Are there any third party bands available anywhere yet?

[Knightcastle]

I kind of expected eBay/Amazon to be inundated with cheap bands by now. I could get a £2 clear silicone phone case for my iPhone 6 before it even shipped and it fit so well I'm still using it now* - surely given Apple Watches have been in stores (to view) for weeks now there must be some bands out there?

I'm aware of Monowear, though those are a bit on the pricey side, and everything at the moment is "sold out" or for pre-order only. I have my watch now and I'd like to order a band that's ready to be posted to me.

Aside from that though, I've seen next to nothing. Am I missing something? I'm not necessarily looking for something cheap, just a nice mid price leather band that makes my Sport look a little less... sporty.

Side note: I've also backed 'Click' the Kickstarter funded device that allows any 22mm band to fit on the Apple Watch. Again though, this isn't shipping until May/June.


* how DID they do that by the way? Mass produced snugly fitting phone cases before anyone had even seen the phones. Madness.

 

[PTVMan]

Just read this article: http://fashionista.com/2015/04/apple-watch-bands

 

[Knightcastle]

Just read this article: http://fashionista.com/2015/04/apple-watch-bands

There's little more information in that article than there is in my original post. Not one of those is available to order now.

 

[oftheheavens]

got my email from click just a day or two ago saying that the surveys to chose your colors and bands are coming very soon.

 

[PTVMan]

There's little more information in that article than there is in my original post. Not one of those is available to order now.

I really must stop trying to be helpful on this forum.

 

[Knightcastle]

got my email from click just a day or two ago saying that the surveys to chose your colors and bands are coming very soon.

I got that too, no mention of timescale though, and still no sign of the surveys.

 

[oftheheavens]

I got that too, no mention of timescale though, and still no sign of the surveys.

same, no great detail on timeline. Got another one last night showing its fit to the watch, looks good so far.

 

[jk4lebron23]

I really must stop trying to be helpful on this forum.

Sadly this forum is starting to fill with jackasses, it use to be helpful and now people smart off when you try to help them.

 

[DavidLynch]

http://www.amazon.com/Aerb-Genuine-...F8&qid=1430264623&sr=8-5&keywords=aerb+iwatch

This is the only one I've seen that's shipping now and has an included adapter.

 

[gladd06]

http://www.amazon.com/Aerb-Genuine-...F8&qid=1430264623&sr=8-5&keywords=aerb+iwatch

This is the only one I've seen that's shipping now and has an included adapter.

Does not include the adapter... includes a tool to disassemble the adapter on the Classic band.

I almost fell for this one last week

 

[DavidLynch]

Does not include the adapter... includes a tool to disassemble the adapter on the Classic band.

I almost fell for this one last week

They've since added a band that does include the adapter. The $30 band includes the adapter, the $20 band does not.

Whether it is a complete piece of junk or not though I can't comment on.

 

[akonikui]

They've since added a band that does include the adapter. The $30 band includes the adapter, the $20 band does not.

Whether it is a complete piece of junk or not though I can't comment on.

I ordered one. I'll let the forum know.

 

[DavidLynch]

I ordered one. I'll let the forum know.

Please do, I'm on the fence myself. It'd be nice to have something to wear in the very few situations where I feel like the sport band won't cut it, but I don't really feel like paying a premium for the couple times a year I'd wear a different band.

I'm honestly most interested in the quality of the adapter mechanism. If it's decent, even if the band sucks, it could be reused with better bands.

 

[akonikui]

Please do, I'm on the fence myself. It'd be nice to have something to wear in the very few situations where I feel like the sport band won't cut it, but I don't really feel like paying a premium for the couple times a year I'd wear a different band.

I'm honestly most interested in the quality of the adapter mechanism. If it's decent, even if the band sucks, it could be reused with better bands.

I bought it mainly for the mechanism. We'll see!

 

[elgerber]

They've since added a band that does include the adapter. The $30 band includes the adapter, the $20 band does not.

Whether it is a complete piece of junk or not though I can't comment on.

