Want an Apple Watch right away? Order the 38mm Stainless Steel with Classic Buckle

The Apple Watch launch is certainly a major example of demand far outstripping supply. Many Apple customers have been left frustrated, wondering why their watches are still stuck in “processing” on Apple’s site. There have been many threads about this on Reddit and other sites.

But there’s hope for those who want an Apple Watch sooner rather than later. One redditor posted that his 38mm Stainless Steel with the Classic Buckle had shipped very quickly despite being ordered the day before.

Here’s a smattering of comments from the thread in the Apple Watch subreddit, the original redditor’s experience has been confirmed by others in the thread and by me (more on that below):

Jm821: “Can confirm. Ordered the exact same model 2 days ago. Shipped to me in 48hrs. Received it this morning 9:00am PST April 30, 2015. Shipped to Bay Area, CA.”

Ro_Dubbs: “Yup. I’ve been posting for a few days that my 42mm classic buckle delivers in June, but 38mm classic buckles ship immediately. People must be opting for the modern buckle in that size.”

Kingbaby9: “38mm SS Classic Buckle was ordered on 20APR, and received on 24APR. I felt so guilty.”

HBlakeH: “Thanks for this! Canceled my girlfriends 32mm SS BSB (May 20-29) and changed it to this and it’s already on its way!”

Kharris8887: “Yeah if you look at the app it says right on there 2-3 weeks. All other combinations are June so it’s clear there is not as much demand for that model.”

Baronofcheesecake: “I wish I could go 38. I tried them both on at the store and it was just too small. June here I come!”

Jjromano151: “The bad part that’s causing problems must have been destined for the 42 mm models. Otherwise why would they be taking so long.”

More at Reddit

Here’s a screenshot of the order of the redditor that started the thread. As you can see, he ordered his 38mm Stainless Steel with Black Classic Buckle on April 29 and it shipped on April 30:

I ordered the 38mm Stainless Steel with Classic Buckle

I can actually confirm that the redditor who started this thread is dead-on about the 38mm Stainless Steel with Classic Buckle shipping fast. I put in a new order for one on April 30 and the status of the order went to “preparing for shipment” within two days, and then I got a shipping notification on the third day. The shipping email I got from Apple says that my watch should be here by Tuesday.

My original order had been for a 42mm Space Gray Sport model. But that order was stuck in processing and said it wouldn’t ship until sometime in June, so I cancelled it and went with the other model. So it’s clear that the 38mm Stainless Steel with Classic Buckle must be getting much less demand than the larger Apple Watches.

I tried on the 42mm watch at the Apple Store, and it looked okay on me. But I have small wrists so I’m hoping that the 38mm will be the sweet spot when it arrives this week. If it’s not I’ll send it back and do an order for the 42mm.

But the bottom line here is that the Stainless Steel Apple Watch with Classic Buckle seems to be shipping significantly faster than other models. So bear that in mind if you’re desperate to get an Apple Watch and don’t want to wait until June or July.

How to find out if you can wear a 38mm Apple Watch

If you aren’t sure if a 38mm Apple Watch is right for you, see the official Apple Watch Sizing Guide (PDF file).

You can also see the actual size of the 38mm and 42mm Apple Watch cases by doing the following: 1. Open the Apple Store app on your iPhone. 2. Tap on Shop. 3. Tap on Apple Watch. 4. Tap on a collection (Sport, Watch or Edition). 5. Tap on the Compare Case Sizes link at the top. 6. You’ll see the actual size of the 38mm, and you can tap on the 42mm to compare the two on your wrist.

Get the 38mm Stainless Steel with Classic Buckle while you can!

Of course there’s no way to know how much longer the 38mm Stainless Steel with Classic Buckle will be available for such quick shipping from Apple. But if you want one, I strongly suggest that you do your order immediately. Remember that it’s the early bird that gets the worm or – in this case – the Apple Watch!

Update: My Apple Watch arrived today

The UPS guy came by around 8:30 this morning to deliver my watch. The package was much heavier than I expected and it made me wonder about how much the watch would weigh! But no worries, it turns out that it was just the packaging.

Pairing my watch with my iPhone 6 Plus was easy and fast. I opted not to have all apps sync to the watch. Instead, I went into the Apple Watch app on my iPhone 6 Plus and picked the apps I wanted to sync to the watch. That took just a few minutes and I was ready to go.

So far my 38mm Stainless Steel with Classic Buckle has been a delightful experience. It feels light on my wrist and I think it looks quite good. The strap is comfortable and I’ve had no problems using it.

The battery life was probably around 65% when I got it, and I didn’t charge it all the way up. Right now it’s at 54% but I’ve obviously been using it quite a bit as I poke around and get used to it.

I am not sure why some people are complaining about Glances. They seem to work pretty fast for me, and I’m not seeing other problems with the watch. Out of the box it seems to be a great experience. Just remember that it’s a watch, and not a replacement for your iPhone. The two seem to work beautifully together though and I can see the advantages of having certain functionality right on my wrist.

If you are totally new to the Apple Watch, I highly recommend that you watch Apple’s Guided Tour Videos. They will save you a lot of time, and you’ll be able to hit the ground running when your Apple Watch arrives.

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