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Apple announced new iterations of the Apple Watch today, along with new watch bands. We’ve added notes on the compatibility of our picks with the new watches in the What to look forward to section.
Apple offers a slew of great bands for the Apple Watch, but many other companies do as well—often for much lower prices. We searched through hundreds of third-party Apple Watch bands and tried 45 for ourselves, with help from watch experts and our discerning staff. A watch band is a personal style choice, and there’s no single option that’s best for everybody. But if you want a different style than what Apple offers, we’ve found picks in a range of styles and prices that should suit most tastes.
For our 2021 update, Haley Perry researched dozens of watch bands and tested 15 of them to find options for an even wider range of needs and occasions. These included vegan leather alternatives, bands designed for intense workouts, jewelry bracelets, and slim bands tailored more for smaller wrists.
Nick Guy has been reviewing accessories for Apple products since 2011, first as the accessories editor at iLounge and then here at Wirecutter. After researching the most promising bands for our initial round of testing, he presented them to a panel of Wirecutter writers, editors, and designers. He also interviewed several experts: Thomas Lodowski, a watchmaker at Manhattan Time Service with more than 15 years of experience in horology; Jack Forster, the editor in chief of Hodinkee.com, an online watch-enthusiast publication; and Ashley Kinder, the manager at Hodinkee Shop, the company’s sales channel. All of these experts have experience with the Apple Watch, in addition to traditional watches.
This thick, sturdy leather band features handsome stitching and comes in beautiful colors.
Who it’s for: Someone who wants an understated leather band that looks like it costs more than it does, thanks to great-feeling material and clean stitching.
Why it’s great: As the Arrow & Board Porter proves, a higher-quality leather band doesn’t have to cost the $100 or more that Apple sells its leather bands for. The Porter’s materials and aesthetics match its price. The leather is soft and supple yet thick enough to be sturdy. And this band’s smooth finish looks more formal than those on the cheaper leather options we tried, so the Porter is better suited for wearing with a button-up shirt and blazer. Its buckle is also much smaller and more refined, with smaller loops for catching the tail of the strap after you close it; both factors make this band look slightly more business-appropriate. The Porter’s leather also holds up to scuffs better than the leather of other, cheaper bands. But when the Porter does get roughed up, you should be able to easily polish out minor markings, potentially just by rubbing it with your fingers (though you could also just embrace the patina).
Unlike most leather bands with cowhide on the outside and either exposed suede or some sort of padding against your wrist (like the Epic band), the Arrow & Board Porter has the same finished leather surface on both sides. It therefore looks neater and is more comfortable to wear for extended periods. In our testing, a Wirecutter panelist said they liked the band’s sturdiness and the evenness of the stitching. The Porter is about ⅞ inch wide, providing a bolder look than a narrower band.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: The Porter is a classically designed watch strap. If you’re looking for a leather band that will stand out, with different design patterns in more unusual colors, you might be better off with a Wristpop strap.
Available colors: chestnut, tobacco, espresso, midnight
Made of thick, high-quality faux leather, the Wristpop Mustang is comfortable to wear.
Who it’s for: Someone who wants a fashion-forward band that looks like leather but also wants to keep it vegan.
Why it’s great: The Wristpop Mustang is sturdy and comfortable to wear. And when it was compared side by side with a real leather strap, the Mustang’s faux leather was convincing to observers who didn’t know its materials beforehand. Wristpop makes a few different versions of this band in multiple colors, and those versions also all come in a double-wrap style. The Mustang, our favorite, is black with a white racing stripe down the middle—a stylish pattern that adds a sharp accent to any outfit, without being too loud or dominating.
One of the reasons we love the Wristpop band is that it’s surprisingly comfortable to wear in a variety of situations. Haley wore it for multiple days at a time, including during work, to the gym, and even to bed, and she barely felt it at all. Visually, the band is eye-catching and adaptable—it’s a great statement accessory for everyday wear, but it’s also chic enough to wear on a date or to a party.
