Renowned fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld showed off his Apple Watch Edition with the first band we’ve seen that isn’t available in stores. And the cost of the custom gold band has to be jaw-dropping.
Lagerfeld’s assistant posted a picture of the blinged-out Watch on his Instagram account today. Since it’s still showing the setup screen, it looks like Apple just gave the wearable to Lagerfeld, who runs Fendi and Chanel along with his own fashion house.
The Link Bracelet seen on the German designer’s wrist is the only one of its kind that’s been seen in public. That specific band normally comes in stainless steel and is already Apple’s most expensive band at $449.
Here’s how Apple describes creating the Link Bracelet, which is composed of more than 100 different parts:
The machining process is so precise, it takes nearly nine hours to cut the links for a single strap. In part that’s because they aren’t simply a uniform size, but subtly increase in width as they approach the case. Once assembled, the links are brushed by hand to ensure that the texture follows the contours of the design. The custom butterfly closure folds neatly within the bracelet. And several links feature a simple release button, so you can add and remove links without any special tools.
When you consider that pairing a Modern Buckle with gold accents and the Edition ups the price from $10,000 to $17,000, a solid gold Link Bracelet band could easily command double the markup. Estimated price tags of $25,000 or $30,000 would be conservative.
There have been rumors that Apple might unveil more Watch configurations later this year, and it would make sense to keep expanding band offerings along with new case materials.
Plenty of celebrities have been seen rocking the most expensive Apple Watch Edition available in stores, but so far Lagerfeld has the most luxurious Watch and band combo imaginable.
Via: MacRumors
