Following severely constrained supply at launch, Apple has gradually built up Apple Watch stock for online and in-store sales, and is now showing ship times of one business day for all aluminum Sport and regular stainless steel models.
A quick check with Apple's U.S. online storefront shows all non-Edition Watch models available for one-day shipping, even previously "rare" versions like the diamond-like carbon (DLC) coated Space Black stainless steel iteration. International availability is also improving, though certain countries like the UK and China are still seeing ship times of three to five days for popular combinations, such as the 42mm Apple Watch with Milanese loop.
Domestic shipping times have slowly improved since Watch first went up for preorder in April. Just minutes after sales started online, stock on hand was exhausted, sending ship-by estimates above one month in many cases. June saw availability improve, especially for aluminum Sport versions, as Watch prepared to debut in brick-and-mortar Apple Stores.
Apple still seems to be facing supply constraints for solid gold Apple Watch Edition models, however, as the Online Apple Store shows all hardware configurations backordered. Depending on gold color and band type, Edition shipping times fall between three to five days and five to seven days in the U.S.
Apple's first wearable device made headlines last week when multiple media outlets pounced on statistics supposedly showing a precipitous drop in sales since the device launched. Reports cited a study from Slice Intelligence, which noted a 90-percent decline citing data from a sampling of e-shoppers. Media interpretations incorrectly assigned the study's numbers to Apple Watch sales across all channels, not just online purchases.