The Wristpop band has a traditional pin buckle, and its hardware feels sturdy. At about ¾ inch wide for the 38 mm / 40 mm / 41 mm Apple Watches, this band is a good size for people who don’t like watch bands that look too thick or chunky on their wrists.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: The Mustang has only eight holes for adjusting (a smaller range than on many other bands we tested), and silver is the only color option for the hardware. We will be watching to see whether the material creases noticeably over time, as many faux leathers do because they’re less pliable and resilient.
Available colors: various stripe colors, at Wristpop
The Lei’ohu Designs Kou band is lightweight and soft on the inside. This band is more adjustable for different-size wrists, and we liked the floral pattern. It’s less likely to be confused for leather, though.
Who it’s for: People looking for a vegan leather band that’s anything but plain.
Why it’s great: We love the collection of Hawaiian-inspired bands made by Lei’ohu Designs. And the Kou band is our favorite, due to its stunning floral print and brown base color (which seems easier to mesh with an entire wardrobe than some of the brighter color options). Compared with the Wristpop Mustang band, this band is thinner and more lightweight, but it’s also less likely to be confused with real leather.
You can choose the color of the Kou band’s hardware—black, silver, gold, or rose gold—something that few of our other picks allow. On the Lei’ohu Designs website, the band’s material appears shiny and plasticky. But, fortunately, in person the finish is more matte and textured. The underside material is soft against the skin, so it’s easy to wear this band all day without noticing it.
The Kou band has a traditional pin buckle and 11 holes, which is a generous range. This is also the best faux leather option for people with small wrists who struggle to find bands that are tight enough. For reference, Haley’s wrist circumference is 5½ inches, and when she closes the Kou, two holes are still available. At ¾ inch wide for the 38 mm / 40 mm / 41 mm Apple Watches, this band is just as narrow as the Wristpop. We think the Kou is suitable for those who dislike the look of bulky watches.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: The loop that keeps the end of the watch band from dangling is solid black, which clashes noticeably against the band’s brown base color. We wish the design matched better, but this is a small trade-off for an otherwise-gorgeous piece.
Available colors: various patterns and prints, at Lei’ohu Designs
This band has a leather-like texture and comes in the widest variety of designs we’ve seen.
Who it’s for: Someone who wants a leather-like strap with many design options.
Why it’s great: Casetify’s Saffiano Leather Band (to be clear up-front, the bands are almost all faux leather) stands out from the other bands we tested because of the wide selection of available designs: At the time of publication, the company’s website offered roughly 2,000 choices. Many of the other bands we tested at this price were either boring, felt cheap, or lacked good stitching. But this band had none of those flaws. If you’re looking for something that will last a while and has a more-textural aesthetic, the Saffiano’s combination of quality and variation make it a solid choice.
Authentic Saffiano leather is wax-coated and cross-hatched, similar to the texture of some handbags or wallets. This finish makes it feel less like leather but adds scratch- and water-resistance, which will help the band stand up to the elements better (and maybe even last longer) than untreated leather. This finish is also easier for non-leather bands to mimic. Almost all of Casetify’s bands are vegan leather (polyurethane). The brand’s only real leather options, at this writing, are the neon Essential bands. The rest of the solid-color options and printed designs are vegan leather. Those designs are printed on the material itself (in other words, beneath the wax coating). And although we think some of the designs look downright ugly, a number of them are appealing, and most everyone will be able to find something they like. You can even upload your own photo and have it printed on the band.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: The buckles on our review units were squeaky, but we noticed this only when we were putting the watch on in the morning—and only when we were listening for it. The band doesn’t come with a long-term warranty, but Casetify does guarantee that if the band has any defects when you receive it, the company will replace it.
Available colors: thousands, at Casetify
A lightweight watch band with a casual utilitarian look on the outside and the comfort of silicone on the inside.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $33.
Who it’s for: Someone who wants the softness and breathability of silicone but likes the handsome look of nylon.
