(4 May 2015) The Apple magic is as strong as ever. The proof is in the sale of two Apple Watches on www.bobshop.co.za at prices that can only be described as premium.

Tech7, one of thousands of sellers who sell regularly on South African online marketplace, posted his wares on 28 April: two beautiful Apple Watches, one made of aluminium alloy, and the other of stainless steel. On 3 May, one buyer snatched both, presumably happy to pay the premium price for the bragging rights of being one of the first in South Africa to wear the newest Apple wonder.

The aluminium Apple Watch Sport was listed with the opening bid of R9,000, while the bidding for the stainless steel Apple Watch started at R11,000.

Both were snatched up by one buyer who placed the winning bids of R10,750 and R13,000 respectively on the evening of 3 May, about one hour apart. He had to wrangle for the aluminium watch with two competitors, and to outbid one other bidder for the stainless steel watch.

In September last year, the first iPhone 6 to appear on Bob Shop, and probably one of the first in South Africa, was sold for R16,499. The iPhone in question was the entry-level 16GB device. Today, these can be found on the site for under R10,000.

It is not known when Apple Watch device will be available on South Africa through official channels, and at what price. In the meantime, early adopters are as ready as ever to pay more in order to get the latest Apple gadget right away.

In the USA, the Apple Watch prices start from $349 for the entry-level aluminium sport variant, $549 for the stainless steel, and $10,000 for the18-karat gold edition. Each of the three variants features numerous, more expensive models; for example, the top of the range gold Apple Watch is priced at $17,000.