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Apple Watch Series 3 Space Black Stainless Steel Case with Space Black Milanese Loop is not available in Singapore.

In fact, all three high-end models of the Apple Watch: Apple Watch Edition, Apple Watch Stainless Steel Case, and Apple Watch Hermes, are not available in Singapore because they come only in GPS + Cellular.

All Apple Watches available in Singapore are only GPS. This is because none of the telcos in Singapore supports Apple eSIM yet.

Singtel has eSIM and so does StarHub. But it seems that both are not compatible with Apple eSIM yet.

There are only three categories of cellular Apple Watches. Personally, I call it US, China, and the Rest of the World.

United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and Guam are using A1860 (38mm) and A1861 (42mm).

China is using A1890 (38mm) and A1892 (42mm)

Rest of the World which includes countries like, Australia, France, Germany, Japan, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Macau, and Brazil are using A1889 (38mm) and A1891 (42mm).

I am confident that Apple Watch Series 3 GPS + Cellular will be available in Singapore, it is just a matter of when.

And when it does, I am also confident that it will be under the “Rest of the World” category. Singapore is a small market; Apple will not create another two models of Apple Watches just for Singapore.

The “Rest of the World” category supports LTE Band 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 18, 19, 20, 26. Singtel supports LTE band 3, 7 and 8 while StarHub supports LTE band 3 and 7.

Someone in the Apple Communities bought an Apple Watch Series 3 GPS + Cellular from Japan, and when he went back to the UK, it works just fine. That is because both countries are under the “Rest of the World” category.

So I took a gamble by buying a GPS + Cellular Apple Watch from Japan and hoping it will work in Singapore when the times come.

I am a fan of heavy watches; the aluminum Apple Watches just felt too light for me. So even if the gamble doesn’t work out. I would say it is still worth it for me.

I bought my Apple Watch Series 3 Space Black Stainless Steel Case with Space Black Milanese Loop from Yodobashi in Osaka. It is retailing for JP¥84,800, excluding tax. If you pay by VISA credit card in Yodobashi, you will get an additional 5% discount. So in total, I paid JP¥80,560 (S$945).

If we compare Apple Watches that are sold in both country like the Apple Watch 42mm Space Grey Aluminium Case with Black Sport Band.

In Singapore, that watch retails for S$548 and in Japan, it retails for JP¥39,800 (S$467), excluding tax.

If you are traveling to Japan, it is an excellent place to get an Apple Watch.