Why it’s great: If you want a watch band you can hike with by day and wear on the town by night, Barton’s Cordura Fabric and Silicone Hybrid Band is the one you should get. It combines the practical benefits of silicone on the band’s interior with the stylish appeal of nylon on the outside. And it comes in a small range of neutral shades that will go well with most wardrobes.
The Hybrid band is the most versatile watch band we’ve tested. It looks nice enough to wear into work or on a casual night out. But it doesn’t have to be swapped out for intense gym workouts or outdoor treks, thanks to the silicone base layer. And even though it has fabric on the outside, this band is still waterproof, and it dries quickly if you get caught in the rain or you wear your watch swimming.
Few bands are as lightweight as our Otterbox pick, but the Hybrid band is a close second. It’s easy to forget you’re wearing it at all—a trait we consider ideal. It’s also a little narrower in width than the Otterbox band, making it more flattering for petite wrists. Just like the Otterbox band, the Hybrid has 12 holes—more than nearly every other band we tested.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: Haley tested the Barton Cordura Fabric and Silicone Hybrid Band on her own wrist, which measures 5½ inches in circumference. Though this band has a generous range of 12 holes for adjusting, Haley tried the tightest hold the band offered and found that it fit with a touch of wiggle room. Anyone with a wrist smaller than 5½ inches may find the band to be too loose.
Available colors: army green, black, chocolate brown, smoke grey, navy blue
The Otterbox is the most comfortable and lightweight band we’ve worn, for daily or active wear.
Who it’s for: The person who doesn’t want to feel their watch at all.
Why it’s great: The Otterbox Apple Watch Band is the softest, most lightweight band we’ve tested, and it’s also one of the cheapest. Though it looks bulkier in photos than some of our other recommendations, it’s anything but: It looks great even on the most petite wrists, and it feels like you’re wearing nothing at all.
If you have a physically demanding job, frequent the gym, or live in a hot or humid climate, you should consider a silicone band. Silicone is more moisture-resistant and antimicrobial (PDF) than other materials like nylon, leather, and metal, and the Otterbox band feels especially suited to workouts. But it’s not just suitable for sweaty activity—it’s also the perfect choice for anyone who wants a simple band for everyday wear. It comes in a few vivid colors, for those who like bolder options. And there are also a couple of darker, more understated shades.
Compared with Apple’s own Sport Band, the Otterbox band has a traditional pin buckle, which we found sturdier and less likely to come undone than Apple’s pin-and-tuck system. It also has a ridged, waffle texture on the inside, which feels more breathable than the Sport Band’s smooth interior. And compared with bands that make you choose between a small/medium or medium/large band size, the Otterbox band has 12 holes, so it allows for a wider range of adjustment than almost every other band we tested.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: Otterbox doesn’t offer the largest color selection, and even the more humble shades, like black, still have lighter accent colors. If it’s a simple, neutral-colored band you’re after, consider the Barton Cordura Fabric and Silicone Hybrid catalog instead.
Available colors: black/grey, light blue/light green, orange/blue, pink/orange, dark blue/grey, purple/green, dark pink/red
The Kades band looks a lot like Apple’s pricier steel model. But this one is nicely designed in its own right. It’s also the easiest steel band to resize.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $23.
Who it’s for: People who like the look and heft of metal bands but don’t want to pay Apple’s price.
Why it’s great: Most of the steel link bands we tested were quite similar to one another, but the Kades Stainless Steel Link Bracelet is just different enough to stand out. It’s clearly designed with an eye to Apple’s Link Bracelet, but it’s not a straight ripoff. The Kades band costs about $25 (at the time of writing), considerably less than the $350 for Apple’s band. And out of all the steel bands we tested, this one is the easiest to resize, which helps to give you a secure, comfortable fit.
Easy resizing is this band’s main advantage. Instead of having to rely on a jeweler’s tool, you can use the glorified paper clip (included with the band) to pop out the pins holding the links together. It’s simple to do, but the pins aren’t loose enough to fall out accidentally.
