The general problem I see in all the bands is that I regard them as throw-away items. Unlike a band for a traditional watch that you might wear for many years, the AW bands will likely see a couple years of service before Apple changes the physical interface. Since I plan to upgrade my watch with every new release, my bands are only going to last until the case changes. I am not anticipating that the bands will have any material value in the used market.
A quick point of comparison: For one $3,000 luxury watch, an Authorized Dealer charges about $900 for the bracelet alone (i.e. you broke the bracelet that came with it and need to replace it). This price is overpriced in my opinion--$600 is probably more reasonable.
Comparing it against the Link bracelet, quality-wise, I'd say the Link bracelet is on par. The Link bracelet is thinner, but in terms of fit and finishing, it's about the same. The construction of the links is solid and the connections are tight--if you try to bend the bracelet sideways, it doesn't flex much (one measure of the quality of SS bracelets for traditional watches).
I also initially thought the Link bracelet wasn't on par in terms of quality (compared to traditional watches), but after having worn it for over 2 weeks, it's actually pretty good quality and the price isn't crazily overpriced IMHO. Of course, I'm also used to watch prices (which are generally overpriced...), so it all depends on what your expectation is. My belief is that Apple is charging approximately the same as other luxury watchmakers for its bands ($50 for the excellent sports band is actually pretty decent pricing).
Having said all that, I would've said a decent price is somewhere around $300-$350. But hey, it's Apple, so they're going to charge high prices. But quality is there.