Stainless steel Apple Watch will reportedly start at $500

A rumor on Tuesday claims Apple’s upcoming Apple Watch will be priced at $500 for the mid-tier steel model and up to $5,000 for top-end gold “Edition” versions, a number much higher than previous estimates. Citing an unnamed source, French website iGen reports Apple is looking to field the Apple Watch at a proposed retail cost of $500 for versions with stainless steel cases and between $4,000 and $5,000 for Apple Watch Edition models. This leaves the Apple Watch Sport version as Apple’s lowest-priced option, which the company said would come in at $350.

French Apple website iGen.fr is reporting that pricing for the stainless steel Apple Watch may start at $500, while the gold Apple Watches’ pricing could start between $4,000 and $5,000. iGen.fr has been reliable in the past, most recently reporting the dimensions of both the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. While Apple had announced that the Apple Watch would start at $350, which was widely assumed to be the price of the aluminum model, and estimates pegged the price of the gold Apple Watch at prices as low as $1,000 or as high as $5,000, there has been little information regarding the pricing of the stainless steel option. The site’s sources also indicate that Apple still aims to release the Apple Watch by Valentine’s Day 2015, which somewhat echoes an earlier report that said the company would be “lucky” to release the device by that timeframe. iGen.fr also mentions that manufacturers and resellers are preparing as if the Watch would release in mid-February 2015. Previously, Apple Senior Vice President of Retail and Online Stores Angela Ahrendts said the Watch would release in Spring 2015.