A specific kind of Apple Watch could be making a return this year as part of the Apple Watch Series 12 family, the ceramic edition.

This is according to serial leaker Kotusami, who posted about the casing option coming back for Apple Watch Series 12. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has also mentioned the ceramic edition’s potential return in a recent newsletter.

That watch family is expcetd to be announced next month alongside the iPhone 18 Pro.

Apple has not offered a ceramic option for the Apple Watch in many years. The last was part of the Apple Watch Series 5, released in 2019. It was a relatively short-lived option too, with a ceramic Watch introduced in 2016 with Apple Watch Series 2.

There was no grand statement its departure when the Apple Watch Series 6 arrived in 2020 - Titanium just became the high-end option rather than Ceramic. It was aways a niche finish, thanks to its pricing.

Back in 2019, a ceramic Apple Watch Series 5 cost $1299, while the base GPS-only model was $399.

The Future Of Apple Watch

One potentially eye-opening part here is if Apple has decided to bring back the super-high-end finish because its price jump may not look at egregious as it once did, thanks to rising component costs forcing price rises in general.

This year Apple has had to dramatically increase the cost of some of its lines. And while the relatively low-power, low-memory Apple Watch has avoided those jumps for now, it seems likely the next generation may cost more.

However, when current watches have just 1GB RAM and 64GB storage, Apple Watch will feel the component cost pressure less than other categories of gadget.

The series has had remarkably consistent pricing since its beginnings in 2014. The first Apple Watch started at $349 for the base aluminium Sport variant, and today the entry prices are $399 for the Apple Watch Series 11, $249 for the Apple Watch SE 3.

During a May earnings call, Tim Cook said increasing RAM and component costs would have “an increasing impact” on the cost of Apple products. And while that has already hit Macs, the next Apple event will offer a better view of the catalogue-wide impact.

By the time the iPhone 18 family and next Apple Watch are announced, though, Tim Cook will already have stepped down. His tenure as Apple CEO ends on September 1. Apple’s next product unveil is expected in early September. His successor is long-standing Apple exec John Ternus.