The Great "Third Party Band/Strap" Thread

[lg251]

CarlJ, I like the perforated bands. The yellow/black looks good. What's the underside like?

lg251, here's some quick pics of the SS shark mesh band with the classic adapter partially mounted. I doubt there would be a problem using the spring pin adapter. How to answer the classic band adapter style? At first I couldn't insert the tube into the end, tight and didn't want to push it. Then I decided to try the other side and it slipped easily in. Here's a couple of close up pics of the adapter ends. The way the band connector end is partially open--not touching the band on one side, I'm thinking if the connector end was a bit tight, it could probably be opened up a bit more to fit the adapter. Could be you'd get a band needing no adjustment at all, or one that does. I do think even with a 24mm band that there will be a little shifting on the tubes during wear and would wonder if metal on metal wouldn't eventually scape the tubes.

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The first pic shows the band threaded on the adapter (backside). Second, the spacing of the band compared to the tubes (face up). Third, side view of the partially open band connector end. As I mentioned one was an easy slip on.

Amazing great info there! Thanks for your quick reply

 

[Mac2me]

Got a surprise in the mail yesterday! Lost package showed up and my new tungsten band from Android USA. LOVING IT! It's HEAVY

Love the band but somehow there is something so wrong about seeing the name Android on the band.

 

[Armski]

Where did you get the two bands to the right of the apple watch. One is grey and the other is like a stone black band?

They are ClockworkSynergy Bands. midnight blue and black suede!

 

[ReardenMetal]

Yeah, no doubt its a dark navy. After almost a day of wearing it I think I like it. Sometimes the slight space in the lugs with movement makes me feel like I missed a taptic alert though. All have been false alarms.

Overall the new bands have invigorated my interest in the Apple Watch. Feels a little more fun with the new look. Only problem is now I'm already thinking of other colors I might like to get in the future.

No doubt. It starts a chain reaction. I will be adding more straps down the road.

New strap = new software update. It changes and refreshes the watch, even what watch faces you use.

 

[pocky]

Love the band but somehow there is something so wrong about seeing the name Android on the band.

I know.... LOL

 

[CarlJ]

CarlJ, I like the perforated bands and was actually searching for one today. The yellow/black looks good. What's the underside like?

The underside is a fairly complicated molded (cut?) layer, made out of "caoutchouc" (natural rubber, preferred over silicone), with a layer of leather on top. The leather has a very fine clothlike (they say "sailcloth") pattern embossed on it. Between the perforations and all the channels in the rubber, it's quite breathable. Though it's rather more rigid than Apple's sports straps. It's a bit padded near the watch, and tapers in thickness towards the ends, so it's relatively thin/flexible at the buckle.

I have a small handful of Hirsch straps for my analog watch (and I'm waiting for a black/red Hirsch Robby for it) and they are uniformly fabulous. The "Robby" is part of Hirsch's waterproof "Performance" line; it has black "sailcloth patterned" leather over various colors of rubber (red, orange, yellow, blue); the Tiger has various colors of smooth leather over black rubber, and the Ayrton has "carbon fiber patterned" black leather over colored rubber. The three types are otherwise quite similar (there's also the question of buckle color - they're usually silver, I had to order from Watch Obsession in England to get the black buckle, to better match the SGS).

I'm not usually much for yellow, but I had a hunch this would look good, especially with yellow colors on the screen. The black/yellow combo is even a bit more striking in person than in these photos; I quite like it, and am mostly now just disappointed with the current state of adapters (sure, they're sort of okay, but instead of $15 for any of 900 different brands of mediocre adapters all suspiciously the same, I'd gladly pay $40-$50 for a pair of space gray Click-style adapters with drilled lugs that took standard 22mm watch pins - i want it all to feel more secure and close-tolerance and be able to exchange standard 22mm watch bands easily on the same adapters).

 

[CarlJ]

For perforated straps, another one you may find interesting (one of my favorites on my other watch), is the "Rallye" from "Di-Modell". All leather, and the inside layer is nicely soft. It is quite perforated, and also waterproof, though it doesn't have the rubber underlayer or channels of the Hirsch Performance bands (it's also quite a bit less spendy than them). Comes in black, with red, white, or black stitching around the edge. (This is an 18mm version on my Marathon Diver's Medium Quartz, for the Apple Watch you'd probably want 22mm; I don't think they make it in 24mm.)

