Gold is not always obviously gold. Depending on the light, it isn’t always clear that a metal is actually gold when you are wearing it. That is especially true with the Apple Watch Edition because so much of the top is the black sapphire crystal screen. Looking straight at the Apple Watch Edition, you can only glimpse a slim frame of gold which is mostly visible in the Digital Crown. Turn the watch over, and its gold metal construction is much more obvious. Gold is also visible from the side of the case while the watch is worn, but it does require someone to pay extra close attention to see what you are wearing on your wrist.

If anything, the Apple Watch Edition is a subtle gold watch. It is relatively unassuming in its status as a luxury item, and for the most part – aside from the color and the increased weight of the gold – the wearing experience is identical to that of the Apple Watch with is sapphire crystal screen and black ceramic parts on the caseback. With that said, the wearer of an Apple Watch Edition knows they are wearing something in gold. That personal knowledge goes a long way in the status-securing element of the product. Gold has a slightly warmer feeling when touched, as the tactile experience further differs from steel (and, of course, aluminum).

Allow me to go on a short tangent here, and discuss the “Swiss reaction.” Wearing the Apple Watch Edition, I traveled to a few watch making facilities in Switzerland – just to see what would happen. I half expected people to boo at me and throw decomposing produce. None of that happened. In fact, I got a lot of compliments and positive attention. What surprised me so much is that even watchmakers seemed to appreciate the Apple Watch even more when it was in gold. I heard statements such as “Very impressive; nice choice; they make a beautiful gold watch; the design is really top notch; great job on construction; Apple isn’t screwing around; I love it; this feels better than many traditional watches; because it is gold, we can accept it.” Yes, I did hear that latter comment, and it really amused me.

One theory I have for the positive reaction to the Apple Watch Edition in Switzerland is that it didn’t come across as a “cheap competitor.” What enraged the Swiss so much about the quartz watch revolution in the 1980s is that their high quality products were being beaten by much cheaper and lower quality products. In gold, maybe the traditional watch industry sees the Apple Watch as playing on their field as opposed to trying to change the game. It is also possible that the notion of a cool technology product inhabiting their realm of expertise is also appealing to the watchmaking community. Finally, it is worth noting that the people who reacted so positively were technicians and watchmakers – not Swiss watch industry executives and marketing people (who I’ve found tend to have a more protective reaction to the Apple Watch family).

Let’s get back to the Apple Watch Edition. While the software on the Apple Watch Edition watch is mostly the same as the other two models, there are some slight differences. I noticed a unique Apple Watch Edition splash screen when first configuring the watch, and many of the watch faces come in a gold color by default (though the user can change these colors). Interestingly enough, the gold color for the dials doesn’t seem to be available on the non-Edition versions of the Apple Watch.

Apple certainly has taken a play from the luxury watch industry when it comes to the Apple Watch Edition packaging. When shipped to your home, the Apple Watch Edition comes in a box, within a box, within a box. Apple has long since understood how important packaging is, but for the most part, Apple packaging is relatively minimal. With the Apple Watch, and especially the Apple Watch Edition, they are focusing on a sense of “grand presentation” so much more than their other products ever have. More so, unlike the Apple Watch, the Apple Watch Edition comes with both the standard travel charger, as well as blue “valet box” which is also a charger (and a good place to store the Apple Watch Edition overnight as it is charging).

The more I learn about the Apple Watch, the more I realize how deep Apple’s almost obsessive desire is to make something that feels as though it fits in the traditional watch industry. There are minor details in almost everything related to the Apple Watch – from how Apple discusses the product on their website, to the wearing experience, to the packaging – which echo the traditional watch industry. Most of these details will be totally lost on all but the most seasoned and experienced watch consumers. These are the very same people who are going to be the most threatened by wearing an Apple Watch because, in many instances, Apple is asking them to give up wrist space that was once occupied by a traditional mechanical watch for a smartwatch – albeit, a very appealing smartwatch. So, while Apple being influenced by the traditional watch industry is a major reason why I think people like me like the product so much, it does offer little for mainstream consumers to relate to. This is another reason why I think so many people just don’t “get” the Apple Watch at first.

The Apple Watch Edition throws further fuel into that fire because the population of people who immediately understand its purpose and utility are limited. Companies like Apple simply aren’t used to having “secret” or more exclusive products that only a select population of consumers are aware of. Again, this is something that the traditional watch industry has a lot of experience with. Even though many consumers are familiar with the basic products from watch brands such as Rolex and Cartier, both of those brands have extremely exclusive products not even available to most of their buyers. Is a company like Apple ready to enter that world? What interests me more is that they want to. It shows how intense the cultural shift at a company can be just because they’ve decided to enter a new product space. Will the Apple of the future have a “secret” catalog of products for their VIP customers? Already, with the Apple Watch, Apple has produced special or customized versions for celebrities. I don’t recall that being the case with any of their computer or phone devices.

