Screen size
Watch 42mm (1st gen)1.7"
Watch SE 3Winner: 1.8"+7.3%
Quick verdict
Watch SE 3 leads the measured specs 8-2.
Measured wins
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
2
spec wins
Ties
3
equal specs
Watch SE 3
8
spec wins
Overall winner
Screen size
Technology
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
No cellular connectivity
Watch SE 3
GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G
2G bands
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
N/A
Watch SE 3
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
GPRS
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
No
Watch SE 3
-
EDGE
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
No
Resolution
Refresh rate
Peak brightness
Pixel density
CPU speed
RAM
Storage
Main camera
Front camera
Battery
Wired charging
Weight
Thickness
IP rating
Wi‑Fi
Bluetooth
USB
5G support
NFC
equal specs3.5mm jack
equal specsSD card
equal specsStereo speakers
Watch SE 3
-
3G bands
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
-
Watch SE 3
HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 - International, China, HK, HSDPA 850 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 - USA, LATAM, Canada
4G bands
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
-
Watch SE 3
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 39, 40, 41, 66 - International, China, HK, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 25, 26, 39, 40, 41, 66 - USA, LATAM, Canada
5G bands
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
-
Watch SE 3
SA/NSA
Speed
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
-
Watch SE 3
HSPA, LTE, 5G
Announced
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
2014, September. Released 2015, April
Watch SE 3
2025, September 09
Status
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
Discontinued
Watch SE 3
Available. Released 2025, September 19
Dimensions
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
42 x 35.9 x 10.5 mm (1.65 x 1.41 x 0.41 in)
Watch SE 3
44 x 38 x 10.7 mm (1.73 x 1.50 x 0.42 in)
Weight
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
50 g body (2.82 oz)
Watch SE 3
26.4 g or 33 g (1.16 oz)
Build
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
Glass front (Sapphire crystal), ceramic/sapphire crystal back, stainless steel frame
Watch SE 3
Glass front, plastic/sapphire crystal back, aluminum frame
SIM
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
No
Watch SE 3
eSIM
Other
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
IPX7 water resistant up to 1 meter and 30 minutes
Watch SE 3
50m water resistant
Type
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
Retina OLED, 450 nits (peak)
Watch SE 3
Retina LTPO OLED, 1000 nits (peak)
Size
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
1.65 inches
Watch SE 3
1.78 inches
Resolution
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
390 x 312 pixels (~303 ppi density)
Watch SE 3
448 x 368 pixels (~326 ppi density)
Protection
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
Sapphire crystal glass
Watch SE 3
Ion-X strengthened glass (2025 gen)
Other
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
3D Touch display
Watch SE 3
-
OS
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
watchOS 1.0, upgradable to watchOS 4.3.2
Watch SE 3
watchOS 26, upgradable to watchOS 26.2.1
Chipset
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
Apple S1 (28 nm)
Watch SE 3
Apple S10
CPU
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
520 MHz Cortex-A7
Watch SE 3
Dual-core
GPU
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
PowerVR SGX543
Watch SE 3
PowerVR
Card slot
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
No
Watch SE 3
No
Internal
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
8GB 512MB RAM
Watch SE 3
64GB
Other
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
No
Watch SE 3
No
Loudspeaker
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
Yes
Watch SE 3
Yes
3.5mm jack
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
No
Watch SE 3
No
WLAN
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
Watch SE 3
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
4.0, LE
Watch SE 3
5.3, A2DP, LE
Positioning
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
No
Watch SE 3
GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS
NFC
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
Yes
Watch SE 3
Yes
Radio
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
No
Watch SE 3
No
USB
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
No
Watch SE 3
No
Sensors
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
Accelerometer, gyro, heart rate
Watch SE 3
Accelerometer, gyro, heart rate (2nd gen), barometer, always-on altimeter, compass, temperature (body)
Other
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
Natural language commands and dictation
Watch SE 3
Media playback
Type
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
Li-Ion 250 mAh (0.94 Wh), non-removable
Watch SE 3
Li-Ion
Charging
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
Wireless
Watch SE 3
Wireless, 80% in 45 min
Colors
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
Stainless Steel/Red, White, Brown/Black/Blue/Marine Blue Buckle, Blue/Stone/White/Storm Gray Leather Loop, Silver/Space Black Milanese Loop, Link Bracelet, Space Black Stainless Steel/Black, Black Link Bracelet, Pearl Woven Nylon
Watch SE 3
Midnight, Starlight
Models
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
A1554
Watch SE 3
A3325, A3324, A3328, A3326, A3327, A3329, A3391, A3392
Price
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
About 700 EUR
Watch SE 3
€ 244.00
SAR
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
-
Watch SE 3
1.18 W/kg (head)
SAR EU
Watch 42mm (1st gen)
-
Watch SE 3
0.42 W/kg (head)