Apple Watch: A Short History

It’s interesting to look back at the Apple Watch since it’s release in late-April of 2015. When it was first introduced it was immediately criticized for how thick of a device it is. Six revisions later, the original Apple Watch is still the thinnest, even during the time when Apple was trying to get the thinnest and lightest devices around. Now, they’ve reversed their course and are seeing benefits by making thicker and heavier devices.

With the inclusion of cellular, watches got heavier but it’s interesting to see how much they change series to series.

The Series 2, Apple’s second generation2, is the thickest watch to date. That continued for another generation until the redesign on Series 4. The Series 7 is the heaviest watch generation and second thickest.

Will Apple ever give us a thinner watch case, or is 10.4mm the desired depth that they can design around? For comparison, a Rolex Submariner has a 12mm case. Definitely something to take note of as we wait for Series 8.

Check out my full Apple Watch Series 7 review

  1. The Series 1 was just a 1st-generation case with an upgraded processor released alongside the Series 2
  2. The Series 1 was just a 1st-generation case with an upgraded processor released alongside the Series 2