Apple Watch : 3rd Party Straps

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We posted a review of the Apple Watch case from Brando at the beginning of September. While a lot of readers really liked the case, some had remarked that they would like to be able to attach a standard 3rd-party band/strap to Apple Watch directly. We thought that was a reasonable request and had the interns look into what options were available.

Apple Watch has a very-cool-but non-standard way of attaching the band to the case—a slot with a release hidden on under side. When Apple Watch was announced in April, accessory makers jumped on the opportunity to make and sell an adapter to allow normal bands to work with Apple Watch. It took a few months, but there are a now few Apple Watch adapters on the market (Amazon, Kickstarter).

When we looked into these adapters, we were surprised at their cost, especially the Kickstarter ones. They seemed a lot more expensive than we thought they should be, especially when compared to the ones now available on EBay. We don’t know about the qualities of the Amazon and Kickstarter ones, but the stainless steel adapter we got on Ebay was excellent.

The metal adapters and band came assembled and ready for installation. When we slid it into the slot on the side of Apple Watch it clicked into place with no problem. The fit was perfect. The new silicone strap was a little thinner than the Apple one, but just as comfortable on the wrist. At $8 for both the adapters and the silicon strap, along with free shipping, we found it to be an excellent value for the money.

Now that we have an adapter, we should be able to use any of the 22mm straps in our collection with Apple Watch. To see if that is really the case, we disassembled the adapter and tried it with some of the bands from our friends at StrappedForTime.

When paired with a lime green or bright orange strap, Apple Watch has a “fun / light hearted” feel about it. To see if we could give it a beefier and more “serious” attitude, we paired it with an Italian-made rubber strap with a carbon fiber pattern.

The band is at least twice as thick as Apple’s silicone band, is matted black, and has a metal clasp. We like the new look and the more substantial feel!

At $4 a pair, these EBay adapters are inexpensive enough that we immediately ordered a bunch of them. We plan to install and leave them on the straps so we can easily switch and swap as we see fit! The genius part of all this is that, unlike other watches, no tool is required!!! We will, of course, post a pic of our new Apple Watch band collection once we have it all set up.

Some folks felt that Apple, by going with a non-standard mechanism for attaching watch bands, had made it difficult for people to customize Apple Watch. We think, once again, Apple did exactly the opposite…with the new mechanism, they made it so easy that changing bands on Apple Watch is as quick and easy as changing your mind.