Tony Avelar/AP
Apple announced the new Series 5 watch on Tuesday.
- Last year, Apple discontinued its Apple Watch Edition
- At Tuesday's event, the company announced the Apple Watch Series 5, along with new Edition watches, which will come in either a ceramic or titanium finish.
- The Edition versions of the watch, which start at $800, will be available September 20, 2019.
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This time last year, it looked like Apple seemed to be getting out of the luxury watch game when it quietly discontinued its most expensive Apple Watch, the Apple Watch Edition.
The ultra-high-end 18-karat-gold Apple Watch Editions, which cost upwards of $10,000, were spotted on celebrities including Kanye West and Beyoncé after they were introduced in 2015. That model was discontinued after only one year.
The following year, Apple replaced gold with ceramic, and lowered the price to a still-expensive $1,250. But that watch, too, was discontinued in 2018. Last year's Apple Watch Series 4 only came in stainless steel and aluminum, and started at a more affordable $399. (Apple didn't totally forget about ceramic, though: Every Series 4 Watch came with a ceramic back plate, as part of the watch's improved cardiac monitors.)
Read more: Here's how the new $400 Apple Watch Series 5 compares to last year's model
Now, only one year later, Apple has announced that the Series 5 Watch will come 4 finishes: aluminum, stainless steel, ceramic, and titanium, with the two latter finishes being Edition watches.
The ceramic watches will be available in 40 mm and 44 mm case sizes and priced at $1,299 and $1,349. The titanium finish is a first for Apple Watches, and starts at $799.
Apple didn't say why it brought back the Edition watch this year, but according to Apple, the ceramic finish is more than four times as hard as stainless steel and won't scratch easily.
We'll have to wait and see how the ceramic models fare this time around, but let's hope they live up to that promise, since they still cost three times as much as the entry-level aluminum finishes.