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Karl Lagerfeld's custom gold Apple Watch, in pairing mode.
- Karl Lagerfeld, the German designer and creative director at fashion houses Chanel and Fendi, died on Tuesday. He was 85.
- Lagerfeld had famously received a custom 18K yellow gold Apple Watch from Jony Ive, Apple's chief designer, but he may have never actually set it up to use as a smartwatch.
Karl Lagerfeld had an Apple Watch before most people had one. But he may have never actually set it up.
Back in 2015, ahead of the public launch of the first-generation Apple Watch, fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld was gifted a custom smartwatch from Apple's chief designer Jony Ive.
Lagerfeld received an 18K yellow gold Apple Watch Edition with a custom, one-of-a-kind yellow gold link bracelet. Apple had created silver and space black stainless-steel versions of the link bracelet for the general public, but Lagerfeld's solid-gold link bracelet was "specially made" by Apple, according to Lagerfeld's assistant.
Considering how the 18K gold Apple Watch with a gold buckle would cost around $17,000, and the fact Apple's link bracelets were the most expensive bands made at the time, MacRumors estimates Lagerfeld's Apple Watch cost at least $25,000.
Thing is, Lagerfeld may never actually set up his Apple Watch to use it as a smartwatch, instead choosing to wear it as an accessory.
Notable wristwatch website Hodinkee wrote about Karl Lagerfeld's famous watches this week, and mentioned his well-known Apple Watch (emphasis ours):
While the blacked-out Royal Oak is definitely the watch that is most often associate with Lagerfeld in collector and enthusiast circles, it's not the only watch he was spotted wearing throughout his long and storied career. Most recently, he was seen wearing a solid 18k yellow gold Apple Watch on a special gold bracelet that was never made available to the public (the same one that Beyoncé and other celebrities were also rocking). The best part though? He appears to have never actually set the thing up, instead going Andy Warhol-style, wearing it purely as a piece of jewelry.
As Hodinkee points out, many photos online of Lagerfeld wearing his Apple Watch show the device in what appears to be a pairing mode, or a completely uncharged state.
For more on Karl Lagerfeld, learn more about his life and legacy - and if you have Netflix, be sure to check out Lagerfeld's episode on the TV show "7 Days Out," which shows how the designer prepared for his annual Chanel Haute Couture Fashion Show in Paris.