Apple Watch Putin Edition

Do you want an Apple Watch Edition but can’t quite afford the solid 18-karat gold version? Do you love Russia? Are you a fan of Vladimir Putin?

If you answered “yes” to all three of those questions, you’re in luck. For just $3000, you can get a gold-plated presidential homage, replete with a replica of Putin’s signature and a stunning Moscow skyline running lengthwise across both sides of the device. I have to admit, as an homage to a global figure, it’s pretty well-done:

It’s interesting to note the target market of this product aims for a Russian upper class that’s just financially short of affording the Edition tier. In a nation where Apple hopes to sell a boatload of the latter, the company may have missed the boat by not offering a gold plated version of the smartwatch right from the start. However, if such custom Apple Watches sell well at this price point, I’d reckon that official gold plated versions will be forthcoming in short order.

But for now, aftermarket is the only way to go for gold plate, and there’s even more to choose from re: customized, country-themed Apple Watches from Russian jeweler Caviar, creator of the above. Among these are the appropriately austere USSR variants and the ornamentally regal imperial builds. For pictures of those and more, check out Francesca Kentish’s article at Metro.

As for me, I’ll wait for someone to make a blued steel Kalashnikov Apple Watch with a wooden link bracelet and a 7.62mm Crown before plonking (plinking?) down anywhere near that kind of cash.