 

[r0k]

I got a "Rotibox" band on Amazon for $30-ish. The bands change almost daily with regard to which ones are eligible for prime 2 day shipping versus shipping from China and taking weeks. I'm mostly satisfied. It looks more "formal" than my sport band and will serve the purpose of dressing up my space grey Apple watch for those few occasions where I want to dress it up. I find the black sport band to me more comfortable. If I take out another link, the Roti band is too tight. As it is it's a little loose. I was able to find a more "perfect" fit with the Apple band than with the Roti. Would I recommend it? Sure. It's heavier than the watch itself and comes with a link remover tool. I've worn it a few days and have had no problems with it other than it's a little loose (which is better than a little tight). One down side is there is a silver link from the black band to the black watch. This looks a little cheap but I'm not returning it over this minor appearance issue, especially in light of how tricky it is to find one in stock that ships quickly. I'm not that picky but if you are picky about having something silver show up on your otherwise black watch and band, you might want to look at a different model.

 

[zaneliu]

Does anyone here know what band this is?

 

[sdallnct2]

Finally got some third party bands. Figured I would post a few pictures since I've used this forum to figure out which bands I like the most.

I got these two bands from Clockwork Synergy. I ordered them during the July 4th sale which gave a 25% discount, so got them both for under $50. Overall I'm happy with the quality and how they look for the price. I haven't worn them for a day so this is mostly first impressions.

Lugs are good but don't always slide in perfectly. They are also a little more lose than the sports band. Neither of these issues really bother me. From the side, the color is not a perfect match to the space gray aluminum, but haven't really seen any that are perfect. The adapter color does look good when you look down onto the top of the watch.

Nylon is a little stiff at first, especially compared to the sports band which I'm used to. Wrist is slowly getting used to the feeling of the nylon. The end of the nylon strap which goes under the rings is just slightly too long on my wrist and has a sharper/scratchier edge. Wondering if I could file some of that edge down.

Leather feels and smells good. More comfortable then the nylon material on first wear. Only thing i don't care for on the leather band is the size and darkness of the buckle underneath. It matches the aesthetic of the watch (the dark screen), but would like to see a stainless steel version in person.

Nylon Navy Blue with Space Gray Adapter
http://www.clockworksynergy.com/sho...2-piece-navy-blue-watch-band-for-apple-watch/

Vintage Brown Leather
http://www.clockworksynergy.com/sho...her-vintage-brown-watch-band-for-apple-watch/

For the price I would recommend them. If you have any questions let me know.

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I got mine in as well. I got the Distressed Brown and teal nylon.

I like the look of the leather. It has an almost tree bark look. Little different and I like it. Agee good quality and no issues with the adapter.

I'm not as impressed with the nylon. It is way to long for my wrist and I'm not thrilled about the color. I'll likely use the adapter on another band (I will say it is every bit the quality of the the $60 Monowear, so if you like the color or one of the other colors it is a good deal).

 

[ReardenMetal]

I got mine in as well. I got the Distressed Brown and teal nylon.

I like the look of the leather. It has an almost tree bark look. Little different and I like it. Agee good quality and no issues with the adapter.

I'm not as impressed with the nylon. It is way to long for my wrist and I'm not thrilled about the color. I'll likely use the adapter on another band (I will say it is every bit the quality of the the $60 Monowear, so if you like the color or one of the other colors it is a good deal).

My nylon was too long, then I just doubled the tongue back on itself. works well, at least for me. What color did you get?

 

[CarlJ]

Nylon is a little stiff at first, especially compared to the sports band which I'm used to. Wrist is slowly getting used to the feeling of the nylon. The end of the nylon strap which goes under the rings is just slightly too long on my wrist and has a sharper/scratchier edge. Wondering if I could file some of that edge down.

I'm not as impressed with the nylon. It is way to long for my wrist...

My nylon was too long, then I just doubled the tongue back on itself. works well, at least for me.

FWIW, nylon straps like these (with the thick oval rings) are usually called "Zulu" straps (there's also a related style called "NATO" straps), and they're quite popular with watch enthusiasts, especially in warmer weather. The Apple Watch requires the "two-piece" variant (which these are); the original design is one long strip, which threads underneath the watch, which obviously wouldn't work with the Apple Watch's sensors. So, what you are using are 22mm (or 24mm?, not sure) "two-piece Zulu" watch straps (mounted on Apple adapters of course). If you google (or eBay) for that, you can find plenty of other colors and such (and attach them to adapters yourself).

