Which Apple Watch model should you buy? Pick the best model, size, material, colour and strap for you with our Apple Watch buying guide 2016. We've got a full price list and all the buying options - is Apple Watch, Apple Watch Sport or Apple Watch Edition the best option for you? We've also got advice on where to get the best deal in the UK

Which Apple Watch should I buy? The range of models, materials, colours and straps is baffling. 

The Apple Watch made a big splash on launch last year, and was one of the hot Christmas presents in December 2015. We still don't know for sure whether it'll be a long-term success by Apple's standards - the real test will be sales of the second-generation model - but it's definitely got people talking.

The first-generation Apple Watch is still on sale, but Apple has released additional straps and the watchOS 2 software, which gave the watch the ability to install apps and run them natively.

But which model of Apple Watch is right for you, your needs and your budget? Which edition, size, case material, colour and strap should you go for? Which is the best value-for-money choice? There are 40 combinations available and the choice can be overwhelming.

In our Apple Watch buying guide we explain all the options and help you decide a) which Apple Watch you want, b) which Apple Watch will suit you c) which Apple Watch you can afford and d) where to buy your Apple Watch from.

Read next: Apple Watch review | Complete guide to the Apple Watch | Best Apple Watch apps | Best Apple Watch games | Apple Watch tips & secrets

Apple Watch buying guide: Where can I buy an Apple Watch?

Apple is doing things differently for the Apple Watch. While you can pick up a Watch Sport and Watch from the Apple Store (or order one online), you should schedule an appointment to buy the Apple Watch edition. The Watch Edition is only available at select Apple stores and you get a concierge service when buying one.

There's also limited availability for the Apple Watch Hermes Edition. You can't buy it online, but you'll find a list of stores selling the Apple Watch Hermes Edition here.

Apple Watch buying guide: Apple Watch Sport, Apple Watch, Apple Watch Edition, Apple Watch Hermes

Now that you know how to buy the Apple Watch, you'll need to decide which model you want to go for.

Your first decision is whether to choose the Apple Watch Sport (the cheapest model), the Apple Watch (the middle, standard version) or the super-expensive, luxury Apple Watch Edition. This choice will have a huge impact on what you end up paying.

The Apple Watch Sport is aluminium, and costs either £299 or £339. View on Apple Store

You get access only to the brighter and more colourful (and therefore in most people's eyes the least luxurious) looks and the most basic materials: the Sport version always comes in an aluminium casing (either silver or black in colour). And you can only choose from the cheapest strap option (the Sport Band, although you get more colour options for this than with the other watches).There are 12 colours to choose from in total.

But in terms of functionality - the power of the components, battery life, general interface and software speed and the range of apps you'll be able to run - it's exactly the same as the most expensive versions of the Apple Watch.

The version called simply Apple Watch is stainless steel, and ranges in price from £479 to £949. View on Apple Store

This middle-band version of the Apple Watch come with a stainless steel case, which can be either a silver or black colour. It comes with the full range of straps - all six options - although the colour options for each of these aren't the same as for the Sport and Edition.

The Apple Watch Hermes is the latest edition to the family. It's an Apple Watch model (with stainless steel body) combined with a leather strap made by Herme's artisans in Paris. There are three straps available: Double Tour (£1,150), Single Tour (£1,000) and Cuff (£1,350). They come in up to four colours: Fauve, Étain, Capucine and Bleu Jean. The Double Tour wraps twice around your wrist and seems to be the fashionable one to get.

The Apple Watch Edition is gold (or to be more precise a gold alloy), and ranges from £8,000 to £13,500. View on Apple Store

This top-end version of the Apple Watch is made of an 18-carat gold alloy and comes in either a yellow gold or rose gold colour. These watches are available with three of the strap options: Sport Band, Modern Buckle and Classic Buckle.

Apple Watch buying guide: Should you buy the 38mm or 42mm size?

The Apple Watch comes in two sizes of case: 38mm or 42mm. The general interpretation is that these are designed to suit an average woman and an average man's hand/wrist dimensions respectively, but you needn't feel bound by that: there are no other changes to the design of the watch other than size - no explicitly masculine/feminine decorative elements etc. (Also, a bloke can wear a woman's watch if he wants to. Don't let anyone tell you different!)

The 38mm/42mm measurements represent the (approximate) height of the watch face, in millimetres. That's a bit weird, because when categorising sizes of smart devices we usually refer to the size of the screen, measured diagonally from corner to corner, in inches. (The iPhone 5s is a '4-inch smartphone', for instance.) But Apple seems to have decided to do things differently this time. We'll see if this sticks and becomes the de facto standard.

The full and exact dimensions of the two sizes of Apple Watch (height x width x depth) are:

'38mm model': 38.6mm x 33.3mm x 10.5mm'42mm model': 42mm x 35.9mm x 10.5mm

Weight obviously varies according to the material.

The size of a wearable is a crucial, critical factor, and because of this I would recommend that you postpone the buying decision until you can be sure which size is right for you. That might mean buying in store rather than ordering online; if you can get to an Apple Store or a reasonably well-appointed reseller then they will have watches in stock that you can try on before buying.

