Hands on - luxe Hermes Apple Watch Series 10 in silver titanium
Apple's highest-end wearable is the Hermes version of the Apple Watch Series 10 in silver titanium. Here's what sets it apart.
The Hermes Apple Watch Series 10
You'd be forgiven for thinking that the Ultra 2 is the most expensive Apple Watch. Not a lot of time gets devoted to Apple's high fashion partnership with the French fashion brand, Hermes.
This partnership has lasted for years. In 2024 a custom Hermes version of the latest Apple Watch was again made available, paired with various Hermes bands.
Users have two versions of the Hermes watch to consider: the Series 10 or Ultra 2. We opted to check out the former.
Unboxing the Hermes Apple Watch Series 10
Unlike traditional Apple Watches, the Hermes edition comes in bespoke box, colored in the brand's signature orange with black edges. The box is larger than the conventional Apple Watch box, and there are two smaller boxes that slide out from within.
Hermes Apple Watch comes in a bespoke orange and black box
One of the two boxes is for the Apple Watch while the other is for the band that has been bundled with it. In our case, it was the Torsade Single Tour band.
The unboxing experience is elevated for the Hermes version
The band comes in a soft paper sleeve, keeping both sides of the band apart. It's more elegant than the paper cardboard normal bands are packaged in.
The watch box has a silhouette of the device on the top. When you open it, it looks very similar to standard Apple Watches.
The Hermes Apple Watch Series 10 unboxing
The watch is on the left, wrapped in a cardboard cover. On the right is the instruction manual, a second band, and the charger.
Hermes Torsade single tour band
This Torsade is one of the new bands introduced by Hermes with the Series 10. It runs $349 when sold by itself via Hermes.
The other band, that we did not get to try due to availability, was the Grand H. This stainless steel link band has Apple's easy-to-remove links coupled with the Hermes style.
The Torsade Apple Watch band looks woven and is very comfortable
Our Torsade band came in Rouge Grenat -- or dark red -- but it's available in navy blue. It's technically a 46mm band but it will fit any of the prior-gen large models too.
The band is made out of 3D knitted nylon to give the appearance of a larger woven material. It's a very cool effect to see and feel.
Even though it's nylon, we've found it much more comfortable than prior Hermes nylon bands. It feels more akin to cotton and has plenty of flex to it.
A small Hermes label is stitched on the underside of the band
Other nice touches include an Hermes logo on the buckle and a hand-stitched tag on the bottom.
As an added bonus, you also get a second Apple Sport Band in Hermes orange. The band itself has a small Heremes logo on the underside of the metal pin.
Even the bonus Sport Band comes in Hermes orange and has the Hermes logo underneath
This is probably for the best as you wouldn't want to do a workout in the $350 Torsade band, or anything else vigorous.
Hermes subtle touches
The big question is, other than the band, what are the other touches do you get with the Hermes edition of the Apple Watch. Not much actually, which is probably a good thing.
Apple isn't gatekeeping features of the watch behind this high paywall, rather there are small little touches. The unboxing experience, exclusive faces, and the bundled bands among other things.
The watch comes in silver titanium, which is an exclusive finish. If you choose to purchase the regular titanium Apple Watch Series 10, it only comes in natural titanium, gold, and slate.
If you want bright, pure silver, you have to go with the Hermes. The good news is, when we compared the natural to the silver, they weren't far off.
The natural titanium (left) barely looks different from the silver (right)
There was only a minuscule difference between natural and silver with the former tinting slightly darker. Looking at them by themselves, you can't tell which is which.
It's only side by side when one can really discern the natural versus the silver.
Another difference is that the bottom of the Apple Watch has the Hermes logo stamped around the sensor array. This helps you know definitively that it's an Hermes model.
Even setup has been customized for Hermes
Once you power it on, the setup screen is tinted Hermes orange, compared to white. Otherwise, it's the same as the titanium Apple Watch Series 10, all the way down to the sapphire crystal glass.
