Apple has ordered a combined 5 million to 6 million units of its three Apple Watch models from Asian suppliers ahead of the product's release in April, reports the Wall Street Journal.

The basic Apple Watch Sport model accounts for half of the first-quarter production order while the mid-level Apple Watch accounts for one-third of the output, according to a source.

Orders for the high-end Apple Watch Edition, which features an 18-karat gold casing, are small in the first quarter. Apple will start producing over 1 million units per month in the second quarter, the source said. Analysts expect China to be the highest demanding market for the Apple Watch Edition.

The Apple Watch Sport will be priced at $349. While Apple hasn't announced pricing for the other smartwatch models, the Apple Watch Edition is expected to surpass the $4,000 Mac Pro computer in price.

The Apple Watch orders mimic the early sales numbers of Apple iPads, which sold 7.5 million in the first six months following the April 2010 launch.

The orders suggest Apple expects its smartwatch to exceed other wearable devices available from LG Electronics, Samsung Electronics, Sony, Motorola and numerous fitness trackers. LG Electronics is a strong contender with its soon-to-be-released high-end LG Watch Urbane, which features an all-metal body and leather wristband. LG expects their luxury timepiece to rival the Apple Watch Edition. Research firm Canalys reported last week that only 720,000 smartwatches powered by Google's Android Wear shipped in the final six months of 2014.

Taiwan-based Quanta Computer, the only assembler of the Apple Watch, started mass production of the wearable device earlier this year. To prepare for the April launch, thousands of Chinese workers will work round the clock and through the Chinese New Year holidays, the source said.

Health features planned for the Apple Watch to track heart activity, blood pressure and more have been nixed from the final product because they were too complicated, didn't work correctly or would have required regulatory approval.