The Great "Third Party Band/Strap" Thread

[batristain]

I was on job travelling, so sorry for my late response ;(. At this seller I purchased the band that costs arround 129 $
https://www.etsy.com/shop/BlackForestAtelier
https://www.etsy.com/listing/262238310/special-edition-sakura-silver-pendants?ref=shop_home_active_8

I have purchased 2 of AW band for me and for my husband at this seller. I and my husband love his bands very much because of their unique look, so different to other sellers.

Hop you all find the nice ones

Cheers,

Monika

Thank you for posting that link....yes I like that price better

Cheers,
B

 

[Jvjlite]

Thank you for posting that link....yes I like that price better

Cheers,
B

I just got in touch w/the seller. The difference between the two bands is that the less expensive band is silver plated, while the more expensive is sterling silver. They look very similar to me! Oh...and I changed my order to the silver plated & received a refund for the difference!

 

[PackyP]

Got my yellow Moko sport band in today. Loving it.

 

[MonikaFrellstedt]

I just got in touch w/the seller. The difference between the two bands is that the less expensive band is silver plated, while the more expensive is sterling silver. They look very similar to me! Oh...and I changed my order to the silver plated & received a refund for the difference!

Yes, they also look similar to me , another reason that the seller I have had purchase seems having a long time on Etsy and received many comments from the buyers

 

[///M Powah]

Here are all my bands as of March 24th, 2016. I will be doing a brief review tomorrow of all my new bands I ordered. Also, I ordered another new band, so I will be updating the new band too.

All Sports bands, Milianese Loop, and Leather Loop are OEM bands.
All other bands are aftermarket but very great quality!

 

[///M Powah]

Any JISONCASE fans here? Lol....

I prefer my Pad & Quill British Tan band as posted above your post.

 

[TorontoSS]

Here are all my bands as of March 24th, 2016. I will be doing a brief review tomorrow of all my new bands I ordered. Also, I ordered another new band, so I will be updating the new band too.

All Sports bands, Milianese Loop, and Leather Loop are OEM bands.
All other bands are aftermarket but very great quality!

The blue and red leather ones on the right look so close to the real ones. Looking forward to those reviews - and where you got them.

 

[///M Powah]

The blue and red leather ones on the right look so close to the real ones. Looking forward to those reviews - and where you got them.

Due to low signal in my area as the technicians are working to restore the service, I will not be able to post a brief review but I will post the review once my internet is stable.

I also ordered two replicas of Hermes Bands (Black and Brown) and INSTINCTION Phoenix Grey Stainless Steel Leather Band. I will be posting a review of those three bands as well when it arrives.

 

[matt_on_a_mtn]

What's the current best option for a 1:1 stainless link bracelet? I've seen several on Amazon and Ebay with various price points - are they all essentially coming from the same source, or is one better than the others?

 

[xDKP]

What's the current best option for a 1:1 stainless link bracelet? I've seen several on Amazon and Ebay with various price points - are they all essentially coming from the same source, or is one better than the others?

I have mentioned it a couple of times, but I can still recommend this one: LINK

Bought it about a month ago, and it's just a beautiful and comfortable piece - really been satisfied with it.

 

[lucansmiles]

Thought I'd share this with you guys! Bought an aftermarket Milanese Loop Clone made of stainless steel that shimmers in many different colors from pink to green to blue to yellow and looks really nice. Looks kinda feminine with that pink-ish shimmer but I like it! Looks great with a pink watch face! I'm not the best photographer when it comes to my hands and wrists but you get the idea

 

[IphoneIssues]

Thought I'd share this with you guys! Bought an aftermarket Milanese Loop Clone made of stainless steel that shimmers in many different colors from pink to green to blue to yellow and looks really nice. Looks kinda feminine with that pink-ish shimmer but I like it! Looks great with a pink watch face! I'm not the best photographer when it comes to my hands and wrists but you get the idea

View attachment 624090 View attachment 624091 View attachment 624092 View attachment 624093 View attachment 624094

I've seen the multicolor ones online. Is it much darker than what you expected?

 

[///M Powah]

The long awaited review! I have not reviewed my OEM bands because this thread is for third party bands only, so let's get this started. All bands will be stiff when worn for the first time except for the Ceramic band because it's not leather.

Pictures are uploaded at imgur since I can't upload all of my pictures here. http://imgur.com/a/6oTy0

Nubock Black and Blue Leather Bands ($24.99 - $28.99): It feels very luxurious with the suede feeling but the big buckle adds a nice touch to the band. The leather of the bands are thick but not thicker than INSTINCTION Leather band.

