Monowear Bands

[Mrawr]

I backed the Monowear Kickstarter in April and just received my black leather band. I have a space gray Apple Watch Sport. Sharing some pictures for anyone who is curious. So far, I'm fairly pleased with it. The leather is stiffer (and maybe cheaper feeling) than I had expected. It's not super different than the black sport band, but I think it makes it look more like a watch and less a fitness tracker.

Also opened the thread for others to share pictures, reviews, etc. of other Monowear bands.

 

[Glene]

I also backed the kick starter deal and got the brown band. Could not be happier, at $80 it's so much more value than the apple classic buckle. Fit is perfect and the band becomes less stiff with a few wears:

 

[sdallnct2]

How is/are adapters? Easy to put other bands on them? How do they match your watch?

I have the Olive Nylon on order, but I'm guessing they are holding up to try to get Apple certified.

 

[Glene]

How is/are adapters? Easy to put other bands on them? How do they match your watch?

I have the Olive Nylon on order, but I'm guessing they are holding up to try to get Apple certified.

The brown above is the stainless adapter the matches fine unles I want to use a magnifying glass.....lol

 

[Mrawr]

How is/are adapters? Easy to put other bands on them? How do they match your watch?

I have the Olive Nylon on order, but I'm guessing they are holding up to try to get Apple certified.

I guess they were having trouble with yield and quality from the manufacturer but it sounds like they're close to having that sorted out.

Fit is near perfect. Color of the space gray adapter is slightly darker than the casing, but hardly noticeable. Bracket that the leather band attaches to is closer in color to the watch casing, but slightly shinier. Looks nice, IMO.

Haven't tried using the adapter with a different watch band. Looks like it would be fairly simple with a tiny screwdriver.

 

[Glene]

I guess they were having trouble with yield and quality from the manufacturer but it sounds like they're close to having that sorted out.

Fit is near perfect. Color of the space gray adapter is slightly darker than the casing, but hardly noticeable. Bracket that the leather band attaches to is closer in color to the watch casing, but slightly shinier. Looks nice, IMO.

Haven't tried using the adapter with a different watch band. Looks like it would be fairly simple with a tiny screwdriver.

Agreed, I looked at a few of my high end bands on my omegas and breitling and where they attach to the adapter, they simply are not wide enuf, they would leave a lot of the adapter bar showing. The Apple bands really widen quickly at the attach point.

 

[sdallnct2]

Do these adapters take a 22 or 24mm band?

The Click adapters are 22mm but evidently some the eBay adapters are 24mm.

I think some leather bands look nice w/a bit of the bar showing. But on sport type bands and even metal that I've seen, I prefer not seeing the bar. I think it looks more integrated that way.

 

[iBlazed]

I also backed the kick starter deal and got the brown band. Could not be happier, at $80 it's so much more value than the apple classic buckle.

$80?!?!

I must say, that's still a lot. I paid $26 on Amazon for my USAMS band which is basically identical to the band in the OP. Received it in 2 days and have the peace of mind of returnability through amazon prime.

 

[timothyjay]

Stainless Steel + Poppy Red Band

I got my Stainless Steel and Poppy Red Leather Band from Monowear last week but have really enjoyed the sport band (white) that my 42mm SS watch came with and haven't put the Monowear together yet.

I do like the quality of the stainless steel band, and will compare it to the Hoco one I ordered as well.

For the leather, while the quality of the band itself is great, I'm a little unsure about the color. I was hoping for a more red color as their website/Kickstarter photo posted, but it was more of a duller burgundy. Indoors it look more like brown, while out in the sun it does show a bit of "red".

 

[lirn8]

I got my Stainless Steel and Poppy Red Leather Band from Monowear last week but have really enjoyed the sport band (white) that my 42mm SS watch came with and haven't put the Monowear together yet.

I do like the quality of the stainless steel band, and will compare it to the Hoco one I ordered as well.

For the leather, while the quality of the band itself is great, I'm a little unsure about the color. I was hoping for a more red color as their website/Kickstarter photo posted, but it was more of a duller burgundy. Indoors it look more like brown, while out in the sun it does show a bit of "red".

Looking good
They came with the adapters?
If they did, can one use the adapters with other bands?

 

[wesk702]

I also backed the kick starter deal and got the brown band. Could not be happier, at $80 it's so much more value than the apple classic buckle. Fit is perfect and the band becomes less stiff with a few wears:
Image

That was the one I was debating. You mind posting a few more pics of it from different angles?

 

[timothyjay]

Looking good
They came with the adapters?
If they did, can one use the adapters with other bands?

The bands have built in adapters with each one, which doesn't seem to be removable from the bands.

Attached are photos of the bands on my 42mm SS watch.

 

[robinfosci]

I was a Monowear backer and received my bands in the mail today.

I got the silver metal link, black leather, and olive nylon.

The first to be opened was the metal link band. The band came with some of the matte finish scratched off of one of the adaptors which was disappointing but not the end of the world. I only kept the watch on for about a minute because I wanted to try on the other bands. When I took the metal link band off, a pin fell out of one of the links and the band separated. The band looks good but that really makes me question the quality. I see a lot of posts about the HOCO band and it is probably just as nice for much less $. The one thing that Monowear has on them is a better adaptor design(in my opinion) to go with the metal band.