This band is made up of a series of links that taper from just under an inch at the lug to about 0.85 inch wide at the clasp. We like how the links run all the way across the width of the band, rather than being split into three segments like the rest we tested. The links meet at a butterfly-style clasp (squeezing the release allows you to lift both sides of the band, rather than just one, like on a folding clasp), which more or less disappears when the bracelet is latched. The steel also has a nice heft to it, making this band feel like a quality product.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: We can’t vouch for the company’s seemingly nonexistent customer service, and Kades doesn’t seem to have a retail presence other than as an Amazon seller. At the time of this writing, the band has nearly 1,500 five-star reviews on Amazon—and a “B” rating from the review checker tool Fakespot. But a lot of people do complain about the clasp being flimsy and insecure. We’ve yet to have any issues with the quality, and we think this band is inexpensive enough to replace if something does go wrong.
This simple steel band is just elegant enough to serve as jewelry, but it feels comfortable enough to wear daily or to the gym.
Who it’s for: People who want a simple and understated steel mesh band. This is the slimmest metal option available.
Why it’s great: The Astra Straps Aere Slim Steel Band is one of the bands we’ve reached for the most. The mesh material makes the Aere comfortable enough to wear all day and to the gym, and it can be dressed up or down effortlessly. This band is unembellished yet elegant, and its narrow size is flattering for smaller wrists.
At ⅝ inch wide, the Aere band is among the slimmest we tested, and it looks great with the smaller 38 mm / 40 mm / 41 mm Apple Watch cases. It’s not so narrow that it makes the Apple Watch look bulky or out of place, and it’s elegant enough to pair with formalwear. Though it’s a bit pricey for such a simple design, this band is one of the most versatile on this list.
The Aere band has a sliding clasp that’s easy to adjust. And this type of closure is ideal for people who frequently find themselves between hole sizes on traditional watch bands with pin buckles. The clasp feeds the watch band through to the interior of the watch, tucking the end against your skin and giving the look of an infinite loop. But there’s no hardware to clip the end of the band to the outermost layer, so the tail end of the band tends to peek out one side. It’s a small bother, and one that most people (who aren’t wearing it) are unlikely to notice.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: The Astra Straps website says the Aere band fits wrists from 5.7 to 7.6 inches in circumference. Yet it fits Haley’s 5.5-inch wrist perfectly fine, and it could be tightened even more. And based on our own measurements, we think someone with up to an 8-inch wrist could wear this one with ease.
Available colors: rose gold, silver, black, champagne gold
This stainless steel bracelet dresses up the Apple Watch for fancy occasions. And it has removable links that don’t require tools to adjust the band.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $150.
Who it’s for: Someone who enjoys wearing nice bracelets, or who prefers to keep their Apple Watch on at weddings, formal events, and other occasions that call for dressing up.
Why it’s great: Good-quality jewelry bands for the Apple Watch are hard to come by: There aren’t many options available, and the ones that are tend to be way overpriced or made by questionable sellers. We like Kate Spade’s Pavé Scallop Link Band because it’s a nice, sturdy bracelet that makes the Apple Watch feel elegant, whether you wear jewelry regularly or just need a decorative band for special occasions.
The Kate Spade band is a stainless steel bracelet with pavé-set stones lining the sides of the band all the way around. Though the embellished stones merely mimic the look of real diamonds, they refract light beautifully, giving the bracelet a shiny, eye-catching look. The band is made up of fold-over scallop links. These links can be removed individually without having to use tools, making it easy to adjust the tightness of the bracelet. Do this before rushing out of the house, since it takes a moment to experiment with how many links you should remove to get the perfect fit (and once you start taking them off, the links are easy to lose).
