Gold Apple (AAPL) Watch Edition Takes on Competing $10K Luxury Timepieces

— -- Apple's upcoming $10,000 gold smartwatch will cost what is to most people a small fortune. Can the gold Apple watch hold up its value as well as some other luxury watches do?

Each Apple Watch "Edition" will be made of 18-karat gold, which is twice as hard as standard gold, and sapphire crystal, according to Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL).

The Edition smartwatch faces competition from a wide range of "benchmark" Swiss watches that can cost $5,000 to $10,000, before competing with the higher-priced, ultra-luxury watches. But unlike these watches, the resale value for old Apple products typically diminishes significantly. For example, older iPhone models are typically sold with deep discounts.

Here are some other sought-after watches that focus on time at similar price points to the 18-karat gold Apple Watch Edition.

1. $8,985: Rolex Submariner

Rolex's Submariner watch can be called either a "quintessential" or "generic" Rolex, depending on the watch collector's view. Various versions cost anywhere from $7,000 to $10,000. One Submariner with Swiss automatic movement, stainless steel and "anti-reflective" sapphire is listed for $8,985 on Amazon.com. Because of the Swiss Rolex brand and "prestige" of this watch, it holds value on the resale market much better than most watches, according to this Forbes column.

2. $9,395: Panerai Radiomir

Water resistant to 330 feet with a 47-mm case, this watch is made by Italian watchmaker Panerai and priced at $9,395 on Amazon.com. The company say it combines "the design and the Italian creativity with Swiss technology."

3. $10,100: Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Moon 39

Luxury Swiss watchmaker Jaeger-LeCoultre goes super-narrow with a 4.9-mm thick watch with a "moon-phase display" that, you guessed it, shows the phase of the moon. Some collectors appreciate the feature for its utility, where others just appreciate the technical or aesthetic aspect. The sapphire crystal case back reveals the movement of the watch.

4. $10,471: IWC Portuguese Automatic

Priced at $10,470.98 via Amazon, this IWC watch's model year is 2011. Amazon says the stainless steel watch's listing price was $14,100.

5. $10,600: Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Chronograph

With a 40-mm diameter case, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Chronograph watch has a convex dial with a "pulsometer scale."

The watch, in yellow or rose gold, will be sold on April 24 and available to pre-order on April 10. The Apple Watch will be available first in these nine places: Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, United Kingdom and United States.