Black: http://www.amazon.com/Emisoon-Sport...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00

Blue: http://www.amazon.com/Parihy®-Genuine-Leather-Include-Connection/dp/B016EXXDOG?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00

INSTINCTION Phoenix Grey Leather Band ($69.99): I received this band today and all i have to say is wow! The leather is very thick and the quality feels very nice. Words cannot describe this band!

http://www.instinction.com/collections/apple-watch-bands/products/phoenix-grey?variant=15024761799

Pad & Quill British Tan Leather Band ($99.99): Very classy looking band and feels comfortable for the right price. It really compliments with my 42mm Stainless Steel Apple watch.

http://www.padandquill.com/apple-watch-accessories/classic-leather-band-for-apple-watch.html

Replica of Hermes Bands by Kartice *Genuine Leather* ( $34.99) (Brown, Blue, and Orange Red) Still waiting for Black one *Will be updated when it arrives* : These leather bands are really thin compared to my Nubock Bands and my White Alligator Leather band but it feels very comfortable when worn. Some people might mistake for Hermes Watch than the normal Apple Watch, but overall I highly recommend these bands!

Black: http://www.amazon.com/Kartice-Genui...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

Brown: http://www.amazon.com/Kartice-Genui...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

Blue: http://www.amazon.com/Kartice-Genui...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

Orange Red: http://www.amazon.com/Kartice-Genui...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

Ceramic White Band by Kartice ($53.99): Really nice Ceramic band and I never seen any bands that comes close to looking good as this band. Really easy to remove links and feels comfortable when worn for casual or formal.

http://www.amazon.com/Kartice-Brace...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00

White Alligator Pattern Leather Band by Valkit ($29.99): The band itself feels very nice and luxurious but after wearing it for 3 days, the adapters fell out of the band, but I was able to find the screw that attaches to the adapter. If you are going to buy this band then I recommend you to buy another adapter for this band such as LUVVITT Adapter from Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Valkit-Alliga...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00

SONAMU New York Red Caviar Italian Leather Band ($119.99): This band is really a nice band and It meets my expectations especially for $119.99. Very nice quality leather and this band is really unique because of the butterfly mechanism. Highly Recommended!

http://www.amazon.com/Automatic-Sta...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00

My next bands in the future:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BXR38ZW...lid=1LHYALM8XBJZB&coliid=I33GQIWF3XEIT0&psc=1

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01279TNXG...lid=1LHYALM8XBJZB&coliid=I2UB6E308XFTEE&psc=1

I hope you enjoyed this review!

 

[xDKP]

The long awaited review! I have not reviewed my OEM bands because this thread is for third party bands only, so let's get this started. All bands will be stiff when worn for the first time except for the Ceramic band because it's not leather.

Pictures are uploaded at imgur since I can't upload all of my pictures here. http://imgur.com/a/6oTy0

Nubock Black and Blue Leather Bands ($24.99 - $28.99): It feels very luxurious with the suede feeling but the big buckle adds a nice touch to the band. The leather of the bands are thick but not thicker than INSTINCTION Leather band.

Black: http://www.amazon.com/Emisoon-Sport...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00

Blue: http://www.amazon.com/Parihy®-Genuine-Leather-Include-Connection/dp/B016EXXDOG?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00

INSTINCTION Phoenix Grey Leather Band ($69.99): I received this band today and all i have to say is wow! The leather is very thick and the quality feels very nice. Words cannot describe this band!

http://www.instinction.com/collections/apple-watch-bands/products/phoenix-grey?variant=15024761799

Pad & Quill British Tan Leather Band ($99.99): Very classy looking band and feels comfortable for the right price. It really compliments with my 42mm Stainless Steel Apple watch.

http://www.padandquill.com/apple-watch-accessories/classic-leather-band-for-apple-watch.html

Replica of Hermes Bands by Kartice *Genuine Leather* ( $34.99) (Brown, Blue, and Orange Red) Still waiting for Black one *Will be updated when it arrives* : These leather bands are really thin compared to my Nubock Bands and my White Alligator Leather band but it feels very comfortable when worn. Some people might mistake for Hermes Watch than the normal Apple Watch, but overall I highly recommend these bands!

Black: http://www.amazon.com/Kartice-Genui...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

Brown: http://www.amazon.com/Kartice-Genui...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

Blue: http://www.amazon.com/Kartice-Genui...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

Orange Red: http://www.amazon.com/Kartice-Genui...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

Ceramic White Band by Kartice ($53.99): Really nice Ceramic band and I never seen any bands that comes close to looking good as this band. Really easy to remove links and feels comfortable when worn for casual or formal.

http://www.amazon.com/Kartice-Brace...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00

White Alligator Pattern Leather Band by Valkit ($29.99): The band itself feels very nice and luxurious but after wearing it for 3 days, the adapters fell out of the band, but I was able to find the screw that attaches to the adapter. If you are going to buy this band then I recommend you to buy another adapter for this band such as LUVVITT Adapter from Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Valkit-Alliga...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00

SONAMU New York Red Caviar Italian Leather Band ($119.99): This band is really a nice band and It meets my expectations especially for $119.99. Very nice quality leather and this band is really unique because of the butterfly mechanism. Highly Recommended!

http://www.amazon.com/Automatic-Sta...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00

My next bands in the future:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BXR38ZW...lid=1LHYALM8XBJZB&coliid=I33GQIWF3XEIT0&psc=1

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01279TNXG...lid=1LHYALM8XBJZB&coliid=I2UB6E308XFTEE&psc=1

I hope you enjoyed this review!

