It’s summer vacation time, so make good use of our TimePorter and bring a Watch band for every occasion. Apple sells a healthy selection on its online store, but there’s an entire world of bands outside of that first-party universe. If you’re looking for a more diverse array of options, or you’re interested in using an existing band, we’ve got you covered below.
Using Your Existing Bands
Apple’s snap-in mechanism is handy and discrete, but it doesn’t allow for conventional bands to be used. For those of you that love your “regular” watch band, Sevensixteen’s $22 Click adapter solves that, enabling you to use any standard watch band on your Apple Watch. If you’re impatient, pick up a few of ’em and affix your existing bands to each; that’ll make swapping a lot quicker.
For the Rugged Look
Leather bands aren’t hard to come by, but for those seeking the ultimate Mountaineering Band, New York’s own E3SupplyCo has you covered. Their Etsy page is home to a variety of handmade leather bands that are sure to catch eyes from a distance, and they source their materials from the famed Horween Leather Company. (To note, they also make a double wrap band, but there are a couple of other options below).
Double Wrap (that won’t cost you an arm and a leg)
The Apple Watch Hermès Double Tour band is stunning, but at $490 it falls squarely into the luxury camp. Case-Mate’s Rebecca Minkoff Double Wrap Leather Band looks mighty fine and has a similar look for just $80. If you’re looking for a slightly thicker double wrap, we highly recommend the Arrow and Board Double Wrap Band. Since it’s made to order (and only $117), you can make it your own by choosing one of the three vegetable tanned english bridle leathers in partnership with one of the four hardware finishes.
Do Your Own Thing
Leaving the whole design element to the pros is fine, but if you want something a little less run-of-the-mill, there’s Casetify. Here, you can design your own Apple Watch band for $59 by using photos from Instagram or Facebook or look to your inner artist and upload your own design. It’s like a tattoo, but way less likely to induce regret.
The Link Lovers
If you’re traveling for business you may want to go for a fancier option and we think Juuk has nailed it! Their aluminum watch strap available in a few different finishes looks superb, and the links are super easy to remove with the supplied screwdriver. At $195 it’s not the cheapest option, but compared to Apple’s price of $449 for a similar style, this is a great alternative.
Boost Your Battery Life
Hardcore Apple Watch users have probably veered into Power Reserve mode on occasion, and if that sounds familiar, the $250 Reserve Strap is worth considering. Pre-orders are open now for the only band that promises to extend the battery life of Apple Watch “by a factor of 2.7x”, adding 30 additional hours of usage.
Have any other little-known bands we should know about? Drop us a mention @TwelveSouth!
