3rd Party Strap Adapter - Question re. Little Rubber Pads

[JulesK]

I purchased a great 3rd-party band that has SS adapters that are copies of the Apple OEM SS adapters. Generally very close, but the little black rubber pads on either side of the metal "pin" that clicks into place are made of much softer material (soft rubber) than the OEM adapter (seems like plastic). Anyway, after not much use, the rubber pads have started to rip and tear a bit.

Beyond tightening the fit a bit and perhaps preventing the adapter from making a clicking noise if there's a little play, does anyone have any idea what these rubber pads do? Are they even necessary?

Many thanks in advance.

 

[Qqueenie]

The rubber pads are necessary to keep the fit of the band tight in the watch. Without them, the band can separate more easily from the watch. (You can see this yourself --- try to tug the band out of the watch at a corner that is missing a rubber pad, and you'll see that it's not tightly fitted and appears to come apart from the watch.) There's not a way to fix it that I know of, save to buy a new band.

Consider getting a genuine apple band --- you can buy them second hand at CEX and eBay for less than $20 typically!

 

[JulesK]

Thanks for the reply. The Form Function Form watch band that came with these adaptors is fantastic, so I'll live with the adaptors unless they really cause problems.

I do have a number of genuine Apple bands, including three with the OEM SS adaptors. They actually are no "tighter" than the one that came with the FFF band, although the black pads are actually plastic, and not rubber, so likely more durable. They "pull" equally on the side. I've long ago ceased being obsessive about my Apple Watch, so I can live with it.