As others have reverberated, you *really* need to see the watch and the bands in person.
I pre-ordered the 42mm Space Gray Aluminum (4-6 weeks), the 42mm SS Black Leather Classic (on time) and the 42mm SS Black Sport Band (on time).
I tried on:
a) 42mm SG Aluminum
b) 42mm SS Black Leather Classic
c) 42mm SS Black Sport Band
d) 42mm SS Milanese Loop
e) 42mm SS Leather Loop
First, the watch is much much smaller in-person as many have noted. It's not overly tall, wide or thick (unless you wear a super thin watch, but I tend towards thicker watches in general).
Second, the SS watch makes the Aluminum watch feel almost toy-like. My thinking was 'this is 1st Gen, spend the least amount of money necessary' but after you see them side-by-side, the appeal of the SS is immediate (even more so as you mix and match bands).
Third, the Aluminum Space Gray is the only watch that looks better in photos than real life. It's a nice watch for sure, but I've cancelled my order for that one (hearing that some people are having orders > 2 being cancelled, that's the one I preemptively canceled now). It really only works well with one type of band.
Fourth, the classic buckle is way way way nicer in real life. The silver buckle with the SS watch match perfectly and the 'classic-ness' of the band offsets the 'techie-ness' of the watch (you can tell Apple put a lot of effort into making this a new product, but also a familiar look... since this is a wearable, I think they've nailed the whole idea of having a smart watch but not looking like you're wearing a smart watch). The leather isn't overly thick and is very comfortable.
Fifth, the Leather Loop is much thinner in real life and it's probably the most comfortable of all the bands I tried. I checked out the SS and Blue Leather Loop combo. I liked it, but it was my second least favorite look. For many though, I think this one will win you over (it's just not my style, but it grew on me pretty quickly... much more than I thought it would). The main thing I didn't like about this particular band was how it looked from the side and bottom. It's the most 'busy' of the bands.
Sixth, the Milanese Loop is awesome. However, if you're looking for a 'daily' watch, I would save this one for more formal occasions. If you use a laptop all day at work (I do), you'll be knocking the band against your laptop. If you go to any concerts, music events, etc, this is the watch that you would be terrified of either falling off (the magnet is super strong) or getting scuffed up. I want a watch that I can wear all the time (maybe I'll buy the Milanese band later).
Lastly, the Sport Band is super nice. It's a bit of a pain to put on at first, but it's extremely comfortable, understated and in general works well as a fitness band and as a more formal band (if you choose one in black).
I'm keeping the SS with Sport Band and the SS with Classic Buckle and will decide which to keep after wearing for a day (the 15 minutes in the store isn't enough time to make a final decision, but it helps pair things down).
If you're buying an Apple Watch, first figure out if you want Aluminum or SS and in what color. You can always get the bands later (which is why I'm tempted to go with the SS with Black Sport Band).
The staff still seems a bit undertrained. I asked if *all* watches that come with Sport Bands come with S/M and M/L and at first the answer was no, and then yes. However, how Apple did this was by providing three pieces, not four. Meaning, there's a 'common' piece of the Sport Band, and then two other pieces that make it either S/M or M/L. So don't plan on swapping Sport Bands with friends... Apple has optimized as usual. Also, the staff are general helpful - not pushy in any way and pretty blunt about their opinions.
Hope this helps. And I purposely avoided the Link Bracelet because I knew I'd probably bump my spend up and wanted to keep this in the $500-$700 range.
I pre-ordered the 42mm Space Gray Aluminum (4-6 weeks), the 42mm SS Black Leather Classic (on time) and the 42mm SS Black Sport Band (on time).
I tried on:
a) 42mm SG Aluminum
b) 42mm SS Black Leather Classic
c) 42mm SS Black Sport Band
d) 42mm SS Milanese Loop
e) 42mm SS Leather Loop
First, the watch is much much smaller in-person as many have noted. It's not overly tall, wide or thick (unless you wear a super thin watch, but I tend towards thicker watches in general).
Second, the SS watch makes the Aluminum watch feel almost toy-like. My thinking was 'this is 1st Gen, spend the least amount of money necessary' but after you see them side-by-side, the appeal of the SS is immediate (even more so as you mix and match bands).
Third, the Aluminum Space Gray is the only watch that looks better in photos than real life. It's a nice watch for sure, but I've cancelled my order for that one (hearing that some people are having orders > 2 being cancelled, that's the one I preemptively canceled now). It really only works well with one type of band.
Fourth, the classic buckle is way way way nicer in real life. The silver buckle with the SS watch match perfectly and the 'classic-ness' of the band offsets the 'techie-ness' of the watch (you can tell Apple put a lot of effort into making this a new product, but also a familiar look... since this is a wearable, I think they've nailed the whole idea of having a smart watch but not looking like you're wearing a smart watch). The leather isn't overly thick and is very comfortable.
Fifth, the Leather Loop is much thinner in real life and it's probably the most comfortable of all the bands I tried. I checked out the SS and Blue Leather Loop combo. I liked it, but it was my second least favorite look. For many though, I think this one will win you over (it's just not my style, but it grew on me pretty quickly... much more than I thought it would). The main thing I didn't like about this particular band was how it looked from the side and bottom. It's the most 'busy' of the bands.
Sixth, the Milanese Loop is awesome. However, if you're looking for a 'daily' watch, I would save this one for more formal occasions. If you use a laptop all day at work (I do), you'll be knocking the band against your laptop. If you go to any concerts, music events, etc, this is the watch that you would be terrified of either falling off (the magnet is super strong) or getting scuffed up. I want a watch that I can wear all the time (maybe I'll buy the Milanese band later).
Lastly, the Sport Band is super nice. It's a bit of a pain to put on at first, but it's extremely comfortable, understated and in general works well as a fitness band and as a more formal band (if you choose one in black).
I'm keeping the SS with Sport Band and the SS with Classic Buckle and will decide which to keep after wearing for a day (the 15 minutes in the store isn't enough time to make a final decision, but it helps pair things down).
If you're buying an Apple Watch, first figure out if you want Aluminum or SS and in what color. You can always get the bands later (which is why I'm tempted to go with the SS with Black Sport Band).
The staff still seems a bit undertrained. I asked if *all* watches that come with Sport Bands come with S/M and M/L and at first the answer was no, and then yes. However, how Apple did this was by providing three pieces, not four. Meaning, there's a 'common' piece of the Sport Band, and then two other pieces that make it either S/M or M/L. So don't plan on swapping Sport Bands with friends... Apple has optimized as usual. Also, the staff are general helpful - not pushy in any way and pretty blunt about their opinions.
Hope this helps. And I purposely avoided the Link Bracelet because I knew I'd probably bump my spend up and wanted to keep this in the $500-$700 range.
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