Monowear has 2 different adaptor styles - one for the metal link and another for the leather and nylon that looks like the Apple one for leather bands. I got the silver matte finish on the adaptors to go with my silver sport watch and the adaptor color is much darker than the watch - not really close at all. The one nice thing is that the adaptors are a matte finish and not shiny stainless.

Next up I tried on the black leather band. I am no leather band expert but it just feels kind of cheap to me and seems like something you would get on Amazon or Ebay for $20-$30 with the adaptor included.

Last up was the nylon band. This is the cheapest of the Monowear bands and probably my favorite. It just seems to have the best overall quality and I have not seen anything like it elsewhere(probably out there somewhere though).

I got in early on the kickstarter before other 3rd party bands were really out there. Had I known what the product would be like, I probably would have waited and bought cheaper bands that would be very similar in quality. A lot of comments on kickstarter are people gushing about how great the bands are. Not fair of me to judge but part of me feels like they are just trying to feel better about the $ they spent. I really think Monowear is going to have a tough time getting the prices they are asking for in the long run - the quality is just not there to justify the premium.

 

[timothyjay]

I feel the same way regarding waiting had I known other 3rd party bands would come out so much quicker.

After seeing HOCO's steel bands and leather options as well as their pricing, I would've been able to get more for my $140 pledge.

However, I don't want to knock on Monowear too much as my mindset then was comparing the $140 investment for 2 bands to Apple's own link and leather at a fraction of the cost.

All in all, I'm happy with my Monowear steel band and would probably alternate with that and HOCO's for a more sophisticated occasion. The Poppy Red band might not see much usage.

I was a Monowear backer and received my bands in the mail today.

I got the silver metal link, black leather, and olive nylon.

The first to be opened was the metal link band. The band came with some of the matte finish scratched off of one of the adaptors which was disappointing but not the end of the world. I only kept the watch on for about a minute because I wanted to try on the other bands. When I took the metal link band off, a pin fell out of one of the links and the band separated. The band looks good but that really makes me question the quality. I see a lot of posts about the HOCO band and it is probably just as nice for much less $. The one thing that Monowear has on them is a better adaptor design(in my opinion) to go with the metal band.

Monowear has 2 different adaptor styles - one for the metal link and another for the leather and nylon that looks like the Apple one for leather bands. I got the silver matte finish on the adaptors to go with my silver sport watch and the adaptor color is much darker than the watch - not really close at all. The one nice thing is that the adaptors are a matte finish and not shiny stainless.

Next up I tried on the black leather band. I am no leather band expert but it just feels kind of cheap to me and seems like something you would get on Amazon or Ebay for $20-$30 with the adaptor included.

Last up was the nylon band. This is the cheapest of the Monowear bands and probably my favorite. It just seems to have the best overall quality and I have not seen anything like it elsewhere(probably out there somewhere though).

I got in early on the kickstarter before other 3rd party bands were really out there. Had I known what the product would be like, I probably would have waited and bought cheaper bands that would be very similar in quality. A lot of comments on kickstarter are people gushing about how great the bands are. Not fair of me to judge but part of me feels like they are just trying to feel better about the $ they spent. I really think Monowear is going to have a tough time getting the prices they are asking for in the long run - the quality is just not there to justify the premium.

 

[robinfosci]

I too at the time saw this as a way to get a metal band and a few others for much cheaper than the Apple alternatives so thinking about it that way again makes me feel a little better!

Monowear was the first kickstarter that I participated in and I think they handled themselves well throughout the process.

That being said, now that the excitement of backing them has worn off and I got my $180 worth of bands I am not all that happy with them. It's not the end of the world or anything - just figured I would throw my opinion out there for anyone interested.

Has anyone seen the silicon sport bands on eBay that ship from NJ for $15.99? Pics are clear Apple rip offs so not sure what their product really looks like. Wondering if anyone has ordered one and is happy with it.

 

[lirn8]

I was ready to click the check out on Monowear band but after reading this reviews it won't happen...
It's really important to me that the adapters color will match the stainless steel apple watch

 

[Glene]

I was ready to click the check out on Monowear band but after reading this reviews it won't happen...
It's really important to me that the adapters color will match the stainless steel apple watch

Don't buy anything until you see it but my adapters match the stainless case exactly. They have stopped selling due to variances in product they are receiving for this very reason. It is a rediculous to think that ALL of us that like the product are saying we like it to justify our purchase, I certainly would not do that, my brown band is high quality, having compared the product to the other high end watches I own from Rolex, breitling and omega. Wait it out and let's see what mid June brings, the date they start shipping again.

 

[oftheheavens]

I was a Monowear backer and received my bands in the mail today.

I got the silver metal link, black leather, and olive nylon.

