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To me, the Ultra and the Hermes are completely separate devices and I don’t think they really belong in the same conversation (despite occupying spaces at the top of the Apple Watch lineup). The Hermes line is about elegance and fashion, which is why we all rave about how much better the Hermes faces look than the Apple designed faces. The Ultra is the opposite- it’s all about function. The watch is chunky and larger than would be considered tasteful on most people’s wrists. But it’s designed to be that way. Several of the new Ultra bands are designed to fit over clothing.

The Ultra just isn’t targeted at the Hermes customer and I personally don’t think putting Hermes bands on it looks very good. I really wish Apple had named the Ultra something else like Extreme or Explorer. Ultra makes it sound like it’s “the best” watch. But it’s not really. It’s just a version that is targeted at a specific group of customers.
You might be right.

So many of the nice mechanical watches out there started life as tool watches. Today, we don't really have anyone climbing Everest with a Rolex Explorer, flying a plane with the aid of a Navitimer, or people diving with a Panerai Submersible, not really even a Rolex Deep Sea Dweller. The last two are chonkers too! Speaking of chunky watches, I saw a Breitling Emergency today... Never seen that before.

So while there may also be a case to be made that tool watches can also be luxury watches, I think I'm starting to form the opinion that the Ultra is more g-shock than GMT Master.
 
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I‘m not quite sure if this annoys or amuses me.

Since what has happened to the Nike Watch, I‘ll from now on hope the Apple/Hermès collaboration will end the same way, i.e. Hermès faces for everyone! Vive la révolution!
Why would that happen? What differentiates the Hermes models from the stainless steel models are the watch faces and is the reason why i paid premium for the hermes model. I could personally care less about the hermes bands, i use the milanese loop with my Hermes AW.
 
Why would that happen? What differentiates the Hermes models from the stainless steel models are the watch faces and is the reason why i paid premium for the hermes model. I could personally care less about the hermes bands, i use the milanese loop with my Hermes AW.

This would of course only happen if the Apple/Hermès collaboration ended - or was changed - the same way the Apple/Nike collaboration ended/changed just now: as of Series 8, there are no more Nike Watches and the heretofore exclusive Nike watch faces are now available on all Apple Watches (except for the Hermès Watches, as it seems).
 
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To me, the Ultra and the Hermes are completely separate devices and I don’t think they really belong in the same conversation (despite occupying spaces at the top of the Apple Watch lineup). The Hermes line is about elegance and fashion, which is why we all rave about how much better the Hermes faces look than the Apple designed faces. The Ultra is the opposite- it’s all about function. The watch is chunky and larger than would be considered tasteful on most people’s wrists. But it’s designed to be that way. Several of the new Ultra bands are designed to fit over clothing.

The Ultra just isn’t targeted at the Hermes customer and I personally don’t think putting Hermes bands on it looks very good. I really wish Apple had named the Ultra something else like Extreme or Explorer. Ultra makes it sound like it’s “the best” watch. But it’s not really. It’s just a version that is targeted at a specific group of customers.
I love Hermes and have owned them all since series 2, but it’s all about their bands. The Hermes watch is a standard SS watch with a longer warranty. I like the faces too but that’s pretty minor.

The Ultra while not 100% my style is the best Apple Watch - Bluetooth 5.3, best in class GPS, best battery life, microphones, most sensors, and 2000 nits brightness to name a few significant improvements.

Apple really punted on the S8 this year. I’m going to try the Ultra and maybe come back to the Series 9 if some of the advancements trickle down to the SS line. Hope you enjoy your watch!!
 
The Ultra while not 100% my style is the best Apple Watch - Bluetooth 5.3, best in class GPS, best battery life, microphones, most sensors, and 2000 nits brightness to name a few significant improvements.

Apple really punted on the S8 this year. I’m going to try the Ultra and maybe come back to the Series 9 if some of the advancements trickle down to the SS line. Hope you enjoy your watch!!

I’m guessing Series 9 will get Bluetooth 5.3, but the other features likely require the additional space in the Ultra. New features will likely focus on health. If you are a woman of childbearing age, the Series 8 is a more significant upgrade. We always hear rumors of more health-related sensors, but since only the ECG has any degree of FDA “approval,” Apple is limited in the medical-related claims it can make.
 
