The cheapest Apple Watch we hold a verified price on is the Apple Watch SE 2nd Gen 40mm from £65 (used). We don’t currently hold a verified refurbished Apple Watch price — every watch in the list below is a used listing we could verify. On a watch, where a tired battery is the most likely fault, a graded refurbished unit with a tested battery and warranty is worth holding out for if you can.
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Used is the cheapest route and sold as-is, and four things matter more on a watch than on most tech. First, battery health: Apple Watch batteries are tiny and degrade fastest of any Apple device, a worn one needs a paid battery service, and there is no easy at-home swap — so a cheap used watch can mean a watch that barely lasts a day. Second, Activation Lock must be off, or the watch is locked to someone else’s Apple ID and useless to you. Third, the case and screen (cracks, deep scratches) and that the right band size and fit is included — bands are sized, and the wrong one means buying another. Fourth, cellular vs GPS: a cellular (LTE) model needs carrier support to use its data features and may be tied to a network, while a GPS model leans on your iPhone. A graded used watch from a tested seller still carries a warranty; a private used listing usually does not.
Refurbished (and certified refurbished) costs more because the watch has been tested and restored — typically wiped and unlocked, with a confirmed working battery and a warranty, often 12 months. On a watch, where the battery is the part most likely to be worn, that tested battery is the single biggest reason to pay the refurbished premium rather than gamble on a used unit.
Read the title and condition together. A low price next to “Activation Lock on”, “iCloud locked”, “for parts”, “spares or repair”, “no charger” or “cracked screen” is honest about being a locked or broken unit — not a usable watch. Watch too for aftermarket or clone bands dressed up as genuine, and outright fake units at a fraction of the real price.
Our matcher takes precision over recall: where an Apple Watch price is unverifiable or counterfeit-suspect — no trusted retailer anchor, a part-only or locked listing — we suppress it rather than show it. The prices above are the ones that survived that filter, so a “too cheap to be true” listing never becomes the headline here.
For most people it is a one- or two-generation-old Apple Watch SE or a prior Series bought used or refurbished — the big everyday features (notifications, workouts, heart-rate, contactless) are all there for a fraction of the latest model, and Apple Watches keep getting watchOS updates for years from launch, so a slightly older one still has a long support runway ahead of it.
Step up to a newer model only if you specifically want its additions — the latest health sensors, a brighter always-on display, or the rugged Ultra’s battery life and size. Decide which features you’ll actually use, then buy the oldest model that has them. Compare every tracked watch — Apple and otherwise — on the cheapest smartwatches live-price guide.
Yes, with checks. A graded used Apple Watch from a tested seller is the safer route. From a private eBay seller, the single most important check is that Activation Lock (iCloud) is OFF — an Activation-Locked watch is a paperweight. After that, the things that matter most are battery health (watch batteries are tiny and degrade fastest of any Apple device), the screen and case (cracks, deep scratches), that the correct band size is included, and — on cellular models — whether the watch is tied to a network.
Ask the seller to confirm the watch has been unpaired from its previous iPhone and erased, which removes Activation Lock. A genuinely reset Apple Watch boots to the language/pairing setup screen and does not ask for a previous owner’s Apple ID. If, when you pair it, it demands an Apple ID and password you don’t have, it is Activation Locked — walk away. Never buy one described as “iCloud locked” or “Activation Lock on”.
Usually, yes. Graded refurbished and certified refurbished Apple Watches are tested and typically include a warranty, often 12 months, and crucially the battery will have been checked. A private used listing generally has no warranty — that testing, a confirmed unlocked unit and a known-good battery are what the refurbished premium buys you. At the moment we don’t hold a verified refurbished price on any Apple Watch we track — every priced watch below is a used listing we could verify.
It varies by model, and the saving is biggest on last-generation watches. A one- or two-generation-old Apple Watch SE or Series bought used or refurbished can cost a fraction of the latest model while still getting watchOS updates for years. Refurbished keeps a tested battery and a warranty; used drops the price further, trading that cover for the saving — worth weighing carefully on a watch, where a worn battery is the most likely fault.
It depends how much assurance you want. CEX is strong for graded, warrantied used and refurbished stock with easy returns; eBay (including reseller and certified-refurbished outlets) often has the lowest outright price, but assurance varies by seller. This page tracks the live cheapest verified price — the cheapest Apple Watch right now is from £65, and we leave out listings that look too cheap to be real.
PriceSlicr is a price tracker, not a shop or a review site. We don’t test or rate products, and we never invent reviews or ratings. Some links are affiliate links and we may earn a commission when you buy through them — it never affects the price you pay or which listings we show.