The first to be opened was the metal link band. The band came with some of the matte finish scratched off of one of the adaptors which was disappointing but not the end of the world. I only kept the watch on for about a minute because I wanted to try on the other bands. When I took the metal link band off, a pin fell out of one of the links and the band separated. The band looks good but that really makes me question the quality. I see a lot of posts about the HOCO band and it is probably just as nice for much less $. The one thing that Monowear has on them is a better adaptor design(in my opinion) to go with the metal band.

Monowear has 2 different adaptor styles - one for the metal link and another for the leather and nylon that looks like the Apple one for leather bands. I got the silver matte finish on the adaptors to go with my silver sport watch and the adaptor color is much darker than the watch - not really close at all. The one nice thing is that the adaptors are a matte finish and not shiny stainless.

Next up I tried on the black leather band. I am no leather band expert but it just feels kind of cheap to me and seems like something you would get on Amazon or Ebay for $20-$30 with the adaptor included.

Last up was the nylon band. This is the cheapest of the Monowear bands and probably my favorite. It just seems to have the best overall quality and I have not seen anything like it elsewhere(probably out there somewhere though).

I got in early on the kickstarter before other 3rd party bands were really out there. Had I known what the product would be like, I probably would have waited and bought cheaper bands that would be very similar in quality. A lot of comments on kickstarter are people gushing about how great the bands are. Not fair of me to judge but part of me feels like they are just trying to feel better about the $ they spent. I really think Monowear is going to have a tough time getting the prices they are asking for in the long run - the quality is just not there to justify the premium.

I have no proof to back this 100% but monowear looks to be selling the same bands as other companies just with their logo. If you look at the ones that click is offering they are nearly identical. I have a feeling that all these companies are sourcing the bands from identical manufacturers in China and slapping their logo (or not) on it. Monowear seems to have just tried to capitalize on the fact that they were one of the first ones to have multiple bands with adaptors ready to ship. Unfortunately, as you and others have posted the adaptors and the bands are all falling apart from monowear.

 

[linhromrom]

I have no proof to back this 100% but monowear looks to be selling the same bands as other companies just with their logo. If you look at the ones that click is offering they are nearly identical. I have a feeling that all these companies are sourcing the bands from identical manufacturers in China and slapping their logo (or not) on it. Monowear seems to have just tried to capitalize on the fact that they were one of the first ones to have multiple bands with adaptors ready to ship. Unfortunately, as you and others have posted the adaptors and the bands are all falling apart from monowear.

i have to agree with you on this. The band they use is exactly the same as those 6$ stainless steel band you can get from ebay/aliexpress for Moto 360. Sometimes those are 10$, depends on what your search coming up with. I've seen these for years so Im quite familiar.

The only difference i can see is that they put the logo onto the band claps, Other than that, the links, the claps, everything looks exactly the same sadly.

 

[sdallnct2]

i have to agree with you on this. The band they use is exactly the same as those 6$ stainless steel band you can get from ebay/aliexpress for Moto 360. Sometimes those are 10$, depends on what your search coming up with. I've seen these for years so Im quite familiar.

The only difference i can see is that they put the logo onto the band claps, Other than that, the links, the claps, everything looks exactly the same sadly.

This is why I have no real interest in these bands. I just want quality adapters that fit and look good on my SG Sport. There are plenty of quality watch bands out there already. Especially sport bands, leather, nylon even links, etc. these have been used on watches more expensive than Apple Watch. Just need a way to get them on AW and looking good on AW.

 

[Apfpilot]

I have no proof to back this 100% but monowear looks to be selling the same bands as other companies just with their logo. If you look at the ones that click is offering they are nearly identical. I have a feeling that all these companies are sourcing the bands from identical manufacturers in China and slapping their logo (or not) on it. Monowear seems to have just tried to capitalize on the fact that they were one of the first ones to have multiple bands with adaptors ready to ship. Unfortunately, as you and others have posted the adaptors and the bands are all falling apart from monowear.

That's pretty much what everyone is doing at this point. Design an adapter and have it manufactured in china and attached to some cheap bands available on alibaba OR just source both from alibaba and put your own label and packaging on it. Not that this is too different from what the other major manufacturers that make apple accessories will be doing once they become part of the apple approved process BUT at least there will be one more step of quality control on what they are offering.

 

[jmmo20]

can you guys post some pics?
I'm quite disappointed to read about the quality of the leather bands.. they do look very sturdy on their website.

 

[timothyjay]

can you guys post some pics?
I'm quite disappointed to read about the quality of the leather bands.. they do look very sturdy on their website.

Here's some of mine.

 

[jmmo20]

Here's some of mine.

thanks. It does indeed look much better than the cheap one I bought off amazon. Let's see if it lives up to my expectations.

 

[timothyjay]

Comparing Moto 360 vs Pebble vs Monowear

I pulled some of my old smart watch bands (Moto 360, Pebble and Monowear) to compare and my thoughts are:

Moto 360 and Monowear seem to be similar in quality and thickness. The 360 appear to be softer, but that's probably because it has actually been used more than my Monowear.

Pebble's band has detailed stitching and probably the softest amongst the three bands.

I'm not a professional in reviewing leather, but based on my personal preference, comfort-wise, I would give it to Pebble. BUT, personal preference in which looks best would probably be a tie between Moto 360 and Monowear.