The Apple Watch was officially introduced on September 9, 2014. Ten years of history. Previously, Apple already had a iPod nano shaped watchwhich you could put a strap on and included several spheres. But if we go back furtherIn 1988, Apple launched a product as peculiar as it was surprising.
An Apple Watch in 1988 whose main function was to tell the time “in a different way”
Through a publication that is going viral on X, many of us have discovered an Apple product unknown to most. Sam Iglesias works at Apple Park as a designer and software engineer for over nine years. His passion for Apple is what you would expect from an employee of that company. So much so that A friend has managed to surprise him with an Apple piece and product that is almost a museum piece: an Apple Watch that they presented in 1998 as part of a marketing campaign.
One of the first marketing campaigns after Steve Jobs’ return
As you may know, Steve Jobs founded Apple and was later fired by the board of directors. After going through serious economic and innovation difficulties, Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997. One of his first campaigns was “Think Different,” two words that still linger in the minds of many of us. Within this marketing campaign, Manzana wanted to develop a minimalist watch and elegant, but at the same time, it made you feel special and different. This is how the first Apple Watch was created in 1988.
The watch came in a carton box and both the strap and the dial were black. Above all, two things stand out: the Apple logo in the central part and that the needles were going counterclockwiseThat is, where there is a nine there is a three and where there should be a one there is an eleven.
This watch was battery operated and had nothing smart about it. On the back we can see different engravings: the Apple logo, the material of manufacture (aluminum) and its water resistance. product was never sold It was part of a marketing campaign and was given as a gift to various personalities. It is unknown how many units were manufactured and getting one today is difficult but not impossible.
It has been reached auction an Apple Watch from 1988 for over a thousand dollars and there are similar models in eBay for about five hundred dollars. In addition to the Apple Watch with the white Apple logo, there are a version with the rainbow applewhich was Apple’s official logo for over twenty years.
1988 Apple Watch Auction
The world of vintage Apple products is amazing and There is always room for an unknown productFor example, we have Knowledge Navigator, which was decades ahead of what we have today with Apple Intelligence. Today we add to this list an Apple Watch, which, even if only by name, is very exciting to know that it existed in 1988.