Great stuff! I might jump on the Instinction based on your review. Have been looking to buy one for a long time

 

[///M Powah]

Great stuff! I might jump on the Instinction based on your review. Have been looking to buy one for a long time

Thank you! I highly recommend the Instinction band because it's worth every penny . I received the black replica of Hermes band which I will be uploading today.

Edit: Replica of Black Hermes Band.

 

[caligurl]

Thought I'd share this with you guys! Bought an aftermarket Milanese Loop Clone made of stainless steel that shimmers in many different colors from pink to green to blue to yellow and looks really nice. Looks kinda feminine with that pink-ish shimmer but I like it! Looks great with a pink watch face! I'm not the best photographer when it comes to my hands and wrists but you get the idea

View attachment 624090 View attachment 624091 View attachment 624092 View attachment 624093 View attachment 624094

WOW! yours looks great! I ordered this, too but mine is really, really gold looking... AND and ugly dirty looking gold! I was really disappointed! maybe I need to reorder and see if I get a better one? I already planned on returning the one I received because it's so ugly!

 

[lucansmiles]

I've seen the multicolor ones online. Is it much darker than what you expected?

Nope, it's exactly like I expected! Looks very nice in good lighting, however, on the photos I took it looks a bit darker as it is in real life though!

WOW! yours looks great! I ordered this, too but mine is really, really gold looking... AND and ugly dirty looking gold! I was really disappointed! maybe I need to reorder and see if I get a better one? I already planned on returning the one I received because it's so ugly!

Thanks, I love it, too! Hmm I bought the one from MoKo, I was actually surprised by the quality of it. Looks very expensive and has become my favorite watch band I own so far. I'm sorry you were unlucky, maybe you should indeed return it and try a new one if you ordered from MoKo as well. Good luck, you're certainly gonna love it in this pink shimmery color!

EDIT: Could it be that you got a wrong color? The color options for this band at MoKo include a color named "coffee", is that what you got? Maybe the one you got was wrongly packaged?

 

[Dino F]

I think I have found THE ONE steel band which I am gonna stick with!!

A few weeks ago, I was using this band:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Apple-Watch...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00

It was ok, however, I found that that the bracelet was too much on the thin side and far too light in weight - I kinda expected it to be a chunky metal band, but it wasn't. It looks identical to the one posted above by xDKP (post #2960). Its an ok band but I wasn't really happy with it.

On to yesterday, and I ordered one of these:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Luxebell®-Stainless-Wristwatch-Watchband-Protector/dp/B016VSRL38?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00

It arrived today (did a 1 day delivery!) and is exactly what I have been looking for - its nice and heavy, quite chuncky and has a good clasp! A few pics here:

As you can see, its a fairly wide bracelet.

This is the bracelet compared to the first one I linked to :

You can see the difference in thickness between the two bracelets. The one which is off the watch, is basically a carbon copy of Apple's genuine steel bracelet. If I had bought the real deal from Apple, ok, I admit, it may have looked better, however, the actual thickness of the band would have been the same.

The band which is attached to the watch, is the exact thickness I was after so as far as I'm concerned, my search for my perfect band is over!!!

 

[///M Powah]

I think I have found THE ONE steel band which I am gonna stick with!!

A few weeks ago, I was using this band:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Apple-Watch...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00

It was ok, however, I found that that the bracelet was too much on the thin side and far too light in weight - I kinda expected it to be a chunky metal band, but it wasn't. It looks identical to the one posted above by xDKP (post #2960). Its an ok band but I wasn't really happy with it.

On to yesterday, and I ordered one of these:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Luxebell®-Stainless-Wristwatch-Watchband-Protector/dp/B016VSRL38?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00

It arrived today (did a 1 day delivery!) and is exactly what I have been looking for - its nice and heavy, quite chuncky and has a good clasp! A few pics here:

View attachment 624676

View attachment 624677

View attachment 624678

As you can see, its a fairly wide bracelet.

This is the bracelet compared to the first one I linked to :

View attachment 624679

View attachment 624680

You can see the difference in thickness between the two bracelets. The one which is off the watch, is basically a carbon copy of Apple's genuine steel bracelet. If I had bought the real deal from Apple, ok, I admit, it may have looked better, however, the actual thickness of the band would have been the same.

