Apple brought ceramic back for the Series 12
Apple is bringing back its pricier, more durable option. It should be more scratch-resistant than titanium.
Apple is bringing back its pricier, more durable option. It should be more scratch-resistant than titanium.
by Sep 9, 2026, 6:19 PM UTC
Cameron Faulkner is an editor covering deals and gaming hardware. He joined in 2018, and after a two-year stint at Polygon, he rejoined The Verge in May 2025.
The Apple Watch Series 12 is launching with a ceramic option, making it the company’s first wearable since 2019’s Series 5 that can be configured with the pricey, scratch-resistant material. It can be configured with either pearl white or night blue ceramic finishes, and it starts at $899, going up to $949 if you purchase the 46mm size.
While Apple didn’t resurrect its “Apple Watch Edition” branding for the Series 12 (it stopped using the name in a forward-facing manner when the Series 4 launched), the new ceramic option is similarly made for high rollers who won’t mind shelling out far more than the Series 12’s $399 starting price.
It’s interesting to look back at Apple’s history of high-end case material options. While it started with an 18-karat rose or yellow gold case option for the first Apple Watch, the company switched to ceramic as its premium option for the Series 2, 3, and 5. Since 2019, each launch has offered aluminum as the most affordable option, plus either stainless steel or titanium (sometimes both) as pricier alternatives.
Apple Watch premium build materials through the years
Model nameMost expensive case optionSeries 118-karat goldSeries 2CeramicSeries 3CeramicSeries 4Stainless steelSeries 5CeramicSeries 6TitaniumSeries 7TitaniumSeries 8Stainless steelSeries 9Stainless steelSeries 10TitaniumSeries 11TitaniumFollow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.