The scallop links on the Kate Spade band give the illusion, at first glance, that the bracelet is chunky, but it looks surprisingly slim when worn. The band is tapered in at a narrow 0.625 inch—the same width as our favorite slim band. We also love that it has a folding clasp to hide where the bracelet starts and ends.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: For some reason, all of Kate Spade’s Apple Watch bands only fit the 38 mm / 40 mm / 41 mm case sizes. If you have the larger Apple Watch, but you’re still interested in a jewelry band, you should instead consider the Astra Straps Aere Slim Steel Band or the cheap Amazon bands we mention below.
Available colors: silver, rose gold, two-tone stainless steel and gold
Turn a traditional watch band into something that can be used with your Apple Watch.
May be out of stock
*At the time of publishing, the price was $11.
Who it’s for: Someone who wants to use an existing watch band with their Apple Watch.
Why it’s great: The Barton Watch Bands Apple Watch Adapter allows you to take a band that’s made to work with a standard wristwatch and make it compatible with an Apple Watch. So if you have a band that you already love and want to keep using, or if you fall in love with one you find, you don’t have to give up using your smartwatch simply because there’s no Apple Watch version.
The Barton adapter looks and feels the same as what you’d find on any Apple Watch band with metal hardware. It fits perfectly into the Watch, lining up flush with the edges. There’s about 0.06 inch between the tension rod and the rest of the adapter, so unless you’re using a particularly thick band, you shouldn’t have an issue installing yours. We also like that Barton is a responsive company, one that should be willing to assist you if something goes wrong; all of the other competitors in this category are less reliable.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: To attach and remove bands, you need to use a spring bar tool or have a watch band with a quick-release adapter. If you have a band you love enough to want to keep using it with your Apple Watch, there’s a chance you already have such a tool; if not, you can get one for a few bucks on Amazon. Barton’s color choice is limited to just two options, which may contrast with the metal shade of your Apple Watch.
Available colors: stainless steel, black
If you have the cash, it’s easy to walk into an Apple store and walk away with a great Apple Watch band—chosen from across a variety of styles. Apple’s cheapest band is currently $50, and the really fancy ones run up to $500. Compare that with the hundreds of options on Amazon that look the same but are half the price or less. You can find knockoff versions of Apple’s silicone Sport Band, Nike Sport Band, nylon Sport Loop, and Milanese Loop, many for $10 or less. In our testing across a number of brands, we’ve found these to be pretty good, too. We don’t think Apple’s own watch bands are worth the price when there are more-affordable options that do the job just as well.
With Amazon knockoffs, though, the problem is that the listings (often from unknown companies with no other online presence outside of their Amazon storefronts and unpronounceable mishmashes of consonants as names) regularly come and go, and the quality is completely unpredictable. While we were reporting this guide, several promising listings disappeared from Amazon, and even some of the replacements we found were no longer active when we checked a few days later. You simply can’t rely on any one band to be available for longer than you’re looking at the page. (Apple declined to comment on whether it was exercising its intellectual property rights to have these listings removed.)
If you do want an Apple-style band for cheap, we’ve found Epic Watch Bands’ silicone, active pro silicone, and stainless steel mesh bands to be reliably available and of a similar quality to other non-Apple bands we tested. Otherwise, if you insist on a band from Amazon, we advise that you choose a model that has hundreds or even thousands of reviews. It’s not a quality guarantee, but it’s at least a factor to set your choice apart from the myriad options. And it’ll probably be good enough.
For our winter 2021 update, we followed this last set of advice to see if cheaper jewelry band options from Amazon could compete with higher-end bands we found. We tested the Kades Bling Jewelry Bracelet and the Surace Diamond Bracelet, which were literally identical in every way—including price and packaging. Amazon is full of indistinguishable listings like these, but we liked the two bands we tried on. Though they certainly felt cheap, they actually looked great on the wrist and were comfortable and durable enough to wear for days at a time. We can’t speak to the lifespan of these bands. But if you need a dressy jewelry option just once in a while, these should get the job done for less than $20.
