Apple is reintroducing a more expensive and durable ceramic case option for the Apple Watch Series 12. The company expects this material to be more resistant to scratches than titanium. The ceramic model will be Apple’s first wearable product configurable with ceramic since the Series 5 in 2019. The option will be available in pearl white and midnight blue. Its price will start at $899 and rise to $949 when the 46mm size is selected. Apple also did not bring back the “Apple Watch Edition” name, which it stopped using at the launch of the Series 4. Nevertheless, the option is aimed at higher-budget buyers compared with the $399 starting price. Apple offered an 18-karat rose or yellow gold case on the first Apple Watch, then switched to ceramic as the premium material on the Series 2, 3 and 5. Since 2019, aluminum has been the most affordable option, while more expensive alternatives have been offered in stainless steel or titanium; both were included in some launches.
Why it matters
This choice once again makes the material-based price distinction within the Apple Watch lineup more pronounced: the ceramic option is positioned at more than twice the standard starting price. As a result, the product appeals more to higher-budget buyers who value the case material and scratch resistance than to those seeking only basic functions. Apple’s reintroduction of ceramic among the options it has maintained around aluminum, stainless steel and titanium since 2019 represents a return to its earlier premium-material strategy. However, the company’s decision not to offer this option under a separate Edition name shows that the high-priced model’s positioning within the product family differs from the earlier gold and Edition approach.
Background
Apple is not a new name in the FikirPilot archive: we have published 54 news reports mentioning the name in the past 90 days; the latest is dated September 13, 2026.