The interchangeable band system that Apple invented for the Apple Watch is true innovation. I’ve been a watch wearer all of my life but it wasn’t until my first Apple Watch did I start swapping bands based on my activity. You no longer have to be a watch collector with a drawer full of watches in order to match your outfit or activity. Now, you just swap the band.
And most of the bands that Apple has come out with are great. I love the link bracelet, leather loops, and woven nylon classic buckles the most. But I tried their new leather link band recently, and I hate it. It’s the first band which I outright dislike.
The Looks
First, I hate the way it looks. And there are two different reasons for that. There are large “pill” magnets underneath the leather which look almost like bubble packaging filler. I hate that my leather band looks like blister pack. I have never in my life seen anything made of leather that looks even remotely close to this. It gives the leather a fake look since it’s obviously leather glued over something else.
First, I hate the way it looks. And there are two different reasons for that. There are large “pill” magnets underneath the leather which look almost like bubble packaging filler. I hate that my leather band looks like blister pack. I have never in my life seen anything made of leather that looks even remotely close to this. It gives the leather a fake look since it’s obviously leather glued over something else.
The older leather loops had a similar construction but there was a big difference. The leather actually looked like leather. It had a grain. These new leather link bands have no grain and look like they were spray painted brown.
Comparing the leather link to the leather loop you will also notice that the leather has an odd shine to it. It looks almost like a tire which has been sprayed with Armor All. I hoped that maybe this would wear off after a few weeks but it doesn’t. In fact, it gets worse. It looks highly unnatural for leather. As a consequence, people think that you are wearing a plastic watch band.
Comparing the leather link to the leather loop you will also notice that the leather has an odd shine to it. It looks almost like a tire which has been sprayed with Armor All. I hoped that maybe this would wear off after a few weeks but it doesn’t. In fact, it gets worse. It looks highly unnatural for leather. As a consequence, people think that you are wearing a plastic watch band.
Leather should have a matte look to it, not be shiny. In the automotive world, people go to great lengths to remove the shine from their leather steering wheels or seats. As leather accumulates wear or hand oils it will develop a shine. And it’s not attractive. I can’t believe that Apple actually designed their leather link band to be shiny. What were they thinking? They got it right with their earlier leather loops. Those bands looked beautiful. Especially when placed next to the ugly leather link band.
I like Apple’s leather Classic Buckle bands. They have a classy look which is great for dress-up occasions. But I know that some people think they look to “plasticky”. Which I don’t think is true at all. But this Leather Link? Whoa boy, it’s the mayor of Plasticville. If you thought the classic buckle was too plasticky. Your head is gonna explode when you see the leather link.
I like Apple’s leather Classic Buckle bands. They have a classy look which is great for dress-up occasions. But I know that some people think they look to “plasticky”. Which I don’t think is true at all. But this Leather Link? Whoa boy, it’s the mayor of Plasticville. If you thought the classic buckle was too plasticky. Your head is gonna explode when you see the leather link.
The Ergonomics
The leather loop band was easy to cinch up. It only requires one hand to tighten the band because the loop design allows the leather to clamp around your wrist. Not so with the new leather link band. Now you have to awkwardly hold your watch still while you tighten the band. If you don’t, the watch will fall of your wrist and you have to start over.
And those magnets want to snap into place before you’ve adjusted your fit. It’s infuriating. I thought that eventually I’d get the hang of how to hold or handle the band so that this didn’t happen. Nope. It’s just a dumb design that you’ll have to learn to live with. So get used to unattaching and reattaching the two sides until you finally get the fit where you want it to be. Because it’s never going to get better.
Or else you could just let the magnets fall into place. But then you have a loose fit. The complaint about the older leather loop was that it would loosen as you went about your day. But now the situation is even worse because you can’t even get a tight fit to begin with.
The leather loop band was easy to cinch up. It only requires one hand to tighten the band because the loop design allows the leather to clamp around your wrist. Not so with the new leather link band. Now you have to awkwardly hold your watch still while you tighten the band. If you don’t, the watch will fall of your wrist and you have to start over.
And those magnets want to snap into place before you’ve adjusted your fit. It’s infuriating. I thought that eventually I’d get the hang of how to hold or handle the band so that this didn’t happen. Nope. It’s just a dumb design that you’ll have to learn to live with. So get used to unattaching and reattaching the two sides until you finally get the fit where you want it to be. Because it’s never going to get better.
Or else you could just let the magnets fall into place. But then you have a loose fit. The complaint about the older leather loop was that it would loosen as you went about your day. But now the situation is even worse because you can’t even get a tight fit to begin with.
Why Did Apple Change the Design?
For the life of me, I can’t understand why Apple would move to such an inferior design for a watch band. My best guess is that people with fat wrists complained that they couldn’t get their hands through the leather loop. The new design alleviates that problem since there is no loop to wriggle your hand through. But it comes at the cost of getting a nice secure fit.
My advice is to stay away from the leather link and buy the leather loop. Perhaps if you’re over 200 pounds you may want to give the leather link a try. But otherwise, that band is terrible.
For the life of me, I can’t understand why Apple would move to such an inferior design for a watch band. My best guess is that people with fat wrists complained that they couldn’t get their hands through the leather loop. The new design alleviates that problem since there is no loop to wriggle your hand through. But it comes at the cost of getting a nice secure fit.
My advice is to stay away from the leather link and buy the leather loop. Perhaps if you’re over 200 pounds you may want to give the leather link a try. But otherwise, that band is terrible.
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