Hermès Debuts Apple Watch Series 9 Collection Including Leather Bands

[MacRumors]

Hermès has debuted its new Apple Watch Series 9 case and band collection, including some new leather band options not available from Apple's website.

Apple has removed all leather iPhone cases and Apple Watch bands – including Hermès bands – from its website as part of a significant new sustainability push. However, as part of the continuing partnership between Apple and Hermès, the luxury watch boutique is free to continue selling Apple Watch Series 9 models with bands made of calfskin.

Among several new Hermès Single Tour and Double Tour bands made of knitted nylon and woven nylon, several color options made of calfskin can be found. Prices for Hermès Apple Watch Series 9 bands range from $349 to $589, while watch and band combinations range from $1,249 to $1,539.

All of the bands are available to pre-order today. Hermès will begin shipping orders after September 22, according to its website.

As for Apple, the company on Tuesday announced a new textile it's calling "FineWoven," which is made of 68 percent post-consumer content and is overall more environmentally friendly compared to the company's previous line of leather accessories. Apple also confirmed it will no longer use leather for new Apple accessories.

Thanks, KPOM!

Article Link: Hermès Debuts Apple Watch Series 9 Collection Including Leather Bands

 

[ApostolisApo]

Good for Apple to finally ditch leather. It was funny that even some car manufacturers were more sustainable in this matter

 

[Vangeli]

Rumors of the partnership’s demise were greatly exaggerated, seeing as they’ve released double the bands this season—probably the most they’ve ever done at once.

 

[ProfessionalFan]

Rumors of the partnership’s demise were greatly exaggerated, seeing as they’ve released double the bands this season—probably the most they’ve ever done at once.

Just one of many rumors that ended up wrong this cycle but the same leakers will be considered reliable next time around anyway.

 

[omenatarhuri]

Calfskin? Using baby cow leather for a stupid watch just seems cruel. I hope not all leather is calfskin.

 

[JanoschR]

Thank god! 🐮

 

[GDF]

Good for Apple to finally ditch leather. It was funny that even some car manufacturers were more sustainable in this matter

Not good. Give the customers a choice to buy leather or not. I want a leather case and think it is foolish to not offer them and instead get some imitation at similar price as real leather.

 

[daniesy]

Leather for the rich, recycled crap for the poor.

 

[coredev]

Calfskin? Using baby cow leather for a stupid watch just seems cruel. I hope not all leather is calfskin.

Double standards.

How is it better to kill a juvenile cow instead of a "baby" cow?
How is that less cruel?

Cows can reach an age of 15 - 20 years under natural circumstances, but are killed after 5 years because they are not "productive" anymore. By then they endured a lot of abuse. So one could argue killing a cow soon is the humane thing to do.

Don't get me wrong please, I am against all leather products and against animal abuse.

 

[bLackjackj]

Good for Apple to finally ditch leather

Apple haven't ditched leather,..read the article again;

"...as part of the continuing partnership between Apple and Hermès, the luxury watch boutique is free to continue selling Apple Watch Series models with bands made of calfskin"

Apple are ALL IN on leather! They are simply soft selling using a partner retailer. Rose coloured glasses?

 

[chenks]

Calfskin? Using baby cow leather for a stupid watch just seems cruel. I hope not all leather is calfskin.

happy to eat it though?

 

[fwmireault]

Not good. Give the customers a choice to buy leather or not. I want a leather case and think it is foolish to not offer them and instead get some imitation at similar price as real leather.

There are plenty of leather cases from third party manufacturers

 

[chenks]

Apple are ALL IN on leather! They are simply soft selling using a partner retailer. Rose coloured glasses?

i didn't pay close enough attention to the "slick" presentation, but wondered how many on screen were wearing leather shoes or a leather belt etc.

 

[coredev]

Not good. Give the customers a choice to buy leather or not. I want a leather case and think it is foolish to not offer them and instead get some imitation at similar price as real leather.

Interesting. You want choice and think you have a right to buy leather although it is proven to be bad for the environment and is based on animal cruelty. Fine. It's your choice and with current laws you have that right.

But why do you think Apple as a company does not have the right to stop selling leather accessories?

 

[chenks]

But why do you think Apple as a company does not have the right to stop selling leather accessories?

whilst they personally might not be selling them, they are still partnering with companies to make them, so if they really cared they would not partner with anyone that made such a product?

it's just tokenism on apples part.

