Is the Link Bracelet worth it?

[Bram.96]

I got myself an Apple Watch 38mm BCB in London a couple of weeks ago and this friday the watch will be released in my home country (the Netherlands). Due to the recent weather over here (lots of rainy days and really hot summer days) I've come to the conclusion that it might be better to purchase another watch band, as the leather has worn quite a bit over the past few days. I'm currently considering the White Sport Band or Milanese Loop. I absolutely love the look of the Link Bracelet but I find it hard to justify the price tag (it's about 550 dollars over here). Can anyone tell me if the Link Bracelet is really worth it and is it justifiable to spent such an amount of money on it?

 

[BaggieBoy]

That's the one I have. I can't wear plastic straps and I don't like leather. So it was either the SS link or the Milanese Loop. I've had link bracelets for the last 20 years or so, so I saw no reason to change.

I work with a Dutch guy called Bram too...

 

[batristain]

I got myself an Apple Watch 38mm BCB in London a couple of weeks ago and this friday the watch will be released in my home country (the Netherlands). Due to the recent weather over here (lots of rainy days and really hot summer days) I've come to the conclusion that it might be better to purchase another watch band, as the leather has worn quite a bit over the past few days. I'm currently considering the White Sport Band or Milanese Loop. I absolutely love the look of the Link Bracelet but I find it hard to justify the price tag (it's about 550 dollars over here). Can anyone tell me if the Link Bracelet is really worth it and is it justifiable to spent such an amount of money on it?

I originally ordered my AW with ML. Although I liked the loop the link bracelet was what I really wanted but just couldn't justify the price. I had hoped some nice 3rd party link bracelets would come out. I bought a Hoco band and adapters from eBay and had a bracelet custom cut down for me (small wrists). However at the end of the day I hated the way the adapters looked on both bands and finally sucked it up and got the link bracelet. In my opinion it is worth every penny. It's much more comfortable than the ML and I love the look.

One more note - when I was away in Atlanta, GA USA for business last week I finally saw some Apple watches in the wild. Both were space gray sport owners. Neither of them realized I was wearing an Apple Watch (I'm happy for that - it works nicely like my SS link Rolex for work or play). I love the functionality but didn't want to look like a had a huge gadget on my arm (I have the 38 MM SS and my wrist measures 140).

There maybe some 3rd party bands coming out (JUUK looks nice) but until then the official Apple link bracelet is the best one out there for now.

Cheers,
Bobbie

 

[c55]

I tried the link band at my Apple Store before purchasing my watch. I think all of Apple's bands are of great quality and feel great. The link band feels like any other you would get with a nice standard watch. I wouldn't buy Apple's but that's just my opinion. There are third part bands out there that are of similar quality and are a fraction of the price of Apple's

I've read great things from http://www.monoweardesign.com
not sure how their shipping works but it would still be cheaper than Apple

 

[BlueMoon63]

I got myself an Apple Watch 38mm BCB in London a couple of weeks ago and this friday the watch will be released in my home country (the Netherlands). Due to the recent weather over here (lots of rainy days and really hot summer days) I've come to the conclusion that it might be better to purchase another watch band, as the leather has worn quite a bit over the past few days. I'm currently considering the White Sport Band or Milanese Loop. I absolutely love the look of the Link Bracelet but I find it hard to justify the price tag (it's about 550 dollars over here). Can anyone tell me if the Link Bracelet is really worth it and is it justifiable to spent such an amount of money on it?

Worth the price, maybe not. Beautiful and fits perfectly, yes. I purchased some adapters for third party bands and used some of my existing watch bands and they don't look as good. The fit is sometimes a little loose or bigger gap. Even with all the scratches that I put on the bottom of mine while sleep walking into a sander, it looks beautiful.

If you can afford it and like the perfect fit and feel. Get it!! You will love it.

If you have thin wrists, apparently you can sell the extra links for $50-$60 each on EBay and get the price down to $250-$300

 

[Newtons Apple]

I waited a long time for my Space Black watch and link band to get delivered and wish I had not waited. Like the leather loop much better as you can adjust the size quickly and on the fly! My wrists change size during the day and the link band was either too tight or too loose. I liked the Loop so much I bought the black to go with the brown.

