Images of an Apple Watch strap designed to celebrate former Apple design director Sir Jony Ive's 50th birthday have surfaced online, giving a look at what may be one of the rarest official Apple Watch straps ever.
The images come from "StellaFudge" on X (formerly Twitter), who claims the device was one of only 10 prototypes used to test the unusual product before the finalized product was given to Ive in February 2017, along with the 42mm ceramic Apple Watch Series 2 "Edition" model. The Apple Watch strap itself is "cloud" white, and the personalized "J50" is engraved in silver font on the ceramic hands. Ive left Apple in June 2019 and now runs an independent design company called LoveFrom.
Although the sports band has been a ubiquitous Apple Watch style since its launch in 2014, only some models have engraved hands, such as the Apple Watch Hermès and Black Unity bands. These badges are invisible when the strap is on the wrist, but subtly indicate to the wearer that the model is special.
The white ceramic Apple Watch Series 2 is the first of its kind, and Series 3 adds a new gray version. While the Ceramic Apple Watch Edition was not available on the Series 4 models, Apple brought back the high-end white ceramic Edition models for the Series 5 in 2019, which was the last time we saw the material on a device. The ceramic Apple Watch Edition is significantly less expensive than its 24K gold predecessor, but it's still one of the most eye-catching and beloved cases Apple has ever made.