Monowear Stainless Steel Band Arrived - Pics Inside!

[JuNxXxReY]

I was a Kickstarter backer and my stainless steel link band from Monowear arrived today. Here are my first reactions:

• Band is lighter than I expected; it's about as light as Apple's SS band.
• Be careful opening package because there is a pin inside that can easily get lost.
• The clasp slid in nice and smooth. It's locked on tight, and I'm not afraid of it coming off.
• Adjusting is definitely not as easy as Apple's SS links, but was able to adjust it using a watch kit I got from Amazon.
• "Lug" is not polished like the SS watch. It's more like brushed SS.
• Going to return my Apple SS band and keeping this one. Save me a few hundred dollars.

 

[wanderfowl]

Thanks for the review. Any pictures on the wrist? Fully assembled? Glad I placed my order, and may I have a watch for when it arrives

 

[JuNxXxReY]

Thanks for the review. Any pictures on the wrist? Fully assembled? Glad I placed my order, and may I have a watch for when it arrives

Please excuse my hairy arms.

 

[wanderfowl]

Please excuse my hairy arms.

As a fellow yeti, it just adds to the realism. Thanks!

 

[largefarrva]

Damn, that is pretty sharp looking. I'll have to order one whenever they become available.

Where did you order it from? Monowear's website or through Amazon? I noticed tonight that all of Monowear's bands are showing unavailable on Amazon now. I had to go through my search history to find the pages....it appears Monowear might have pulled their product pages. I hope it's just because of the QC issues reported with their initial batch of watch bands.

 

[JuNxXxReY]

View attachment 552326

Damn, that is pretty sharp looking. I'll have to order one whenever they become available.

Where did you order it from? Monowear's website or through Amazon? I noticed tonight that all of Monowear's bands are showing unavailable on Amazon now. I had to go through my search history to find the pages....it appears Monowear might have pulled their product pages. I hope it's just because of the QC issues reported with their initial batch of watch bands.

Thanks! I ordered back when they had their Kickstarter campaign. I think it was $80 then. Too bad Monowear doesn't sell just the lug because the band is basically those cheap 22mm eBay bands with their Monowear logo. It is held together by pins like most watches. Once you order, you can basically put a 22mm band of your choice. The lug isn't the same style as the classic band lug that people are using a pentalobe screwdriver to remove. Here's a picture of the other side of the Watch and pin:

 

[shox2k2]

That looks very nice.

 

[DeepStuff]

I do like the adapter, it's the best design for a link band. I wish it had a bit more of a finished look. When I get mine I will be switching out the band.

I wish they would hurry and drop it off at UPS I'm tired of seeing Ready for UPS.

Thanks for posting the pics.

 

[Batnight]

View attachment 552326

Thanks! I ordered back when they had their Kickstarter campaign. I think it was $80 then. Too bad Monowear doesn't sell just the lug because the band is basically those cheap 22mm eBay bands with their Monowear logo. It is held together by pins like most watches. Once you order, you can basically put a 22mm band of your choice. The lug isn't the same style as the classic band lug that people are using a pentalobe screwdriver to remove. Here's a picture of the other side of the Watch and pin:

So sad to hear that not selling it on Amazon, can we order from the Monowear website for now?

 

[JuNxXxReY]

I do like the adapter, it's the best design for a link band. I wish it had a bit more of a finished look. When I get mine I will be switching out the band.

I wish they would hurry and drop it off at UPS I'm tired of seeing Ready for UPS.

Thanks for posting the pics.

I agree with you also. The finished look would be a great option. I didn't receive a UPS notification from Monowear; It just arrived unexpectedly.

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So sad to hear that not selling it on Amazon, can we order from the Monowear website for now?

Looks like you can "Pre-order" on their site. Expected ship date is May 18th.
http://www.monoweardesign.com/shop/

Hope this helps.

 

[JuNxXxReY]

Nice pics! Perfect match the the SS Watch casing!

Thanks! It doesn't match the SS watch casing perfectly as it's not polished; It's more like brushed stainless steel.

 

[JuNxXxReY]

It looks really good in your pictures, yea maybe you are right as you can see it in reality.

I don't mind that it's not polished; Apple's SS link band connector isn't polished either.

 

[eprisencc]

Doesn't look half bad with the aluminum sport either.

 

[Time Less]

ImageImageImageImage

Doesn't look half bad with the aluminum sport either.

Nice! I was wondering what it'll look like with a sport. I think it changes the appearance of the watch completely.

 

[iBlazed]

I'm really not digging how elongated that adapter makes the watch look.

 

[Che Castro]

Post a picture of both mono wear and apple link band together

 

[JuNxXxReY]

Post a picture of both mono wear and apple link band together

Here you go:

 

[wanderfowl]

Are there any aspects to Apple's band that you'll miss, when you return it?