I haven't tried any on my Apple Watch yet, but have a number of them for other watches. They do get softer over time. Some folks wash them before use to speed up the process. The nylon webbing used can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, sometimes even from color to color. Some are a little thicker or thinner, softer or stiffer (and often hard to predict without getting one). They're traditionally very long (in military use they could be worn over bulky clothing or wetsuits) and intended to be folded up under the buckles as ReardenMetal did, but lots of folks (myself included) like to cut them to length (lay a coin over the strap as a pattern for the curve, cut with diagonal-cutting pliers or similar, melt the edge with a lighter to seal the frayed ends, flatten out the still-melted end between two metal surfaces - I use smooth-jawed pliers to squeeze it, and I often file the edge smooth with a glass nail file). Any other scratchy points (often the other end near/underneath the buckle) can be treated similarly (melt, flatten, file).

 

[Javabird]

I got mine in as well. I got the Distressed Brown and teal nylon.

I like the look of the leather. It has an almost tree bark look. Little different and I like it. Agee good quality and no issues with the adapter.

I'm not as impressed with the nylon. It is way to long for my wrist and I'm not thrilled about the color. I'll likely use the adapter on another band (I will say it is every bit the quality of the the $60 Monowear, so if you like the color or one of the other colors it is a good deal).

Can you give the link for the teal nylon band? I looked over their website and couldn't find one in teal.

 

[Advil]

blue hadley roma. thinking about splurging on a blue leather loop from apple.

 

[Jmona]

Hey guys. I bought the 5 pointer band from Hoco and while I absolutely love it, the seller messed up and sent me a 42mm one without the tool so now I'm just getting rid of it because there's no point waiting for it to arrive in China to get a full refund.
I have another two bracelets that I don't need too. If you're interested PM me.
Thanks!

 

[Jmona]

Got a surprise in the mail yesterday! Lost package showed up and my new tungsten band from Android USA. LOVING IT! It's HEAVY

Care to share the link? I LOVE it! ️

 

[ReardenMetal]

Figured I'd switch up the photo perspective and use another angle Apple uses.

 

[sdallnct2]

Can you give the link for the teal nylon band? I looked over their website and couldn't find one in teal.

I guess it is actually called slate green. It is more muted/faded than shown on the site.

http://www.clockworksynergy.com/sho...piece-slate-green-watch-band-for-apple-watch/

 

[pocky]

Care to share the link? I LOVE it! ️

This is the 22mm version. Which I believe is what you are looking for.

http://www.amazon.com/Android-22-TN...pebp=1436992569133&perid=1ETFAKV3ZCQ6J3W8MMY2

 

[luckyblue]

My nylon was too long, then I just doubled the tongue back on itself. works well, at least for me. What color did you get?

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I posted about this and I'm not sure what page it's on. I cut the extra band and then burned the ends. I cut it almost straight then nipped off the edges. If you are going to do it, I'd recommend cutting a little off the end first as a test.

I got mine from http://www.clockworksynergy.com/ They have great bands and customer service!

 

[ReardenMetal]

I posted about this and I'm not sure what page it's on. I cut the extra band and then burned the ends. I cut it almost straight then nipped off the edges. If you are going to do it, I'd recommend cutting a little off the end first as a test.

I got mine from http://www.clockworksynergy.com/ They have great bands and customer service!

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Clockwork synergy saw my double back method and liked it so much they asked me to repost to social media. Great operation they have over there.

 

[lg251]

Clockwork synergy saw my double back method and liked it so much they asked me to repost to social media. Great operation they have over there.

Nice! However, this is a comon technic used with Nato straps. (Not trying to be a buzz killer here). Depending on the strap, it's length and the watch, people are wanting longer to have this look.

Here's how I wear my camo nato.

 

[ReardenMetal]

Nice! However, this is a comon technic used with Nato straps. (Not trying to be a buzz killer here). Depending on the strap, it's length and the watch, people are wanting longer to have this look.

Here's how I wear my camo nato.

All good, man. No buzz to kill. Just stoked to avoid cutting the strap without compromising any functionality. It's funny how millions of people are rediscovering the world of watches thanks to Apple. I don't count the other guys, since Apple outsold them in a matter of hours.

 

[Meltdownblitz]

Received my Hoco band from Amazon today. So far so good, love the band and the look. The quality seems pretty good.

 

[lg251]

All good, man. No buzz to kill. Just stoked to avoid cutting the strap without compromising any functionality. It's funny how millions of people are rediscovering the world of watches thanks to Apple. I don't count the other guys, since Apple outsold them in a matter of hours.

Couldn't have said better!