While the initial Apple Watch launch is still ongoing, Apple started shipping standalone bands to customers this week. We’ve got our hands on both the Leather Loop and Sport bands plus packaging today. Check out our comparison photos and my early impressions of each band and the swapping process below.
Personalizing the Apple Watch by changing the watch faces and swapping bands can give the same model a very different look and feel. Customization isn’t always a strong focus for Apple, but ease-of-use usually is. The band swapping process is very Apple in this regard. No tools required, just a custom quick-release system. You’ll also want to make sure you’re matching your 38mm or 42mm with the same size band.
Just like the stainless steel Apple Watch packaging varies from that of the aluminum Apple Watch Sport, the same is true of the materials that ship with the bands from each collection. The leather and metal bands have a shorter-but-thicker box while the fluoroelastomer (okay, let’s just say rubber) band is thinner and longer. Sound familiar?
Inside its box, the standalone Sport band is found with disposable packaging (unless you’re a collector/hoarder like me) with small/medium and medium/large bottom pieces next to the single top pieces. Standalone leather and metal bands including the silver Link Bracelet ship with a smaller version of the long plastic case found with the actual Apple Watch Sport box.
9to5Mac reader Brandon shared these photos of the standalone Link Bracelet Apple Watch band and packaging. When you buy stainless steel Apple Watch with the Link Bracelet, the box contains a cleaning cloth as well. This is not the case with the standalone version of the Link Bracelet; its packaging has the same style as the leather bands. 9to5Mac reader Danny contributed the standalone Milanese Loop shot.
Once you have more than one band with the Apple Watch, a new problem (besides which to wear when) presents itself: How should you store your other band(s)? The plastic case has a nice feel to it with its soft lining and Apple Watch branding, but it’s really only fitted for a specific band design.
The Leather Loop case can hold the leather Classic Buckle, but it’s not ideal as the buckle itself doesn’t fit just right. I’ll probably settle on the top sock drawer of my dresser for now, but a more elegant solution has to be on the horizon as accessory makers already have third-party bands and charging stands in mind.
One more note on packaging and presentation before I mention changing bands. The translucent packing material that first shipped with the 12-inch MacBook and now the Apple Watch and standalone bands is a nice touch from the transparent version used on other products, but the Apple Watch and bands contain a lot of it. I’m not sure how this translates from the jewelry world, but I found this particular piece difficult to remove from the Leather Loop and it gave a Scotch tape impression. Just a small quibble.
As for changing the bands, Apple has made the process approachable enough that you don’t need to have any special tools or experience with jewelry to do it yourself. Even the Link Bracelet takes advantage of Apple’s button system for removing links and adjusting its size. The only part that requires much attention is first ensuring you match 38mm bands with a 38mm watch or 42mm bands with a 42mm watch. Many bands are available in both sizes.
The back of each Apple Watch features two buttons that you press to release the attached band when changing. When pressed firmly, you can slowly slide out the current band in either direction to remove it. Metal sliding on metal (like with the Milanese Loop or Classic Buckle) feels unpleasant, while Sport and Leather Loop maintain a smooth feel. (They also blend with the watch better, in my opinion, as they don’t use lugs.)
You technically can put the band on incorrectly as the Apple Watch supports being worn on either the left or right wrist and changing on-screen orientations through the settings. Generally, the shorter piece fits the top while the lengthier piece attaches below the display. You can also accidentally connect the band with its bottom facing up which is never correct. To avoid this, be sure the size and material markings are visible when you view the bottom of the Apple Watch.
Overall, the band changing process is easy enough to avoid making owning multiple band options an inconvenience. Storing the extra bands properly and deciding which band to wear when probably takes more effort. As a customization and personalization option, the band swapping capability is critical to making one Apple Watch model appropriate for more than one occasion whereas previously individual watches were required.
Initially, I only wanted the additional Sport band as an alternative to the Leather Loop that would come with my Apple Watch, but I changed my order to a Classic Buckle model during pre-orders as the combination has a sooner ship date, ordering the Leather Loop band separately with an earlier date still.
After wearing one band exclusively for the last week while the other two shipped out, changing bands does feel like getting a totally new Apple Watch today. It may be obvious to expect that experience, though it was a nice surprise to me.
The $50 Sport band easily wins in comfort and versatility; I’ll have to decide how both the $150 Classic Buckle and $150 Leather Loop fit into my Apple Watch experience. The richer materials will be right for dinners, weddings, and any dressier occasion, but my early impression of cheaper Sport band is that it may serve as my primary option. As with many parts of the Apple Watch, it’ll take living with for a while to decide…
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I just got my Sports Band today. Now I just wish they’d hurry up and ship my watch.