Finally, bear in mind that the available configurations of material/colour/strap are slightly different for the 38mm and 42mm sizes - so your choice in this category will slightly reduce your options in others. I strongly recommend that prioritise size above other considerations, however. Don't be like the shoe shopper who goes one size too big because they're 90 percent off - the pain isn't worth it!

Apple Watch buying guide: Which colour do you want?

Each of the versions of the Apple Watch comes in two colours. The aluminium Apple Watch Sport and stainless steel Apple Watch both come in silver and Space Grey (black) versions of their respective materials; Hermes is only available in silver; the gold Apple Watch Edition comes in yellow gold or rose gold (although in that case it's actually two different materials, technically speaking).

This doesn't affect the price, so pick whichever version you like best.

Apple Watch buying guide: Pick a strap

Your choice of strap does affect the price - fairly drastically, in the case of the Apple Watch and Apple Watch Edition.

The six straps are:

Link BraceletSport BandLeather LoopClassic BuckleModern BuckleMilanese Loop

Each of these is available in multiple colour options, which vary according to the mode of Apple Watch you've selected.

(There are some nice third-party straps out there too. We've collected our favourite first- and third-party Apple Watch straps in a separate feature: Best Apple Watch straps.)

Let's look at the full set of prices, when watch version, size and strap are taken into account:

Apple Watch Sport prices

38mm silver aluminium Apple Watch Sport with Sport Band strap (white, blue, green, pink): £29938mm Space Grey aluminium Apple Watch Sport with Sport Band strap (black): £299

42mm silver aluminium Apple Watch Sport with Sport Band strap (white, blue, green, pink): £33942mm Space Grey aluminium Apple Watch Sport with Sport Band strap (black): £339

View Apple Watch Sport buying options on Apple Store

Apple Watch prices

38mm stainless steel Apple Watch with Sport Band strap (white, black): £47942mm stainless steel Apple Watch with Sport Band strap (white, black): £519

38mm stainless steel Apple Watch with Milanese Loop strap: £55942mm stainless steel Apple Watch with Milanese Loop strap: £599

38mm stainless steel Apple Watch with black Classic Buckle strap: £55942mm stainless steel Apple Watch with black Classic Buckle strap: £599

38mm stainless steel Apple Watch with black Modern Buckle strap: £64938mm stainless steel Apple Watch with midnight blue Modern Buckle strap: £64938mm stainless steel Apple Watch with soft pink Modern Buckle strap: £64938mm stainless steel Apple Watch with brown Modern Buckle strap: £649

42mm stainless steel Apple Watch with black Leather Loop strap: £59942mm stainless steel Apple Watch with bright blue Leather Loop strap: £59942mm stainless steel Apple Watch with stone Leather Loop strap: £59942mm stainless steel Apple Watch with brown Leather Loop strap: £599

38mm stainless steel Apple Watch with Link Bracelet strap: £81942mm stainless steel Apple Watch with Link Bracelet strap: £85938mm space black Apple Watch with Link Bracelet strap: £89942mm space black Apple Watch with Link Bracelet strap: £949

View Apple Watch buying options on Apple Store

Apple Watch Hermes prices

38mm Stainless Steel Case with Double Tour Fauve Barenia Leather Strap - £1,15038mm Stainless Steel Case with Double Tour Étain Leather Strap - £1,15038mm Stainless Steel Case with Double Tour Capucine Leather Strap - £1,15038mm Stainless Steel Case with Double Tour Bleu Jean Leather Strap - £1,15042mm Stainless Steel Case with Single Tour Fauve Barenia Leather Strap - £1,00038mm Stainless Steel Case with Single Tour Fauve Barenia Leather Strap - £1,00042mm Stainless Steel Case with Single Tour Noir Leather Strap - £1,00038mm Stainless Steel Case with Single Tour Noir Leather Strap - £1,00038mm Stainless Steel Case with Single Tour Capucine Leather Strap - £1,00042mm Stainless Steel Case with Cuff Fauve Barenia Leather Strap - £1,350

Apple Watch Edition prices

38mm 18-carat rose gold Apple Watch Edition with Sport Band strap (white, black): £8,00042mm 18-carat rose gold Apple Watch Edition with Sport Band strap (white, black): £9,500

38mm 18-carat rose gold Apple Watch Edition with rose grey Modern Buckle strap: £13,50038mm 18-carat yellow gold Apple Watch Edition with bright red Modern Buckle strap: £13,500

42mm 18-carat yellow gold Apple Watch Edition with black Classic Buckle strap: £12,00042mm 18-carat yellow gold Apple Watch Edition with midnight blue Classic Buckle strap: £12,000

View Apple Watch Edition buying options on Apple Store

Apple Watch buying guide: Which watch face should I get?

That's up to you, but it's a settings option, not a buying one. You don't need to specify a watch face when you buy. You can change the face whenever you like, so experiment and see which one you like best.

There are thirteen watch faces (which are further customisable, in terms of colours and so on):

ChronographColourModularUtilityMickey MouseSimpleMotionSolarAstronomyTimelapsePhotoX-Large

To find out more, visit our How to change the watch face on Apple Watch tutorial.

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