The band which is attached to the watch, is the exact thickness I was after so as far as I'm concerned, my search for my perfect band is over!!!

Nice bracelet! I'm still trying to find an adapter for my Tungsten Link Bracelet because this bracelet is the best bracelet I have ever purchased.

 

[PhillyGuy72]

Nice bracelet! I'm still trying to find an adapter for my Tungsten Link Bracelet because this bracelet is the best bracelet I have ever purchased.

REAL NICE bracelet! Yeah I have few older watches with nice bands, Or I'll see a cheap watch at a store with a nice sturdy decent looking steel band (I'd buy the darn watch for $19.99-25.00..just for the band) but each end is like this. No adapter I've seen that will work..yet.

Lot of these bands we see on Ebay, Amazon..I wish there were stores in the area that sold them. MAYBE they do. Best Buy has some 3rd party bands..eh. I think many of them look like junk and they are way overpriced. Someone mentioned a Pebble bracelet, it looked nice. But it wont fit the AW.

I haven't actually checked but the only thing I can think of would be those small stores you'd find in Chinatown sections of big cities. Not just Chinatown...don't want to single Asians out (You see a lot of these bands and ..well other watches that are not quite Rolex, other high end items coming from China, Hong Kong, etc). But any of those "no name" jewelry stores you'd find in a downtown area.

Sometimes you just want the item in your hand NOW. Not wait 3-5 days, heck...the last band I ordered from Ebay - said it was shipping from NJ - a 7 day delivery. It arrived in 29 days and it sure didn't come from 50 miles east from here. I get impatient when I order something I want ASAP

 

[///M Powah]

REAL NICE bracelet! Yeah I have few older watches with nice bands, Or I'll see a cheap watch at a store with a nice sturdy decent looking steel band (I'd buy the darn watch for $19.99-25.00..just for the band) but each end is like this. No adapter I've seen that will work..yet.

Lot of these bands we see on Ebay, Amazon..I wish there were stores in the area that sold them. MAYBE they do. Best Buy has some 3rd party bands..eh. I think many of them look like junk and they are way overpriced. Someone mentioned a Pebble bracelet, it looked nice. But it wont fit the AW.

I haven't actually checked but the only thing I can think of would be those small stores you'd find in Chinatown sections of big cities. Not just Chinatown...don't want to single Asians out (You see a lot of these bands and ..well other watches that are not quite Rolex, other high end items coming from China, Hong Kong, etc). But any of those "no name" jewelry stores you'd find in a downtown area.

Sometimes you just want the item in your hand NOW. Not wait 3-5 days, heck...the last band I ordered from Ebay - said it was shipping from NJ - a 7 day delivery. It arrived in 29 days and it sure didn't come from 50 miles east from here. I get impatient when I order something I want ASAP

Thank you, and I agree with you. I'm going to order an additional four bands which will be over 1 month for delivery.. I wish the stores have them stock in my area . The problem with this bracelet is that the holes do not fit into the adapter which is disappointing, but maybe someday I will find an adapter that can fit into this bracelet which costed $165 total.

 

[nicho]

Thank you, and I agree with you. I'm going to order an additional four bands which will be over 1 month for delivery.. I wish the stores have them stock in my area . The problem with this bracelet is that the holes do not fit into the adapter which is disappointing, but maybe someday I will find an adapter that can fit into this bracelet which costed $165 total.

I'm pretty sure that bracelet is designed for a specific watch. You'll never find an adapter that works perfectly because of that gap at the top - you're trying to fit a square peg in a round hole (well in this case the other way around I guess).

Have you tried a springbar type adaptor rather than a "classic buckle" style? They have thinner pins which may fit. But either will still look awful around the connector.

 

[///M Powah]

I'm pretty sure that bracelet is designed for a specific watch. You'll never find an adapter that works perfectly because of that gap at the top - you're trying to fit a square peg in a round hole (well in this case the other way around I guess).

Have you tried a springbar type adaptor rather than a "classic buckle" style? They have thinner pins which may fit. But either will still look awful around the connector.

I did try the springbar type adapters but the spring bars won't fit into the holes.. Anyway, I bought few bands and here they are. Just waiting for the shipment .

 

[nicho]

I did try the springbar type adapters but the spring bars won't fit into the holes.. Anyway, I bought few bands and here they are. Just waiting for the shipment .

Either a) it requires special springbars (two small ones?) or b) you could try thinner springbars than came with your adaptors (some of them come with fairy meaty ones).

 

[///M Powah]

Either a) it requires special springbars (two small ones?) or b) you could try thinner springbars than came with your adaptors (some of them come with fairy meaty ones).

I purchased these springbar adapters but it won't fit.

http://www.amazon.com/Adapter-Conne...89544&sr=8-1&keywords=Apple+watch+adapter+kit