This would of course only happen if the Apple/Hermès collaboration ended - or was changed - the same way the Apple/Nike collaboration ended/changed just now: as of Series 8, there are no more Nike Watches and the heretofore exclusive Nike watch faces are now available on all Apple Watches (except for the Hermès Watches, as it seems).
I see what you're saying but there was no premium aspect to the nike watches (they cost less than the stainless steel model), the same can't be said for the hermes models which are a higher end product than the standard lineup due to the added value that the premium hermes watch faces present.
 
I’m guessing Series 9 will get Bluetooth 5.3, but the other features likely require the additional space in the Ultra. New features will likely focus on health. If you are a woman of childbearing age, the Series 8 is a more significant upgrade. We always hear rumors of more health-related sensors, but since only the ECG has any degree of FDA “approval,” Apple is limited in the medical-related claims it can make.
Good points. I wish they used a different material to differentiate the Hermes watch, but after 8 years I doubt that is coming.
 
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I see what you're saying but there was no premium aspect to the nike watches (they cost less than the stainless steel model), the same can't be said for the hermes models which are a higher end product than the standard lineup due to the added value that the premium hermes watch faces present.

This is all true but besides the point. What do you expect to happen if, hypothetically, there won‘t be Hermès Watches anymore at some point in the future? Only two possibilities: either the remaining Watches get the Hermès watch faces or they don‘t. And the only „historical“ precedent we have is Nike, and here the former happened.
 
Anyone series 8 still in processing?
Yeah, mine still is processing. I noticed the order page went up like 3-4 minutes before the event ended so I had to be one of the very first orders.

UPS can move apple products from China to your doorstep Friday as long as they leave China by Wednesday night.

So I wouldn’t be concerned.
 
This is all true but besides the point. What do you expect to happen if, hypothetically, there won‘t be Hermès Watches anymore at some point in the future? Only two possibilities: either the remaining Watches get the Hermès watch faces or they don‘t. And the only „historical“ precedent we have is Nike, and here the former happened.
Even if the Hermès collaboration ended, I don’t think the Hermès faces will become available to all. If I was in the marketing department of Hermès, I wouldn’t want my faces to appear on lower end aluminium models lol
 
Even if the Hermès collaboration ended, I don’t think the Hermès faces will become available to all. If I was in the marketing department of Hermès, I wouldn’t want my faces to appear on lower end aluminium models lol
If the Hermes collaboration ends then the Hermes watches disappear as soon as the last Hermes watches are no longer supported.
 
If the Hermes collaboration ends then the Hermes watches disappear as soon as the last Hermes watches are no longer supported.
That makes sense

I think the other posters are talking about the Hermes faces themselves and whether they’ll be made available to anyone with or without a Hermès watch.
 
I don’t think Apple wants to end the Hermes partnership because it’s pure profit for them.

For example, the Series 8 base 45MM SS watch is $749 and the 45MM Single Tour Hermes is $1299. The 45MM Hermes single tour band is $339 which would put the price at $1,088. Apple makes $211 more on the Hermes watch. They add a $0.50 orange sports band and 1 year to the warranty which probably costs them next to nothing.

Please fact check my math but I think its correct.
 
Can’t recall Hermès getting a mention at the event last year but they did this year so 🤷‍♂️
 
I'm disappointed in the new watch face we get. I am on OS9 and I just think the new face is stupid.
I don’t disagree with your assessment. Looks like a face if Apple made a Kids Watch. I like how you can finally have more than 1 complication, but after using it for a few days I quickly deleted the new face.
 
I don’t disagree with your assessment. Looks like a face if Apple made a Kids Watch. I like how you can finally have more than 1 complication, but after using it for a few days I quickly deleted the new face.
Yeah after using it for 10 minutes I deleted it. It's too busy with the apple and horse shoe. What I wish is they would just over more solid colors on the other faces to allow you to more easily match bands. I'm not impressed with any of the faces from OS 9.
 
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I don’t think Apple wants to end the Hermes partnership because it’s pure profit for them.

For example, the Series 8 base 45MM SS watch is $749 and the 45MM Single Tour Hermes is $1299. The 45MM Hermes single tour band is $339 which would put the price at $1,088. Apple makes $211 more on the Hermes watch. They add a $0.50 orange sports band and 1 year to the warranty which probably costs them next to nothing.

Please fact check my math but I think its correct.
Yes. It has always been a $211 premium for the Apple Watch Hermes vs a stainless steel plus an Hermes band. Hermes gets a piece of it but Apple does too.
 
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