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Band/Link Band Replacement

loon3y

loon3y

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Oct 21, 2011
1,235
126
Hi,


Ive been contacting apple because that $500 link bracelet is pretty much crap and it basically broke.


It doesn't close all the way and the alignment was off after 1-2 months of wear. Which is very discouraging since i had to get a link metal band because of the look factor. I wanted a watch that well actually looked like a modern watch (as in i didnt want a non mental band)




They said they'll replace it, anyone go through this yet?


I'm just appalled that a $500 dollar band can't even withstand regular every day wear. I mean off the bat when you open it you can clearly tell this isn't worth $500 dollars in any way shape or form, compared to real watch bands. Because after all they're trying to put it in that category right?


The band is definitely innovative, but no where near the quality they try to market it as.
 
JayLenochiniMac said:
Just because you got a dud, all link bracelets cannot withstand normal wear and tear? Many of us have the link bracelets that are doing just fine.
Click to expand...


If you're going to passive-aggressive, it might be best to actually use correct grammar.



This isn't a Dud, i had this since may. I wore this everyday and it eventually got faulty. Its a engineering flaw, which they told me that they're waiting for the engineering department to respond so they can study the problem with my link bracelet. (which makes sense, new product, they need to evaluate the problems)

Its not a $500 dollar link, its called great marketing. I don't mind the price, but I just very surprised it just broke like this after 2-3 months.


Yes, regular watch bands can withstand wear and tear. Ihave a tag watch that is as old as me and that whole watch costs less then then the band itself.


But thanks for contributing nothing to this thread. Has anyone gotten through this replacement process?
 
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I've had my link bracelet band since mid May and wear it daily. It's been flawless. I also switch it out for a sport bad daily when I workout and swapping the bands shows no signs of wear.

It sounds like you might have gotten a faulty band that took a while for the flaw to reveal itself.

Best of luck with the replacement.
 
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Many members, including myself, have worn the link bracelet on a daily basis and they're still fine. For yours not to be a dud, the rest of us would have to suffer the same fate. It's wrong to characterize all link bracelets as crap when you happened to get a defective unit that failed over time.

A few members have had to replace their SB link bracelets due to a defective DLC coating.
 
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basher said:
I've had my link bracelet band since mid May and wear it daily. It's been flawless. I also switch it out for a sport bad daily when I workout and swapping the bands shows no signs of wear.

It sounds like you might have gotten a faulty band that took a while for the flaw to reveal itself.

Best of luck with the replacement.
Click to expand...


it actually happened when i swapping out bands, after i swapped out bands the metal clasp wasn't aligning right and it didnt close all the way.


the clasp is very flimsy
 
loon3y said:
it actually happened when i swapping out bands, after i swapped out bands the metal clasp wasn't aligning right and it didnt close all the way.


the clasp is very flimsy
Click to expand...

When you were swapping bands were you removing the link bracelet in one piece? If so, I can see how that would put stress on the clasp.
 
loon3y said:
it actually happened when i swapping out bands, after i swapped out bands the metal clasp wasn't aligning right and it didnt close all the way.


the clasp is very flimsy
Click to expand...

I assume you've been following Apple's official method of swapping out the link bracelet?

The clasp is indeed thinner by design, but it has held up so far for the vast majority of us.
 
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basher said:
How are you coming to this conclusion?
Click to expand...

There are quite a few members here who have the link bracelet and most of them are reporting no problems. We'd be seeing a lot more posts if it were a widespread problem, as we saw with the iPhone 5 making their way into retail boxes full of nicks and scrapes.
 
Can I ask how the replacement was handled? Did they ship you a new one and you shipped yours back? Or did you have to go into a store and swap it there? Mine is also starting to show signs of the clasp malfunctioning and I'd rather get it taken care of now than later. Thanks!
 
loon3y said:
it actually happened when i swapping out bands, after i swapped out bands the metal clasp wasn't aligning right and it didnt close all the way.


the clasp is very flimsy
Click to expand...
Subscribed because I want to see how this pans out.

I mentioned in the "Is the link bracelet worth it?" thread that I feel like it's been designed with tolerances that are too close, and parts that fit too snugly, for long-term durability. Most of my watches are on bracelets and it never occurs to me to baby them in any way.

loon3y, got any pics of how it failed?
 
I always had trouble getting one side of my SB link bracelet to lock. I ended returning the whole watch thinking how stupid I was to wait so long for this! Anyway very happy with the brown and black leather loop! The Apple link bracelet looked overly complicated in it construction when I compare it to my Rolex link band.
 
JayLenochiniMac said:
There are quite a few members here who have the link bracelet and most of them are reporting no problems. We'd be seeing a lot more posts if it were a widespread problem, as we saw with the iPhone 5 making their way into retail boxes full of nicks and scrapes.
Click to expand...


So you based this all off a couple posts and users off MacRumors. First of all, the vast majority probably doesn't have the Link Bracelet version, most i've seen are the sports edition and if they got the watch edition, they didnt get the link band.


How many people do you think even purchased a link bracelet? It's a $1000 dollars in total, this was a gift. I would never of fathomed to spend $1000 dollars on a first gen apple watch. I was planning to get the space black sports edition.


The fact is most people don't, I went to two apple stores in New York City, the main one on 5th and another one in 42nd Grand central station.