For our first round of testing, we took 15 leather straps, three Milanese loop-style bands, and six metal bracelets to watch experts and asked them to consider the quality of the bands compared with both Apple Watch straps and watch bands in general. They examined the look and feel of each band, and they helped inform us on style trends and other things to look for, including small details, such as if the band slides around on the lug or how it tapers. (One thing that stood out as especially important with leather bands was stitching. Good stitching helps make a band more durable than bands that are glued or otherwise fused together.) In subsequent tests, we panel-tested a handful more in each category and also tried silicone and nylon bands.
Initially, we tried only bands that came in both 38 mm / 40 mm and 42 mm / 44 mm sizes, and we focused on bands that cost roughly $100 or less. We opened up this criteria for our winter 2021 testing to make room for a jewelry category, where most bracelets are only available for the smaller Apple Watch sizes. We also set the price cap at around $200—above that price range, your personal aesthetics are likely more important than our evaluation.
Our second round of testing also included researching and testing more silicone and vegan leather options, in addition to slim bands tailored more for smaller wrists. We attached each band to an Apple Watch to make sure the lugs fit properly—not too tightly or loosely—and would release without issue. (All of the bands we tried passed this test.) We then wore each of our picks for at least a few days, from morning until night, including to the gym and into the shower (if the band was declared waterproof).
Apple announced new watches today, the Apple Watch Series 8, the Apple Watch SE, and the Apple Watch Ultra. The Series 8 and the SE will both be available with 41mm and 45mm case sizes, and our current picks should fit these. However, the Apple Watch Ultra has a bigger, 49mm case, and only watch bands in 44mm and 45mm sizes will be compatible with it.
To accompany the new Apple Watch Ultra, Apple announced watch bands designed for the new model—the Trail Loop, Ocean Band, and Alpine Loop. These bands are supposed to be rugged enough to withstand a range of outdoor and extreme activities. We’ll evaluate these new bands against more affordable alternatives for our next update.
The Belkin Classic Leather Band is made of nice, supple leather, but its leather pieces are fused together rather than stitched. If you prefer that look and accept that it might not last as long, this band is one of the better options.
The Marge Plus Genuine Leather Watch Strap is a perfectly serviceable budget strap with a slight taper toward the clasp (so it may look a bit better on smaller wrists). The band’s ends slide around on its lugs a little more than we’d like, meaning the band can look off-center, and the stitching runs only along the length of the band. We prefer stitching underneath the lugs as well, for added durability.
Lodowski and Kinder agreed that the Monowear Classic Leather Band felt of “lower quality” and “generic.” It also lacks any stitching.
The Monowear Leather Deployant Band is made of nice leather with clean stitching. Lodowski really liked the clasp, but the pin fell out during our testing (he suggested that it should be threaded, rather than straight, to avoid this issue). The band is also very squeaky where the leather moves against the metal, which could quickly get annoying.
The Monowear Perforated Leather Band is among the narrowest we tested (not necessarily a bad thing). The perforated look may not appeal to as many people as leather without the holes, and none of our experts were excited about the quality of the leather.
The Nomad Modern Band is designed to develop a patina over time, and we saw this to be true as scuffs and marks appeared more quickly than on any other band. There’s a clear line where the pieces are glued together, rather than fused, which makes us wary about long-term durability.
The Barton Watch Bands Leather Band is very basic but inexpensive. There was simply nothing about it that wowed us, and the leather feels a little too smooth.
The Epic Vintage Leather Watch Band feels cheap compared with others we tested, and we were specifically turned off by the thick padding between the band’s layers.
We hoped The Urban Flair’s Solid Earth Tone Apple Watch Band would offer a neutral, vegan leather alternative for those who like the look of real leather, but it certainly won’t fool anyone. We ordered a band that appeared dark brown in photos, and we received a tan version with an unexpectedly metallic finish and a pinkish hue. It’s also thinner than our other faux leather picks.
The Rebecca Minkoff Mesh Bracelet we tested is no longer available, but a similar version without the heart pattern is, and would be fine for special occasions. Instead, you should get the Astra Strap Mesh Band, which is less expensive and extremely similar in look and feel.