The Apple Watch Edition, in my opinion, is the signal of a new era of luxury products, separated from their deeply traditional pasts, ready for a modern world where technology rules more than the quality of leather (even though Apple does happen to offer at least three types of leather in its various Apple Watch bands). Luxury technology products aren’t new – just look at brands such as Bang & Olufsen or Vertu. But what separates their products from those of Apple is that, the last time I checked, there was nothing state-of-the-art about Vertu’s phones. Apple just might be what the luxury technology market needs. Even today’s very good luxury consumer electronic products (which mostly exist in the speaker and other audio equipment world) are decidedly niche.

With that said, Apple hasn’t quite made its luxury smartwatch better than its… well, less luxury smartwatches. In fact, the Apple Watch in steel (mostly priced from about $600 – $1,000) is certainly priced as a luxury product as far as most consumers are concerned. Apple was no doubt in a tight spot because it wanted to offer a segmentation of Apple Watch products, but didn’t want to artificially shoot any of them in the foot in an attempt to boost the appeal of another. Where Apple offered “better” elements for its higher-end Apple Watches was in areas purely related to materials. That’s smart, but it isn’t something the vast majority of consumers ever came to expect from a consumer electronics brand.

I’m going to once again take the opportunity to mention that on the outside, the Apple Watch is an amazingly designed and constructed product. The quality is simply fantastic. While arguably limited, the functionality of the Apple Watch is actually useful, and in my experience, not buggy. Is the Apple Watch the “must have” gadget of 2015? No. That’s because its functionality still isn’t what tech journalists would describe as “disruptive.” While the Apple Watch makes using an iPhone “better,” it doesn’t significantly add to it or outright replace it. You know what? That doesn’t bother me. If only for the fact that a product like this exists along a continuum of evolving devices that will no doubt continue to get better. Imagine if digital watches never progressed further than the LED watch. Look how far they’ve come.

Wearing the Apple Watch Edition is the ultimate sign that you are a technology fan, and that you celebrate new things. There is literally no firmer commitment that I can think of to smartwatches than to buy a gold one. It tells people around you that technology is part of your life, and that you are rather proud of that fact. Just like a gold calculator watch was the ultimate lifestyle item for scientists and engineers of that era, items like the Apple Watch Edition serve the same purpose for those who are into technology, successful perhaps as a result of it, and proud to make that fact clear to the world.

As of now, there is no particularly good answer to the most important objection people might have to buying an Apple Watch Edition – what will I do with it when Apple comes out with a newer model? Arguably, the less expensive Apple Watches are cheap enough that replacing them in 1-2 years after purchase is acceptable (just like with phones). At $10,000 – $17,000 for the Apple Watch Edition, that becomes a bit more difficult to stomach. To my knowledge, Apple has no particular “upgrade path” or plan for what people should do with their Apple Watch Editions when new ones come out. Apple might claim that people “don’t need to upgrade and can continue enjoying the same experience,” but upgrading is sort of a core element of their business model.

It isn’t that I am so concerned about Apple Watch Edition customers having to spend the same amount of money again to purchase a new product, but rather that I am unclear what utility used Apple Watches will have. Does the Apple Watch Edition deserve to eventually be retired to someone’s “technology graveyard” drawer where old devices go? I hope not. My sincere wish is that someone figures out what to do with things like the gold Apple Watch after their owners have upgraded to newer models.

I’d like to end this discussion by trying to answer to the biggest questions I had entering my time wearing the Apple Watch Edition. Those questions are whether the Apple Watch Edition offered some type of enhanced attention or reaction from people seeing me wear it. And second, whether or not I would personally buy the Apple Watch Edition, assuming it was an affordable purchase.

The answer to the first question is strange because I felt more personal satisfaction from wearing it than from people’s reactions. Not that many people commented on it, but those that did generally had positive things to say – or at least were impressed with how it looked. So while you don’t get “a $10,000 better wearing experience,” the Apple Watch Edition does afford some additional social perks.

Would I shell out the extra cash for an Apple Watch in gold versus steel or aluminum? I really don’t know. I’ve never been in a situation where spending $10,000 – $15,000 wasn’t a particular concern, and there isn’t functionality or performance to merit an additional investment. People who buy the Apple Watch Edition do so for the same reasons people buy any luxury watch – because they can afford to and they want to. I might not be the target demographic for the Apple Watch Edition, but I know plenty of people who are. So I asked them.

Younger wealthy people loved the idea of the Apple Watch Edition and don’t seem to be concerned about the fact that they will likely want to upgrade in the future. Slightly older people with Apple Watch Edition budgets were more difficult to read because many of them didn’t necessarily want an Apple Watch in the first place, due to their existing relationships with mechanical watches. I will, however, say that whether or not someone openly admitted to wanting to buy an Apple Watch Edition, everyone seems to think it is very cool – and coolness isn’t an emotional quality I would have guessed for the Apple Watch Edition to so regularly evoke.

You might not want to wait and save up for a gold Apple Watch, but if you have the resources and are already going to get the Apple Watch, I think it will work for image-conscious people. Those who prefer a more discreet public appearance will probably view it as an unnecessary excess (which it is). Though, the last time I checked, most people tend to enjoy a little unnecessary excess now and again. I guess what people have become so accustomed to in the luxury watch world, where there are apparently expensive products and less apparently expensive products, is now part of the smartwatch industry too. apple.com/watch