Space black link bracelet quality?

[David R]

I was getting ready to order th Apple space black link bracelet but before doing that, I took a quick look at the replies and most of them say that the finish wears off after a few months of regular use?

Has that been your experience? Do you have any pictures showing how it looks after a few months?

I have no problem paying the asking price, but for that amount, I’d expect a quality band.

Thank you in advance for any comments or pictures to help me decide.

 

[44267547]

I was getting ready to order th Apple space black link bracelet but before doing that, I took a quick look at the replies and most of them say that the finish wears off after a few months of regular use?

Has that been your experience? Do you have any pictures showing how it looks after a few months?

I have no problem paying the asking price, but for that amount, I’d expect a quality band.

Thank you in advance for any comments or pictures to help me decide.

I have had my stainless steel Black link bracelet for over two years and it _still_ looks in excellent condition. It also has a diamond like carbon coating on it, which helps to prevent scratches. Obviously being a black bracelet, it will show some scuffs or minor scratches pending usage, but generally I don’t have any type of excessive wear or defects with mine.

 

[Nathan King]

The bracelet is of high quality, and I haven't had any finish wear on mine yet despite daily usage. I do switch to a Nike band when I go to the gym though. I rubbed the band against a locker once, which left what looked to be a mark. It turns out the band had just rubbed off some of the locker's finish and was completely unharmed. That 316L alloy is hard!

 

[Pug72]

Had mine since launch of Series 0 and it's now on it's 3rd watch.

Spotless.

 

[radiohead1075]

I was getting ready to order th Apple space black link bracelet but before doing that, I took a quick look at the replies and most of them say that the finish wears off after a few months of regular use?

Has that been your experience? Do you have any pictures showing how it looks after a few months?

I have no problem paying the asking price, but for that amount, I’d expect a quality band.

Thank you in advance for any comments or pictures to help me decide.

I love the link bracelet. With that said, mine has a few parts where the black coating has worn off revealing the shiny silver underneath. It’s on the bottom of the bracelet, so not highly visible, but still bugs me a bit! And unfortunately the links with the wear marks are not replaceable. I can upload a photo later.

And to note, I recently upgraded my S0, which I had since launch and the screen and case are near flawless. Just making the point that I do not treat the watch harshly!

 

[MFDoom]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I recently picked up this link bracelet used from eBay and my bracelet looks more grey than black. Is this normal or just my lighting

 

[jschu22]

Couple of notes- Anyone who’s band shows considerable wear in a short period of time has likely been really, really hard on the band or... they have a fake. Same would apply to one that has faded. DLC is incredibly strong, arguably the strongest finish in a consumer product. Pistol barrels that have been DLC’d look brand new after hundreds of rounds through them and that’s a much harsher environment than daily wear of a watch.

That said the band has a slight dark grey look more than true black in direct light.

 

[Strangedream]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I recently picked up this link bracelet used from eBay and my bracelet looks more grey than black. Is this normal or just my lighting

Yes it depends on the lighting, it can be very very dark gray under bright and direct sunlight to very dark under an office light

 

[Jordan921]

Damn I was thinking about getting one for my space black series 4 but them things is expensive.

 

[MFDoom]

Damn I was thinking about getting one for my space black series 4 but them things is expensive.

for what it’s worth I had a positive experience with ChargerStore on eBay. No affiliation

 

[danmart]

My original-launch SB link has had pretty much daily wear every since and still looks fantastic. I gifted the watch to my Dad when I bought my second watch and it’s the only strap he uses.

I missed it so much I bought another one for myself!

 

[NickYanakiev]

for what it’s worth I had a positive experience with ChargerStore on eBay. No affiliation

Same. Just go mine and it was spotless.. Removing 3 links per side took me a few minutes. Love the link bracelet so far.

 

[CWallace]

My SB link band is also from Chargerstore and if it is not OEM it might as well be. Was about half the price of Apple retail.

 

[MacDevil7334]

for what it’s worth I had a positive experience with ChargerStore on eBay. No affiliation

Same. Just go mine and it was spotless.. Removing 3 links per side took me a few minutes. Love the link bracelet so far.

My SB link band is also from Chargerstore and if it is not OEM it might as well be. Was about half the price of Apple retail.

How have yours been holding up? Got mine in February and wore it regularly for a little over a month before I started seeing wear in the finish. It’s on a link on the underside of my wrist where my watch commonly rests against my desk or tables. Given how tough the space black finish on my watch itself is, I’m starting to wonder if my band from chargerstore is a fake. Or, if it is genuine, maybe the space black coating was not properly applied and that is why it didn’t pass Apple’s QC. My wear looks similar to an earlier post in this thread. But seeing the finish wear off after only a month seems really fast.

 

[CWallace]

How have yours been holding up?

Mine still looks pristine six months of regular wear in.

 

[NickYanakiev]

No issues here either

 

[danmart]

But seeing the finish wear off after only a month seems really fast.

There’s definitely something wrong there. My two bands (5 yrs and 2yrs ownership - give the older one to my dad) both look better condition than that. The 5 year strap is all my dad uses with his watch, so it has been worn continuously for three years since I gave it to him.

 

[MacDevil7334]

There’s definitely something wrong there. My two bands (5 yrs and 2yrs ownership - give the older one to my dad) both look better condition than that. The 5 year strap is all my dad uses with his watch, so it has been worn continuously for three years since I gave it to him.

Yeah it seems like a lot of wear for just 5-6 weeks regular use. Once I noticed the wear, I have only worn it a few times. And I am not doing anything rough with the band. The most abrasive thing it comes into contact with is a sanded wood table. But that shouldn’t be enough to damage the space black finish.

Ugh I wish I hadn’t fallen so in love with this band. I am seriously considering just shelling out and buying one from Apple. My discovery last week that the company I recently started with has a 10% Apple discount is NOT helping me resist that urge!

 

[danmart]

I liked it so much I bought it twice...

When I originally passed my S0 Watch to my dad I thought I wasn’t bothered about the SB Link, but seeing him wear it all the time reminded me how good it looked so I had to get another one 🤣

 

[MacDevil7334]

I liked it so much I bought it twice...

When I originally passed my S0 Watch to my dad I thought I wasn’t bothered about the SB Link, but seeing him wear it all the time reminded me how good it looked so I had to get another one 🤣

It’s not hard to see why. Such a good looking band! I just wish it didn’t put quite such a dent in my wallet 😆

 

[MacDevil7334]

So I gave in and bought the official Apple band. Interestingly, it is a slightly lighter shade than the band I had gotten from Chargerstore. The pictures make the difference look more dramatic than it actually is in person. I was really skeptical at first. But, the band from Apple is actually a more exact match for the shade of Space Black on the watch and I think it looks better than the darker Chargerstore band after living with it for a few days. The Apple band still reads as black, but the lighter shade highlights the brushed finish better and looks more metallic in general. I put all of my observations in my post in the Chargerstore band thread for those who are interested. Still too early to say if the finish on the Apple band will prove to be more durable than the one I got from Chargerstore. I will definitely be keeping any eye on it.

 

[DaytonSteve]

My black steel link band is from my original Apple Watch. The black is worn off several areas similar as described by others in this forum. QUESTION - Is there a way to restore the black color i.e. taking it to be anodized or something. I've tried 3rd party knock offs but they are all inferior. Hate to spend about $50 for a new one.