Apple’s ceramic Apple Watch casing, absent from the lineup since 2020, could return as soon as this fall.
The ceramic option could come back with the Apple Watch Series 12, although Apple may push it to 2027. The material would mark the return of one of the more distinctive finishes Apple has offered for the Watch.
Apple introduced ceramic with the Apple Watch Series 2 in 2016 as a more affordable alternative to the original gold Edition models, which cost tens of thousands of dollars.
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The white ceramic model started at $1,249 and was described as four times harder than stainless steel. Apple made the case from compressed zirconia and alumina powder, then polished it with a diamond slurry.
A gray ceramic option arrived with the Series 3 in 2017, but Apple dropped ceramic from the Series 4 lineup the following year.
The material returned for the Series 5 in 2019 alongside titanium before disappearing again with the Series 6 in 2020.
The Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 are also set to get new chips, potentially making the processor upgrade more significant than the return of a new case material.
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The current Series 11 uses the S10 chip, which is largely unchanged from the S9 introduced with the Series 9 in 2023. A new chip would therefore break a run of three generations built around essentially the same processor.
Apple is also preparing new colors and bands, along with additional health and fitness features that have not been detailed.
The Series 12 and Ultra 4 are expected to debut at Apple’s September event alongside the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the company’s first foldable iPhone.
If ceramic returns, it would sit above Apple’s standard aluminum and titanium options and likely command a substantial premium. Whether it arrives this year or waits until 2027 remains unclear.
