“Featuring a joyful design, the Pride Edition Sport Band incorporates a full range of vibrant colors to celebrate the beauty and diversity of the LGBTQ+ community. In addition to the colors of the core Pride flag, black and brown symbolize marginalized LGBTQ+ communities of color, as well as those impacted by HIV/AIDS. Light blue, pink, and white honor trans and nonbinary people.”
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) May 23, 2023 As per Apple’s official product page for the Watch Pride Edition, the price for this special edition strap is set RM199 and that is for both the 41mm and 45mm lengths. That price is also the same, regardless of whether you choose the Small-to-Medium (130 – 180mm) or Medium-to-Large (150 – 200mm) band. If you’re looking to get yourself an Apple Watch Series 8 together with the Pride Edition straps, you may be happy to know that you can purchase the wearable via the Apple online store. Prices start from RM1899 for the 41mm model with GPS only, and the price jumps up to RM2299 if you opt for the model with both GPS and Cellular model. For the 45mm case option, pricing starts at RM1999 for the GPS only model, while the GPS and Cellular SKU will cost you RM2399. For the Apple Watch SE Pride Edition, pricing starts from RM1199 for the standard 40mm model with GPS, and peaks at RM1399 for the one that comes with calls and messaging features. For the 44mm model, the price starts at RM1299 for the basic model, while the model that comes with both GPS and Cellular capabilities retails at RM1499. Apple’s launch of its Pride Collection comes just after Malaysian authorities conducted a raid on Swatch’s own Pride Collection series of watches earlier this month, all of which feature rainbow themes that are associated with the LGBTQIA+ community. The raid occurred nationwide and included Swatch Stores located in Pavilion KL, One Utama, Sunway Pyramid, Mid Valley Megamall, and Sunway Putra Mall, to name a few. In light of the raid, Nick Hayek Jr., CEO of the Swatch Group, responded to the raid by expressing his dismay and concern, while reinforcing his brand’s ethos. “Swatch is proud of being the canvas on the wrist for all people worldwide and many artists working with us. Creativity and colours paired with Swiss-made quality are what we are loved for. We strongly contest that our collection of watches using rainbow colours and having a message of peace and love could be harmful to whomever.” At the time of writing, Apple’s Pride Collection appears to only be purchasable online via its official product page. (Source: Apple [1] [2] [3])
