According to the documents filed with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Apple has been experimenting with a dark ceramic back for the Apple Watch Ultra.
Documents spotted by @ParrotSWD on X/Twitter suggest that Apple may have initially considered a dark color option for the smartwatch before eventually settling on the current titanium finish.
The FCC documents, which were part of Apple’s application for the Apple Watch Ultra before its release in September 2022, contain images of a prototype with a dark ceramic back that closely resembles the ceramic back of the Apple Watch series.
The prototype also has a plastic “Action” button with no indentation, a design element that differs from the final version of the Apple Watch Ultra.
According to MacRumors, it is likely that the confidentiality clause associated with the Apple Watch Ultra’s registration with the FCC has recently expired, allowing images of the dark ceramic prototype to surface.
Currently, Apple offers the Apple Watch Ultra 2, which was released in September 2023, in the same natural titanium color as the first-generation model. Although rumors prior to the launch of the Apple Watch Ultra 2 suggested that Apple might introduce a darker color option, this did not happen.
