apple Watch Ultra 3 GPS + Cellular 49mm, Black Titanium Case with Black Titanium Milanese Loop
49mm black titanium case · Magnetic Milanese Loop clasp · Emergency SOS via satellite
Price: $749 (was $899, save $150)
Where to buy: Buy on Amazon
Series 11 in 46mm drops to $379
For most people, this is the sweet spot. You get last year’s flagship with the health features people actually use, like hypertension notifications and a sleep score, and the Jet Black 46mm is $50 off at $379. Big screen, all-day battery, none of the Ultra’s bulk.
A full-price Series 12 gets you a bit more brightness and not much else you’ll notice day to day. I’d take the $50 and the year-old flagship.
Apple Watch Series 11 GPS 46mm, Jet Black Aluminum Case with Black Sport Band
Hypertension notifications · Sleep score · Always-On Retina display
Price: $379 (was $429, save $50)
Where to buy: Buy on Amazon
Series 11 in 42mm is $60 off for smaller wrists
Smaller wrist? This is your section. Your pick is the 42mm Series 11 in Space Grey at $339, which is $60 off and, percentage-wise, one of the strongest cuts on this whole list. Same features as the 46mm above, just in a case that won’t swallow your arm.
This is also the one I’d gift, no question. It looks sharp, it does everything the bigger one does, and nobody has to know it was the sale pick.
Apple Watch Series 11 GPS 42mm, Space Grey Aluminum Case with Black Sport Band
Sleep score · Always-On Retina display · Water resistant to 50 meters
Price: $339 (was $399, save $60)
Where to buy: Buy on Amazon
SE 3 is the budget pick with a baby discount
Let’s not oversell this one: the SE 3 is $239.99, a whole $9 off. Barely a deal. But the watch itself is the cheapest good Apple Watch you can buy, with an Always-On screen for the first time on an SE and a sleep score like its pricier siblings.
If it drops further on Black Friday itself, great. Even now, it’s the easiest yes on this list for a first watch, a kid graduating from a hand-me-down, or anyone who just wants the basics done well.
Apple Watch SE 3 GPS 40mm
Always-On Retina display · Sleep score
Price: $239.99 (was $249, save $9)
Where to buy: Buy on Amazon
So which one gets your money
Trail runners, swimmers, and anyone who regularly loses phone signal should grab the Ultra 3 with the Ocean Band while it’s $150 off. Want the newest hardware instead? That’s the Ultra 4, and $99 off softens it. Everyone else, look hard at the Series 11 in either size.
And if the budget is the whole point, the SE 3 at $239.99 is your watch, tiny discount and all.