 

[chenks]

it's also interesting that they don't consider rubber products to be an issue, whilst it's acknowledged that rubber contributes to deforestation and pollution

 

[coredev]

Apple haven't ditched leather,..read the article again;

"...as part of the continuing partnership between Apple and Hermès, the luxury watch boutique is free to continue selling Apple Watch Series models with bands made of calfskin"

Apple are ALL IN on leather! They are simply soft selling using a partner retailer. Rose coloured glasses?

Perhaps you need to read the article again.

Hermes sells Apple's watches and their leather bands.
Apple does not sell leather in their stores, nor do they produce anything made of leather.

They are ALL OUT on leather.

There is this Russian tech modding company pimping up iPhones with gold and diamonds.
Would you say that Apple is responsible for the origin of these materials as well?

 

[chenks]

Perhaps you need to read the article again.

Hermes sells Apple's watches and their leather bands.
Apple does not sell leather in their stores, nor do they produce anything made of leather.

They are ALL OUT on leather.

There is this Russian tech modding company pimping up iPhones with gold and diamonds.
Would you say that Apple is responsible for the origin of these materials as well?

hermes are an official partner of apple though - that's the difference.
your counter argument is non-sensical.

 

[fwmireault]

hermes are an official partner of apple though - that's the difference.
your counter argument is non-sensical.

Partner, not subsidiary. What Hermès, Belkin or Nike are selling on their own doesn’t change apple’s corporate carbon footprint, which is all what FineWoven is about. And I would argue that only a small margin of Hermès customers will buy directly from the Hermès website, many of them will probably buy from Apple directly

 

[coredev]

i didn't pay close enough attention to the "slick" presentation, but wondered how many on screen were wearing leather shoes or a leather belt etc.

You cannot really tell these days, because there is really nice vegan leather by now.

But anyway, even if _all_ the presenters were wearing leather in one form or the other, this would only prove that there is no sinister conspiracy to take choice away from people. Apple as a company makes the decision to stop selling leather because it aligns with their plans. These plans might be motivated by political agenda, monetary concerns, pressure from advocacy groups - we cannot say for sure.
But if these presenters were still wearing leather shoes, we can say for sure that Apple is not interfering with their employees' choices, just as they are not limiting your choice to buy leather watch bands or leather phone cases or leather shoes.

Just Apple is no longer producing and selling leather products, and they told us why in the slick presentation. Perhaps you were not paying enough attention there either.

 

[chenks]

Partner, not subsidiary

yes, that's why i used the word "partner".

if they felt so strongly about it, as their presentation would like you to think, then they would be strong enough to not officially partner with anyone that didn't align with their own policy.

but all they are doing is passing the buck down to someone else while keeping their hands "clean".

 

[chenks]

You cannot really tell these days, because there is really nice vegan leather by now.

i would suggest that vegan leather is no better, you're still portraying the look and feel of real leather.

why would a vegan (or anyone aligned to that cause) want to wear something that looked like an animal product even if it wasn't?

it's the same argument i put forwards when vegans buy vegan sausages etc that look and taste just like the real thing. why on earth would a vegan want to eat something that tasted like it was a real animal product.

 

[fwmireault]

yes, that's why i used the word "partner".

if they felt so strongly about it, as their presentation would like you to think, then they would be strong enough to not officially partner with anyone that didn't align with their own policy.

but all they are doing is passing the buck down to someone else while keeping their hands "clean".

And it’s up to Hermes now to follow the trend or not, they will inevitably be more and more pressured to do so. Apple is not selling leather anymore, and it cannot expect its partners to do the same at the same time. This decision seems balanced to me

 

[coredev]

if they felt so strongly about it, as their presentation would like you to think, then they would be strong enough to not officially partner with anyone that didn't align with their own policy.

Again with the not paying close attention thing...
Apple is stopping the use of leather to become carbon neutral by 2030. That's what they "feel strong" about.
They are not in the business to lobby for a vegan lifestyle, or convince you to care for the environment.
It's about _their_ business goals. So what their partners do does not play a big part in this.

 

[chenks]

Again with the not paying close attention thing...
Apple is stopping the use of leather to become carbon neutral by 2030. That's what they "feel strong" about.
They are not in the business to lobby for a vegan lifestyle, or convince you to care for the environment.
It's about _their_ business goals. So what their partners do does not play a big part in this.

clearly you are the one not paying enough attention.
you've essentially just repated what i've said.

apple are only interested in what they do (or more accurately what they portray to be), they couldn't care less what anyone else does. if they really cared about "mother nature" they would not officially partner with anyone that didn't align with their own ideology. but they don't care enough.