The Bands Put on a Show
If my math is right - and that’s suspect - there were 289 different bands introduced at yesterday’s ‘Time Flies’ Apple event.
The New Kids on the Block
At the Apple Watch & iPad event Apple held on September 15, they introduced, for the first time, three entirely new bands: The Solo Loop, The Braided Solo Loop, & the Leather Link. At the same time, Apple also refreshed their existing line of Sport Bands, Sport Loops, Leather Loop, Modern Buckles, & Nike & Hermès band offerings with new fall options.
Solo Loop (40/44mm)
Top to Bottom, Left to Right: Deep Navy, White, Pink Citrus, Cyprus Green, Ginger, Black, and PRODUCT(RED) Solo Loops.
The first of the new band styles from Apple, these resemble the fluoroelastomer Sport Bands but consists of a single piece of soft, stretchable silicone that wraps around the wrist without the use of clasps, buckles, or pins.
These new Solo Loops are available in 12-different sizes, and Apple has provided a printable fitting guide online to help customers pick out the band that’ll likely offer the best possible fit. My heart goes out to all Apple retail employees who’ll be helping us size all of our uniquely hairy, differently sized wrists!
Note: Apple lists that the Solo & Braided Loops are “only compatible with Apple Watch SE and Apple Watch Series 4 or newer. The 40mm case works with strap sizes 1–9; the 44mm case works with strap sizes 4–12.” Series 3 or older watches may want to wait and see how their watches fit into these newer bands in-store as the sizing guide provided by Apple is for Series 4 or newer (I’m guessing the new form factor affects the sizing).
Braided Solo Loop (40/44mm)
Left to Right: Charcoal, Inverness Green, PRODUCT(RED), Pink Punch, & Atlantic Blue Braided Solo Loops.
The second of three new bands Apple released at their September event. Rather than using silicone, these bands use a stretchable recycled polyester yarn braided together that slips on and off the users wrist. The braided solo loops are described as both sweat and water-resistant, making it a great fitness option.
To help accommodate various wrist sizes, these bands are also available in 12-different sizes, and users can once again use Apple’s size guide to help determine their most comfortable fit.
Note: Apple lists that the Solo & Braided Loops are “only compatible with Apple Watch SE and Apple Watch Series 4 or newer. The 40mm case works with strap sizes 1–9; the 44mm case works with strap sizes 4–12.” Series 3 or older watches may want to wait and see how their watches fit into these newer bands in-store as the sizing guide provided by Apple is for Series 4 or newer (I’m guessing the new form factor affects the sizing).
Leather Link (40/44mm)
Left to Right: California poppy, Baltic Blue, Saddle Brown, & Black Leather Link.
Well, would you look at that! The bands that leaked back in late May turned out not to be a replacement for the Leather Loop, but an entirely new leather band. Two flexible leather straps (with “handcrafted Roux Granada leather made in France” fancy!) magnetically attach to link the band securely around the wrist.
The Leather Link is also available for both the 38/40mm & 42/44mm watch cases in both a Small/Medium & Medium/Large strap size.
Fresh Coat of Paint
Leather Loop (44mm)
From Left to Right, Top to Bottom, or Zig to Zag: the Diver Blue Leather Loop.
Apple can call this the Diver Blue Leather Loop all it wants, but Apple faithful all know this is the Midnight Blue Leather Loop's comeback. There's a side-by-side comparison I posted of the Diver Blue & Midnight Blue bands on twitter, and it's tough to tell them apart based on the product images alone.
But I don't care that Apple is trying to convince me this is anything but Midnight Blue; I'm mostly thrilled they've decided to keep the Leather Loop around and not immediately replace it with the Leather Link as I had feared.
Milanese Loop (40/44mm)
Left to Right: Gold & Graphite Milanese Loop.
The Milanese Loops were updated to match the new gold finish of the Series 6 Apple Watch and the new Graphite Black colour replacing Space Black.
Modern Buckle (40mm)
Left to Right: Pink Citrus, Scarlet, & Garnet Modern Buckles.
Apple abandoned matching the buckle finishes this year and stuck exclusively to polished stainless steel claps on three new red-hued Modern Buckles.
Sport Band (40/44mm)
Left to Right: Cyprus Green, Ginger, Deep Navy, and Pink Citrus Citrus Sport Band.
These are the four new fall colours introduced into the sport band lineup.
Sport Loop (40/44mm)
Left to Right: Plum, Kumquat, PRODUCT(RED), Inverness Green, Deep Navy, Cream, & Charcoal Sport Loop.
Each year Apple tries something just a little bit different with the colour patterning on the sport loops. This year, they've opted for a single colour down the loop's length, with two differently coloured stripes running along the loop's edges. The colour on the left is also the colour used in the plastic bit that fastens the watch, while the colour on the right is used in the plastic that attaches the loop to the watch itself.
Nike Sport Bands & Loops (40/44mm)
Left to Right: Purple Pulse, Obsidian Mist, & Spruce Aura Sport Loops; Obsidian Mist/Black, Blue Black/Bright Mango, & Spruce Aura/Vapour Green Sport Bands.
These are the six new fall colours (3 Sport Bands, 3 Sport Loops) for the Nike band collection.
Hermès Bands (40/44mm)
Left to Right: Jaune, Rouge, Anémone, Bambou, & Navy Hermès Swift Leather Single Tour.
A collection of new & bright Swift Leather Single Tour Hermès bands were also introduced. Note: The Yellow, Green, and Purple… I mean… Jaune, Bambou, & Anémone are exclusive for the 38/40mm Apple Watch case size.
From Left to Right: Fauve Barénia Leather Attelage Single Tour, Noir Swift Leather Single Tour Deployment Buckle, & Fauve Barénia Leather Attelage Double Tour.
And rounding out all the new bands introduced yesterday, Apple announced a thinner Fauve Barénia Attelage Single & Double Tour, and added a Noir Swift Leather Single Tour Deployment band 44mm watch band. Note: unlike last year's Noir leather bands, which featured dark stainless steel to match Space Black casing, this deployment buckle uses raw polished stainless steel for in the deployment latch and attaching to the watch.