They literally were clueless and how to handle my situation and essentially pushed me to go towards getting support online.

Even maintenance questions, the scratches and what not they simply said, "I would go to a jeweler, but this isn't official advice from apple"

They generally had no idea what to do. When i went online for support, they said I as well as apple care support needed to wait for a response from their engineering team that makes these link bands.


So its pretty obvious there are design flaws for that extremely marked up metal link band. They acknowledge how expensive that band was and they apologized. They informed me they would replace this, via mail. They would ship me the new band and I would ship my broken one back to Apple.


I assume rather then doing internal testing, they just rolled out with these bands and basically test with their consumers.


Support was great, but it definitely seemed that I wasn't the first link band customer that ran into this issue. I've been on a business trip for near 4 months. So I HAVE to wear my watch everyday, I'm not leaving it unattended if its not my home.



jmikhail490 said:
Can I ask how the replacement was handled? Did they ship you a new one and you shipped yours back? Or did you have to go into a store and swap it there? Mine is also starting to show signs of the clasp malfunctioning and I'd rather get it taken care of now than later. Thanks!
Click to expand...

I explained above, hope it helps!




BarracksSi said:
Subscribed because I want to see how this pans out.

I mentioned in the "Is the link bracelet worth it?" thread that I feel like it's been designed with tolerances that are too close, and parts that fit too snugly, for long-term durability. Most of my watches are on bracelets and it never occurs to me to baby them in any way.

loon3y, got any pics of how it failed?
Click to expand...



w0i4w5.jpg




ml0zzm.jpg
 
loon3y said:
I assume rather then doing internal testing, they just rolled out with these bands and basically test with their consumers.

w0i4w5.jpg




ml0zzm.jpg
Click to expand...

No, no matter how much internal testing they do, there's bound to be manufacturing defects such as the one you have. Most members with the Link Bracelet do not have this problem or we'd be seeing many more posts.
 
To be fair, this is a really small sample size to base things off of. While I don't necessarily agree with everything Jay said, I do agree that categorizing the Link Bracelet as a dud simply off of your experience is jumping the gun. Things like the iPhone 4 reception issue or the iPhone 5 Slate chipping could definitely be called "duds" based on how widespread they were, but we don't really have enough info to go on at this time. In fact, I would be more willing to call the Black Sports Band a dud moreso than the Link due to the number of people who have posted about having issues with it.

It is likely a defect, which could possibly end up being caused by an underlying design issue, but I would be hesitant to call the Link Bracelet in general a dud right this moment. However, this is just the opinion of one man on an internet forum, so take that as you will.

On the other hand, that sucks and I hope the replacement process was relatively easy and painless and the new one will work out for you without any further issues.
 
My space black link bracelet was hard to snap closed, too. The Apple geek said they had seem a few that would not close without putting a lot of pressure on it.

I solved my problem by replacing the entire watch with the 42SS and leather loop which is my favorite band now. My wrist changes size and the leather loop is quick to adjust !
 
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Newtons Apple said:
I solved my problem by replacing the entire watch with the 42SS and leather loop which is my favorite band now. My wrist changes size and the leather loop is quick to adjust !
Click to expand...

No disrespect, but your mentioning the leather loop every time someone posts a problem with all other bands, including the Milanese loop, is getting little old.
 
i got my replacement,


i guess it was a special case since i was given a run around, back and forth from the apple store to apple support care over the phone.


Im assuming they don't want to be the specific individual that gives these metal link bands. Im not sure the process was weird.


they said the usual process would the they would ship me the replacement band i ship them back the faulty one.

but they replaced it right then and there which i was pretty happy, but this my genius guy had to talk to 4 other people, I'm assuming each time he talked a different person it was somebody that held a higher position.



All in all I'm pretty happy i got a new metal link band. Really taking care of this one since my 1st was scratched up because i had no idea it was so prone to scratches.
 
testcard said:
It would be useful to know if OP separated the Link Bracelet sections before swapping bands.
Click to expand...
That's what I don't like about Apple's bracelet. I like all of its features, from the push button links (don't have to trust some underpaid jewelry kiosk knucklehead to bang at it with a hammer and pin punch) to the hidden clasp, and even the visual style itself.

But I don't like how fragile it seems to be. Watches on bracelets used to be sporty models intended to serve in conditions that aren't good for leather straps, like diving, harsh climates, and plain old sweat. They were expected to take a beating, and weren't necessarily about bling, either.

Yes, this is the most expensive Apple Watch variant, but "expensive" does not mean "dressy"; the dressiest Apple strap is the Classic Buckle, IMO. I've got a used rental tux, and just because it was cheap, it sure ain't "casual". I'd want the bracelet to tolerate abuse, being stronger than the sport band and safer to wash than the leather straps.

I'd be fine with a redesigned clasp which could handle disconnecting from the Watch without having to split the band. I also wish that the pushbutton link idea could be executed without making links that feel like they could be snapped in half.

The bracelets on my Seiko and Rado (which I admit isn't exactly "sporty") don't give me any reason to worry:
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1438256684.971519.jpg

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1438256698.668999.jpg

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1438256740.492339.jpg

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1438256777.744357.jpg

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1438256805.196823.jpg
 
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