Apple Watch Series 3 breaks Apple’s rules for what is considered vintage.

Joe Rossignol from MacRumors:

All models of the Apple Watch Series 3 were also added to Apple's vintage products list today, a little more than eight years after the device launched.

Apple’s definition of vintage:

Products are considered vintage when Apple stopped distributing them for sale more than 5 and less than 7 years ago.

The Series 3 was discontinued in September 2022, so technically it shouldn’t be vintage until September 2027. It did have a long run though, being available for sale from 2017-2022. My guess is they made it vintage because it’s just way too outdated both from a software and hardware standpoint.

The vintage period for most Apple products is between 5 and 7 years from when Apple stopped selling a product, and you can still get hardware repairs done. After 7 years, the product becomes obsolete, and Apple stops all hardware support. There are some exceptions but that’s the general rule.

Fun fact - The Series 3 was the best and last version of the original Apple Watch design, with its more boxy shape. If you’re a collector, now is a good time to have Apple swap out the battery before they run out of components, especially if you have the white ceramic model. The Series 3 in general is still a beautiful device that is a good weekend watch, and is worth saving.