The eLander Stainless Steel Strap is a heavy steel band that comes in a variety of colors and is packaged with resizing tools. We prefer the solid segment design and easy adjustment our pick offers. But if you like the look of this one, go with whichever is cheaper—neither has obvious downsides.
The JETech 42mm Stainless Steel Band tapers more than the other bands, a look that doesn’t match the aesthetic of the steel as well, in our opinion. It does come with a resizing tool.
The Monowear Metal Band costs about four times as much as the budget steel models we tested, but it offers no real benefit. We don’t like the contrasting finishes of the outer and inner links as much as the uniform look of the others. And because it lacks a resizing tool, you’d have to visit a jeweler if it doesn’t fit out of the box.
The Casetify Link Bracelet Band is more expensive than comparable models we’ve seen on Amazon (although you get the benefit of buying from a company that likely won’t disappear tomorrow). Our panel didn’t care for the contrasting matte and glossy elements or how aggressively the band tapers.
The Epic Stainless Steel Link Watch Band is a heavy, chunky band (one panel tester called it “beefy”). We like its uniform width and the monochromatic color variants, but we think it’s a little too large for most people.
The Carterjett Nylon NATO Apple Watch Band comes in a variety of colors and stripe patterns, but our testers preferred the stitched edges and overall aesthetics of the Monowear model.
We loved the look of Barton’s Two-Piece NATO Style Band in Retro, and it feels sturdy. But its fabric is stiff and a little scratchy, so it’s not as comfortable to wear as the Cordura and Silicone Hybrid band.
The Monowear Infinite Wave Band is difficult to adjust on your own wrist, and the band becomes baggy with excess fabric when tightened. It’s also not as comfortable as our other picks.
The Barton Watch Bands Elite Silicone is the only silicone band we tested that’s not styled like the Apple Sport Band. Our panel testers were unanimous in preferring Apple’s flat, understated band to the Barton’s diamond-textured pattern.
Groove Life’s Apple Watch Band is one of the most comfortable bands we tested. It’s soft, handsome, and lightweight, but it’s ever-so-slightly heavier than the Otterbox band, and it’s a bit more expensive. Still, we think it’s a great choice if the Otterbox band is unavailable or if you like Groove Life’s color selection more.
The Coach Ceramic Band was $175 at the time of writing, but it looks and feels like cheap plastic. It’s also available only for the 38 mm / 40 mm / 41 mm Apple Watches.
The Braxley Band comes in a ton of funky colors and patterns. But its band sizes run uncomfortably small on purpose, and they are especially unaccommodating to those with wrists larger than 7 inches in circumference. We don’t think you should have to cut off your circulation to break in a watch band, and the stitching and tailoring on this one look cheap.
The Luvvitt Apple Watch Adapter seems more convenient than the Barton on its face but doesn’t work as well in practice. The adapter comes packed with a tiny screwdriver for installation and removal, eliminating the need for a separate pressure-bar tool. But in our testing, the screwdriver became stripped almost instantly, rendering it useless. And the screws are so small that even a common eyeglass screwdriver was too large to use as a replacement.
Jack Forster, editor in chief of Hodinkee, in-person interview, September 15, 2017
Ashley Kinder, manager at Hodinkee Shop, in-person interview, September 15, 2017
Thomas Lodowski, watchmaker at Manhattan Time Service, in-person interview, September 14, 2017
Haley Perry is an associate staff writer at Wirecutter covering video games and technology. She used to review video games full-time, and she’s also a big fan of mezcal. If you get enough in her, she may just admit that she still plays The Sims ... a lot.
Nick Guy is a former senior staff writer covering Apple and accessories at Wirecutter. He has been reviewing iPhones, iPads, and related tech since 2011—and stopped counting after he tested his 1,000th case. It’s impossible for him not to mentally catalog any case he sees. He once had the bright idea to build and burn down a room to test fireproof safes.
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