 

[JuNxXxReY]

Are there any aspects to Apple's band that you'll miss, when you return it?

None that I can think of right now. When I ordered Apple's SS band, it was the only SS other than black that was available. No one really knew for sure if 3rd party bands would work. I went ahead and took the plunge since I wasn't a fan of leather or silicone bands. One thing that did bug me about Apple's SS band was that I had to clasp two sides down when I put it on. Also, sometimes Apple's SS wouldn't clip on the first time. Definitely not going to miss it. Hope this helps.

 

[jwilson25]

I do like the adapter, it's the best design for a link band. I wish it had a bit more of a finished look. When I get mine I will be switching out the band.

I wish they would hurry and drop it off at UPS I'm tired of seeing Ready for UPS.

Thanks for posting the pics.

I'm in the same boat, been sitting at label created for 2 days...

 

[loyalist]

Thanks for posting! That looks very clean and amazing. I want one!

 

[papaduxx]

Here you go:

I am on the fence about getting the apple link band but am just having a tough time justifying the $450 price on a fist gen product. if i had some sort assurance that apple was keeping the design and could guarantee me that i will be able to use the band on the 2nd apple watch i think I would feel easier about the purchase. I just have a couple questions for you if you don't mind answering

How is it holding up so far? Do you miss any aspects of the Apple link band yet? Do you think the 3rd party offering are worth holding off on getting the apple link band?

I appreciate your input and/or anyone else who can help out

 

[JuNxXxReY]

I have found that Apple's SS link did scratch easily. I wore it for about two days, and already noticed scratches at the clasps. I understand that SS does scratch, but at $450, it did matter a lot more. One thing I do miss is how easily it is to adjust. I've been running with my watch and having only the Monowear and Apple link bands available, I've been using the Apple SS link because I can make it tighter by easily removing a link when I had to run. This should just be a temporary hassle because my sport band is coming in tomorrow. I did an exchange by calling customer service. I'll be returning the Apple link band on Monday as soon as the sports band comes in. I've attached a picture of the scratches on Apple's SS link.

I'd suggest getting both the Apple SS link and a 3rd party link. Make your decision after you've used both for a few days. Apple does give you a 14 day return window. Return policies on 3rd party links vary, but it doesn't cost as much. If you can't return it, it's always good to have an extra band as a backup. I know if I never used Apple's SS link myself, I'd always be wondering if I made the best decision. Since I have used both, the best decision for me was to return Apple's link and keep my 3rd party band. With the money I saved, I was able to try out order other 3rd part bands.

 

[JuNxXxReY]

Here is a picture of Monowear's clasp after I've been using it for a few days. Less scratches and even if it does scratch, it's not going to hurt the pockets as much.

 

[papaduxx]

I have found that Apple's SS link did scratch easily. I wore it for about two days, and already noticed scratches at the clasps. I understand that SS does scratch, but at $450, it did matter a lot more. One thing I do miss is how easily it is to adjust. I've been running with my watch and having only the Monowear and Apple link bands available, I've been using the Apple SS link because I can make it tighter by easily removing a link when I had to run. This should just be a temporary hassle because my sport band is coming in tomorrow. I did an exchange by calling customer service. I'll be returning the Apple link band on Monday as soon as the sports band comes in. I've attached a picture of the scratches on Apple's SS link.

I'd suggest getting both the Apple SS link and a 3rd party link. Make your decision after you've used both for a few days. Apple does give you a 14 day return window. Return policies on 3rd party links vary, but it doesn't cost as much. If you can't return it, it's always good to have an extra band as a backup. I know if I never used Apple's SS link myself, I'd always be wondering if I made the best decision. Since I have used both, the best decision for me was to return Apple's link and keep my 3rd party band. With the money I saved, I was able to try out order other 3rd part bands.

Thank you so much for your response, that is alot of scratching from the apple link band. That actually make me a little nervous and disappointed that would happen after a couple weeks of use, I wonder how it would look after a 6months or a year. Did this happen with normal usage?

The only thing about ordering the band separately is that my apple care would not cover the band for accidental incidents. Apple confirmed that a $79 service fee and 1 of 2 incidents would be used, however I am not sure if scratching like your picture would be considered an incident. I have had my tag for a couple years and haven't really ran into a situation where it "broke" under normal usage so why would the link band.

Like you said with the 3rd party band its not a Huge cost so replacing it is not a big hit to you wallet and would almost equal apples incident fee ($79). As far as aesthetic, how would you rate the look and feel or the Monowear band vs the apple link band. Does it look just as good, or is there a noticeable quality difference?

Sorry for all the questions and thank you for taking the time to answer them.