Apple Watch Series 1 (2016)

Series 1 is not the original Apple Watch: it was the affordable 2016 revision with a dual-core processor.

Specs

Launch and context

Announced on September 7, 2016 alongside Series 2, orders opened on the 9th and first-wave availability began on the 16th, including Spain. Apple combined the original design with a dual-core processor and claimed up to 50% faster performance. That is a historical Apple claim, not a current measurement. [watch1-launch]

How Apple presented it

US starting price was $269. Aluminum 38 or 42 mm cases came in silver, space gray, gold and rose gold with Sport Band. OLED Retina with Force Touch, 450 nits; 272 × 340 or 312 × 390 by size, 8 GB, heart-rate sensor, 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2. Case-only weight 25 g or 30 g, excluding band. Advertised battery life up to 18 h is not guaranteed for an aged example. [watch1-launch, watch1-spec]

Documented issues

Series 1 has an IPX7 rating and Apple advises against submersion; it lacks the swimming resistance of Series 2. Lacking Series 2 built-in GPS is not a malfunction. No endemic model-specific defect is documented in the cited sources. For absent charging, Apple's general guidance is repositioning the magnetic charger, cleaning surfaces and trying another cable/adapter; a depleted battery may need up to 30 minutes before responding. These guidelines do not replace individual diagnosis; the sources do not establish compatibility with a current iPhone. [watch1-spec, watch1-launch, watch-care]

Sources

• watch-care · Apple, Apple Watch charging troubleshooting · https://support.apple.com/en-us/108927
• watch1-launch · Apple, Apple introduces Watch Series 2, also announces Series 1 · https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2016/09/apple-introduces-apple-watch-series-2/
• watch1-spec · Apple, Apple Watch Series 1 specifications · https://support.apple.com/en-us/111985

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