I really like the leather loops. I wish they had offered them for all the watch sizes. It kind of smacks of gender bias that they didn’t.
It probably has less to do with that and more with materials. I like the modern buckle but it’s only offered in the small size.
Well, we’ll never know for sure, but I can’t see why materials have anything to do with it. The leather loop would have to be only a few millimetres narrower to fit on the 38MM watch. Seems eminently “do-able” to me.
The suspicion of most people is that the modern buckle is kind of “girlie” and the leather loop is more “manly,” and that’s why. That kind of gender thing is really common in the fashion world, so they might be copying that.
Any other company/product and I would agree with you. But Apple is a very politically correct company and they’ve never once designated any size or style for certain genders. I don’t even think they’ve once mentioned “men”, “women” or “gender”. I would imagine it’s more of a design issue (it looks ugly) or a technical issue. Maybe it’s tough getting the proper strength magnet in a loop that aesthetically fits the 38 mm lug?
Ridiculous. They don’t need to spell it out, for there to be a gender bias.
Anyone with any design sense will tell you the modern buckle is feminine. The leather loop is gender-neutral, but the point of only making it in a 42mm size is to offset the modern buckle being available only for the 38mm.
And there’s nothing wrong with having explicitly feminine bands!!! Gender bias isn’t a bad thing as long as there are gender neutral options. Apple are the only smartwatch maker to even consider women, and here we have a bunch of blokes complaining about it.
Yes, lets berate a company for allegedly withholding product from a particular size, must be sexual discrimination. It kind of smacks of stupidity that you made such an ignorant assertion. Let me guess, you’re the type that’s triggered by anything that isn’t solely neutral or unisex. It’s literally impossible or reprehensible to imagine that something was designed with a “feminine” or “masculine” flair. You need to get a better dictionary, becuase what you’re proclaiming to be gender bias isn’t gender bias at all.
On the topic, the leather loop is quite a nice band and it’s really the only odd band I felt was left out for the smaller sized watch, but I’m sure they have legitimate and reasonable reasons for not providing the option.
It would be really amazing if you could take some pictures or even a video wearing the SS Blue leather loop one ! can’t find anything on internet.
the verge! nilay wears the blue loop exclusively
Any photos of the Milanese loop packaging?
I just got mine. It’s not much different from what you see here, just a different cutout. It took me a sec to figure out how to properly attach it but it’s SO nice. Soft, comfortable, easy to put on in the dark, and the end magnet acts as a stopper so the loop never becomes undone! As the author mentioned, getting a new loop can feel like getting a completely different watch.
Regarding the weird “scotch tape” part of the packaging for the band, you have to split it from the middle (seems like single piece but is two) and peel apart
“After wearing one band exclusively for the last week while the other two shipped out…”
Just curious, which band were you wearing for that week? The sport? I have the sport and I’m seriously considering getting the leather loop. I’m also curious to see what the wear and tear is like on the leather after a few weeks of use.
I’ll wait until the Chinese do very good replicas at vastly cheaper prices.
The sport band doesn’t fit me, so I really wish there was a white leather loop. I’d use that for more casual occasions, to match my white phone.
Otherwise, I’ve ordered the Milanese loop and will probably just stick with that. It’s the only waterproof band that fits yeti wrists of 220mm+ … The leather loop is very nice. Still tempted to get a black one, mostly because it is the most generous fit of them all.
I’ll get mine from aliexpress. $150 for a $30 band is ridiculous.
Ok, I am really beginning to get angry with myself about how much I want my Apple Watch, because if I didn’t want it as badly as I do I’d cancel my order over this. Apple’s prioritization of orders makes zero sense to me whatsoever.
I ordered at 12:02 on launch day, the very second I was able to get in (refreshing constantly on 3 devices simultaneously). My estimated delivery date is May 13th-May 27th, but still in “Processing Items” status.
I ordered a Watch with the Stainless Link bracelet.
Other versions of the Watch (i.e. other bands) are shipping. I’ve seen several in the wild.
The Stainless Link bracelets are shipping per this article.
But somehow, my Watch with Stainless Link bracelet hasn’t shipped yet.
How Apple feels right about fulfilling multiple band orders for some people, while other people don’t even have their watches yet is completely baffling to me.
I’ll just keep waiting like the good little Apple b**** that I am, but I’m not going to pretend to be happy about it :(
The hard shell boxes will be nice for traveling. Just put your nicer bands in there and wear a sport.