Buying GPS + Cellular Apple Watch Series 5 in the US - using it in Europe (Switzerland, Swisscom)

The carriers will most likely not touch the U.S. based Apple Watch.

Cellular Carriers that support the Apple Watch, which models, the radio frequencies each model uses, and the country where they offer service:

https://www.apple.com/watch/cellular

This webpage lists the Apple models that each carrier will support. You will notice that the U.S. models are not supported by the European carriers.

What is to proof. Apple has specified which Apple Watch models work with which carriers.

Cellular Carriers that support the Apple Watch, which models, the radio frequencies each model uses, and the country where they offer service:

https://www.apple.com/watch/cellular

orsingerc, don’t listen to these closed minded grumpy guys. I’ve checked and compare supported bands and it is very likely the US Cellular Apple Watch series 5 WILL work across whole Europe. When I visit US I will definitely give it a try.

regards

Greg

So people who speak the truth are "close-minded grumpy old guys". Interesting. It is very easy to see form the link you got here and in your other thread that it won't work and you would have to return to the US for warranty service.

But hey, go for it when you get here and help our economy. It will still work as a GPS only Watch when you get back to your home so you won't be out a lot of money.

Radio communications are regulated differently in each country, so I won’t speculate. I know that, for example, Japan carriers do not work with US Apple Watches. From what I understand, the Watch itself isn’t picky, but carriers are, so ask your carrier.

I will say that the US device is a US-only device, and cannot be serviced by Apple in any other country. You run a huge risk of proceeding this way, and I do not believe it to be in your interests to do so.

"people who speak the truth"... hahaha, puh-lease... did you test it ? no, you didn't so save your "truth" for some other naive folks. I'm helping "your" economy either way... luckily you won't see those money.

How do you know I won't see the money?

And yes if you do a search here you will find people who have purchased the GPS+Cellular here and tried to use it in areas other than the Americas's and the cellular did not work. And I personally know someone in the UK who took one back with him and could not get it to work.

The iPhone is a global phone and has a chipset that includes every LTE band. The Watch doesn't have room for such a chipset and does not plus it uses a different eSIM and mirrors the phone number from the iPhone, called NumberSync by some carriers.

But hey, go ahead and buy it and try it out like I said.

This forum is littered with posts from users that purchased an Apple Watch in another country, and now cannot use the cellular portion when they went to another country. In some cases they purchased the Apple Watch on vacation, and in some cases they were living in one country, and relocated to another.

If you search, you will find sufficient examples of Apple Watches for one region not working in another. We have learned from the suffering of others. And we try very hard to use that knowledge to prevent others from suffering the same fate.

Wake UP! You're talking about < Series 5, we're talking Series 5 here. Show me a thread where a person who bought Series 5 from "AMERICA" took it to UK and the cellular did not work... I'm waiting...

Same thing... you're talking about heritage stuff... Series 5 is different, supports way more bands than S4 and cannot be compared. Unless you've tested it or have confirmed feedback from someone who did stop spreading disinformation based on your obsolete experience.

There is absolutely no difference between the modem chipset used in the Series 4 and Series 5 just like the processors are identical in both series. And Apple already updated the link showing model numbers available, carriers and regions for the Series 5. You are the one who is spreading disinformation. If someone reading your advice here buys one and it doesn't work you should reimburse them.

Show me anywhere that is says the Series 5 supports more bands? In the teardown that has been done it shows the exact same chipset, how did they add bands to that?

But even if it did work you would still have to return to the US for service eliminating any savings you will get buying it here.

But give it time, people will buy it here and try it outside of the America's and post here.

Just stop...

AW 5 N A AW 4 North America

1 (2100 MHz) 2 (1900 MHz)

2 (1900 MHz) 4 (AWS)

3 (1800 MHz) 5 (850 MHz)

4 (AWS) 12 (700 MHz)

5 (850 MHz) 13 (700c MHz)

7 (2600 MHz) 17 (700b MHz)

12 (700 MHz) 18 (800 MHz)

13 (700c MHz) 19 (800 MHz)

17 (700b MHz) 25 (1900 MHz)

18 (800 MHz) 26 (800 MHz)

19 (800 MHz) 41 (TD 2500)

25 (1900 MHz) UMTS

26 (800 MHz) 850 MHz

39 (TD 1900) 1700 MHz

40 (TD 2300) 1900 MHz

41 (TD 2500)

66 (AWS-3)

UMTS

2100 MHz

1900 MHz

1700/2100 MHz

850 MHz

LTE Bands 8 and 20 and UMTS 900MHz are missing from all the US models therefore if the European cell operator is using one of these bands for the watch provisioning then it would not work. I would venture to guess that it will work in some European countries with some cell phone providers and it will not work with others. For example EE in UK uses LTE bands 3,7 and 20. The series 3 watch would not work at all. The series 4/5 watches will probably work on LTE bands 3 and 7 but not on 20.

Listen to the store manager from Miami. It will not work. Save yourself the time and grief. Buy the Cellular watch in the country that you intend to use it in.