Apple Watch shipments have touched 18 million (+54 percent) in 2017 – driven by the success of the Series 3, said Canalys.

Apple has shipped 9 million units of Series 3, the latest version of Apple’s Watch, making up nearly half of all shipments in 2017.

Apple’s Q4 performance was impressive, as shipments grew by more than 32 percent over Q4 2016 to 8 million, the highest ever number of shipments in a single quarter.

Apple faced strong demand for the cellular version of the Apple Watch in the US, Japan and Australia, where all major operators stocked it in time for the holiday season.

The Apple Watch Series 3 is the fastest-selling LTE wearable on the market, with shipments doubling quarter on quarter to reach 1.6 million.

“Limited operator selection in the UK, Germany and France influenced consumer purchase decisions, and stifled the growth potential of the connected Apple Watch. Moving into new markets, such as Singapore and Hong Kong in Q1 2018, just in time for Chinese New Year, is a good move,” Vincent Thielke, research analyst at Canalys, said.

Jason Low, senior analyst at Canalys, said: “Despite innovative designs, such as the rotating bezels and circular screens employed by other vendors, Apple has pulled far ahead as it continues to focus on its core iPhone user base.”