How to get a cheap Apple Watch in the Amazon Prime Big Deal Days sale

Apple Watch Series 10 family.
(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

Amazon is back with its Amazon Prime Big Deal Days for 2024, a two-day October sales event exclusive to Amazon Prime customers. In keeping with previous years and its better-known Amazon Prime Day sale in the summer, it promises once again to be a great time to pick up some of the best technology on the market at a healthy discount.

Some of the best deals we often see are on the best smartwatches and fitness trackers, and Amazon Prime Big Deal Days can be a great time to snag yourself a new Apple Watch.

Apple’s 2024 event has been and gone, and the Apple Watch Series 10 has been on the shelves for a few weeks, as has its new black titanium Apple Watch Ultra 2. With the Apple Watch SE sticking around, and older models like the Series 9 and Series 8 also in play, there’s a wealth of opportunity to save big on Apple Watch this year.

So whether you’re looking for an upgrade or that very first Apple Watch, here’s what you need to know to snag yourself a bargain.

When is the Amazon Prime's Big Deal Days sale?

Apple Watch Series 9 side view

(Image credit: Future / Britta O'Boyle)

The Amazon Prime Big Deal Days event will take place on October 8-9, usually beginning at midnight on the first day. As mentioned, it’s an exclusive sale for Amazon Prime members, but you can sign up with a free trial period and cancel after the sale ends. While it’s worth scoping out both days, broadly the best deals happen early on in the sale, so there’s not often any advantage to waiting around for prices to drop.

Track your prices

You can probably guess that prices of products often change in the run-up to sales events in order to make discounts seem heftier than they actually are. That’s why it pays to track prices, or at least have a good idea of what you should be looking to pay for each model. Here’s the previous lowest price of each of the current Apple Watch lineup.

  • Apple Watch SE: $169/£197/AU$348
  • Apple Watch Series 10 $369/£399/AU$809
  • Apple Watch Ultra 2 $689/£799/AU$1,397

If you can find an Apple Watch at these prices or less, then you can guarantee that you’ve found yourself a pretty good bargain.

If you want an older model, look out for a low price of $279/£329/$AU549 on the Apple Watch Series 9, or $199/£332/AU$756 on the Apple Watch Series 8.

Apple Watch Ultra 2: $799 $734.99 at Amazon

Apple Watch Ultra 2: was $799 now $734.99 at Amazon
One great example of an early deal is this Ultra 2 in black titanium. Despite being just a few weeks old, it's got a hefty $65 discount at Amazon. As is often the case with Apple Watch, the discount is limited to just a few bands, colors, and sizes, showing it really pays to shop around.

Choose the right model

Apple Watch Ultra 2 displaying steps and distance

(Image credit: Future)

When it comes to saving money on the Apple Watch, an event like Amazon Prime’s Big Deal Days can often yield unexpected savings on more expensive watches. You might expect to pay less for the cheapest version of any given Apple Watch, be it a smaller size, aluminum instead of stainless steel, or a GPS version instead of cellular. However, larger discounts and better value can sometimes be found on more expensive models, so don’t limit yourself to the cheapest options when you’re shopping around.

When you’re looking, be sure to click around Amazon’s listings to check the prices of certain sizes of bands, too, as sometimes discounts lurk hidden in these configurations that you wouldn’t otherwise find.

Which Apple Watches might be on sale?

Apple Watch Series 10, rear

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

In the run-up to Amazon Prime’s Big Deal Days event, we’ve seen discounts on every single Apple Watch model including the SE 2, the new Series 10, and the black titanium Ultra 2. As such, we expect to see every Apple Watch model on sale for 2024’s Big Deal Days event. Beyond the current lineup, expect to see clearouts on older models too, including the Series 9, original Ultra, and more.

Pick an older model

Apple Watch Series 9 Smart Stack

(Image credit: Future)

In normal circumstances, the cheap Apple Watch SE often represents the best value when it comes to buying an Apple Watch, but big sales events usually change that. Notably, the Apple Watch Series 8 and Series 9 are still at large on Amazon and often see hefty reductions. The Apple Watch’s design hasn’t changed much since the Series 7, and there aren’t a ton of new features to speak of either. As such, don’t rule out last year’s Series 9, or even the Series 8, as you’re shopping around for a bargain.

Shop around

While all eyes are mostly on Amazon’s Big Deal Days event, many rival retailers have caught wind of Amazon’s success and have started launching competing deals and promotions during the event. As such, you might find that the best Apple Watch deals on the market next week aren’t at Amazon, but are instead at Best Buy, B&H Photo, or other online retailers.

Let us help

If you want to take some of the stress and legwork out of finding a great Apple Watch deal over the Big Deal Days event, simply tune in to Techradar, where we’ll be tracking prices live and in real time to bring you the best discounts as they happen.

Stephen Warwick
Fitness & Wearables writer

Stephen Warwick is TechRadar's Fitness & Wearables writer with nearly a decade of experience covering technology, including five years as the News Editor of iMore. He's a keen fitness enthusiast and is never far from the local gym, Apple Watch at the ready, to record his latest workout. Stephen has experience writing about every facet of technology including products, services, hardware, and software. He's covered breaking news and developing stories regarding supply chains, patents and litigation, competition, politics and lobbying, the environment, and more. He's conducted interviews with industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. Outside of work, he's a massive tech and history buff with a passion for Rome Total War, reading, and music. 

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