Customers buying gold Apple Watches may be able to skip queues, get VIP treatment

The 18 karat gold Apple Watch Edition, released in around two weeks, can cost as much as US$10,000, putting it in the same category as other common luxury products such as Louis Vuitton handbags or a Cartier watch.

But will Apple Watch customers enjoy the VIP services luxury buyers are accustomed to?

This question has already sparked heated discussion on China’s largest social network, Sina Weibo, with many users wondering whether they should expect the hours-long lines common for new iPhone and iPad releases. 

There were long queues outside Apple stores in Beijing and Shanghai when the iPhone 5 and iPhone 4 were first released in 2012 and 2013. Weibo users estimated that waiting time for buying an Apple Watch might be even longer.

However, according to US-based publication 9to5Mac, customers buying the Apple Watch Edition may not need to wait in line at all and will have up to an hour to try on the device, instead of 15 minutes for the cheaper Apple Watch Sport.

The report said additional VIP services for Apple Watch Edition customers include access to a 24/7 technical support phone hotline for two years and home delivery for trying on and buying the device.

Though Apple staff in Beijing would not confirm the existence of a special VIP service, they said that stores in China and Hong Kong would offer customers the opportunity to try out the Apple Watch on April 10.

On April 24 the device will be released to customers in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, the UK and the US.

“There’s no way that someone who's spending 120,000 yuan to buy a gold Apple Watch have to wait in line, ” said Sophia Jin, an iPhone user who owns luxury products but said she plans to buy the standard, non-gold Apple Watch.