I'm about to find out. There is one other on Amazon that also has the adapter. I am ordering that tonight because I don't want to wear my apple leather while working out. I know this one is supposedly leather too, but I don't care if it gets gross. I"d rather have a sport but I want something to use until sport bands are finally readily available.

 

[Gmlens]

www.fab-straps.com

their straps will be releasing soon www.fab-straps.com

 

[Knightcastle]

I ordered one. I'll let the forum know.

Any news on this?

 

[febernovo]

I bought it mainly for the mechanism. We'll see!

I'm super interested. I think that's the same mechanism of all the Alibaba listings. Do please make a review of the product

 

[akonikui]

Any news on this?

I'm super interested. I think that's the same mechanism of all the Alibaba listings. Do please make a review of the product

It's due to arrive tomorrow! I'll let you know how the leather is and if the adaptor mechanism fits on regular watch bands. I'm going to try it on my old Pebble strap, which I found incredibly comfortable.

I specifically asked them for the SS adaptor, since there's no place to specify the metal color in the listing. I hope they follow through

 

[febernovo]

It's due to arrive tomorrow! I'll let you know how the leather is and if the adaptor mechanism fits on regular watch. I'm going to try it on my old Pebble strap, which I found incredibly comfortable.

I specifically asked them for the SS adaptor, since there's no place to specify in the listing. I hope the follow through

That's fantastic to hear!

I've noticed none of the listing are per/color so you did the right thing by mentioning it.

Looking forward to hear your experience

 

[akonikui]

Ehh. I just saw the video review that was posted on Friday. It looks like the leather straps are not as wide as the adaptor, which causes the band to slide back and forth a bit. I don't know if the official Apple bands do this too, but it's kind of a turn-off. Maybe it was a early production model?
http://www.amazon.com/review/R221R9...etail-glance&nodeID=2335752011&store=wireless

 

[maconut]

I preordered a set of Click adapters since I missed the kickstarter. I also ordered a couple of inexpensive leather 22mm bands from AliExpress (red and black). I plan to post pictures in June, hopefully.

 

[febernovo]

Ehh. I just saw the video review that was posted on Friday. It looks like the leather straps are not as wide as the adaptor, which causes the band to slide back and forth a bit. I don't know if the official Apple bands do this too, but it's kind of a turn-off. Maybe it was a early production model?
http://www.amazon.com/review/R221R9...etail-glance&nodeID=2335752011&store=wireless

I see that too. There's a chance that's an early production model with a 20mm band. I think Click is using 22mm watch bands so maybe that would fit better.

I'm so curious about the mechanism

 

[Johnny-Don]

It's due to arrive tomorrow! I'll let you know how the leather is and if the adaptor mechanism fits on regular watch bands. I'm going to try it on my old Pebble strap, which I found incredibly comfortable.

I specifically asked them for the SS adaptor, since there's no place to specify the metal color in the listing. I hope they follow through

I'm anxiously awaiting your 2 cents on this, and pics of the adapter would be awesome!

 

[akonikui]

Just got home and the adaptor/band was waiting for me.

First off: I'm dubious of the quality of leather they're using on the bands. It's OK - and I actually prefer the texture to some of Apple's "leather" bands - but it's not top notch. The band is 20mm, as I feared.

The adaptor works well! It's a tight fit though. Inserting it was not as smooth as with the Apple bands. The piece that touches the inside of the watch is matte, while the "arms" that hold the band are stainless steel. They match the watch nicely, with no awkward gaps or color variations, but they're not quite as shiny. It's not noticeable enough for my OCD to dislike it though.

A tiny little screwdriver is included to separate the adaptor from the band, which is surprisingly easy. The screws are TINY though. Watch out. This adaptor might just barely fit most bands. It's a snug fit on my old silicone pebble band.

Honestly, I'd recommend it. It's probably the cheapest option right now that ships the fastest (i.e. not from China):
http://www.amazon.com/Aerb-Genuine-Leather-Compare-Classic/dp/B00WOQ3BU4/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8