Exclusive faces to the Hermes Apple Watch
One of the most tangible benefits to the Heremes is that you get access to five exclusive watch faces. They are the Hermes, Circuit H, Circulaire, Lucky Horse, and Radial.
Each of these has various customization options to choose from. They're also complimented with an Hermes logo and the signature orange color, though that can usually be changed.
The base Hermes watch face
For the base Hermes face, there are various typefaces to choose from and you can change how many numbers are around the dial. It has one complication spot in the center which is the calendar by default.
The Circuit H Apple Watch face
The Circuit H is a full-screen face though you can make it inset a circle if you'd prefer to add complications to the corners. You can keep the hour vertical or tilted.
The Hermes Radial watch face
Radial is a simple face with a white background and the Hermes logo at the top. Four compilations can be placed -- one in each corner.
The Lucky Horse Hermes watch face
Lucky Horse is a simple choice as you don't have many options at all except for the colorful animal that fades to an outline when idle. There are two spots for complications in the top two corners.
Where to buy the Hermes Apple Watch Series 10
To summarize, you get two bands, the Hermes logo, a premium box, and five watch faces for the $550 premium over the standard Apple Watch Series 10 titanium.
You can pick up the Hermes Apple Watch directly from Apple starting at $1249 for the 42mm version or $1299 for the 46mm model.
Or, the regular Apple Watch Series 10 is on sale now, with the lowest prices at your fingertips in our Apple Watch Series 10 Price Guide. At press time, Amazon has prices as low as $369.
Apple Watch Hermes bands can be purchased direct from Hermes, with prices starting at $349.
We're also tracking the best Apple Watch deals on new and closeout models in our dedicated roundup.
Read on AppleInsider
Comments
By the way: thanks Apple Insider for posting this. It was a fun read. Like 99.9% of the Apple Watch crowd, I'll never be buying the Hermes edition. but I was Hermes-curious about what you get for that much extra money. Gotta admit that I like that Lucky Horse watchface. But not worth $1299 to get it.
FineWoven again?
Also, when I clicked to play the video embedded in the article page, it said I need to sign in to prove I'm not a bot. I then viewed it on YouTube and it was fine.
What I find most amusing is that a watch is all about something being worn. And yet the article and the video itself has only a scant view of it on the wrist. I finally found a few brief seconds of it on the wrist at the end of the video, but most of that was blurry due to the unfortunate use of shallow depth of field. Yeah, I know the lenses are expensive, but shoot in F5.6 or higher when its on the wrist so I can actually view it nicely!
I viewed all this with great amusement because I am not the target customer for luxury watch bands. Heck, I don't even have an Apple Watch yet!
If you are looking for exceptional. French-made leather bands look no further than https://www.eternel-bracelets.com/ .
I suspect if I threw my Alpine Loop in the washing machine with the towels and then dried it with the towels on the high heat setting it would take on a similar appearance.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so there must be plenty of buyers who like the pig-in-a-snake look. I will admire from afar, with slack jaw amazement but thankful for the contributions to Apple's bottom like. I hope they sell out.
I bought the original Apple Watch Hermes. The leather band still holds up beautifully and remains one of my favorites. I absolutely agree that paying that kind of premium for any kind of plastic band is just silly and ridiculous; this is just being cheap and catering to the woke crowd.
What I find amusing is how some detractors aren't just happy with saying they don't like the what you get for the extra money — they have to let everybody know just how outraged they are particularly if Hermes doesn't agree with their aesthetic sensibilities. I like the band ok but don't love it and certainly don't hate it.
I'm not about to own any of the line but their leather bands are so well made compared to so many third-party brands. Even with the exclusive watch faces it's the same only watch just with nicer accessories. Some of their watch faces are pretty nice and and make good use of the rectangular shape. Apple doesn't have anything nearly as elegant for the proletariat.
I have a range of medium to higher-end mechanicals and the shape of the hands are important to my aesthetic. I'd like to see hands as a customization option for the Apple lineup. That'll happen about the time Apple introduces a round watch. Which sadly they won't.