 

[rowdt1]

Well, you can always try the link bracelet and return it if you don't like it. If the product's worth the money is completely subjective and all comes down to whether or not you can justify the price tag, Bram.

 

[jschu22]

Its understandably difficult to fully justify the cost, its a lot of money for soething that is more about style than function, but when comparing it to "comparable" 3rd party bands it stands well above those. Nothing out there now comes close in terms of quality and if someone suggest otherwise, Id respectfully say they just dont have much attention to detail.

 

[phpmaven]

I'm curious as to why you think that the link band is "style over function". For me I think it's designed beautifully and functions beautifully.

 

[RBDan]

Absolutely

 

[rockyroad55]

Had the sport, then leather loop, then milanese loop, returned the milanese, bought the link. Never looked back since. I actually got more comments about me wearing the apple watch when I had the ML than the link I have now.

 

[mcdj]

As of this writing there is no single band that I'm aware of that can remotely compete with the link bracelet by Apple.

It is the brushed steel distillation of everything Apple stands for (or at least tries to); perfect integration into an existing Apple ecosystem, thoughtful design down to the last detail, at a price that is a little hard to swallow at first, until you really examine the alternatives.

 

[makotoisle]

I sat on the fence about the link bracelet for a long time; I wanted one, but not so bad that I was willing to shell out as much money for it. Especially because link bracelets have always been hit or miss for me in the past. I really, really like them, but my wrist must be a funny size. Often times they're too loose or too tight.

I tried it on at the Apple Store on a whim one day and immediately loved the way it felt. For me, it was a perfect fit. I keep thinking I'll use another band; I love the way the milanese loop and the classic leather look, but I've just not gone back to either, since.

 

[wchigo]

I waited a long time for my Space Black watch and link band to get delivered and wish I had not waited. Like the leather loop much better as you can adjust the size quickly and on the fly! My wrists change size during the day and the link band was either too tight or too loose. I liked the Loop so much I bought the black to go with the brown.

That is pretty much my feelings in a nutshell. I really like the look and design of the Link as it really makes the watch look outstanding! However, I currently reside in a climate which is very hot and humid, so like Newtons my wrist size tends to change quite dramatically during the course of the way. As well, the humidity causes the metal of the Link to stick to my skin when I want to try adjusting where it sits on my arm, which isn't all too pleasant.

I had tried the LL and the ML prior and while I like both, the ML didn't work for me since I like to wear my watches loose and with the ML it started to cause some irritation on my arm from its movement after about 5 days or so. I've now ended up with both Black and Brown versions of the LL, likely Black for work and Brown for casual days, and I'm quite happy.

 

[blake247]

No it's not worth the price. It's nice, but I actually found that my $42 hoco band has more heft. I was constantly worried about my link band scratching and when it did I spent too much time trying to buff them out. $42...looks good and no worries.

 

[applewatch]

I would get Apple's Link Bracelet in a heartbeat if I had the money. For me, it's the easily removable links that does it.

 

[Yixian]

I would love it but it's far far far too expensive.

Sadly I have not found a third party equivalent that comes anywhere near it's quality and style.

 

[parseckadet]

I'm on the fence on the link band personally, which is why I don't have one myself. I live in a hot and humid area too, and I love how easy it is to adjust. The only ones I've seen that can be adjusted as easily are the Rolex ones. I also love that the clasp is flush with the rest of the band.

On the other hand, I think that the sport band is so great that I have no need to wear anything else. I could tell the instant I put it on that it was the most comfortable band I had ever worn. I work from home 90% of the time, and when I do go to work I see plenty of fitbits around that my sport band isn't going to stand out. I've been considering a leather loop, but I'm having a hard time justifying even that at this point.

OP, I suggest you get the sport band. There will always be times where you don't want to have to worry about the band at all. While the link gets close to that mark, I think there will still be times where you'll wish you had the sport band anyway. See how you like it. You might find that, when combined with your classic buckle, that you've got everything covered. If not, then get then link as well.

 

[Rogifan]

I tried the link band at my Apple Store before purchasing my watch. I think all of Apple's bands are of great quality and feel great. The link band feels like any other you would get with a nice standard watch. I wouldn't buy Apple's but that's just my opinion. There are third part bands out there that are of similar quality and are a fraction of the price of Apple's

I've read great things from http://www.monoweardesign.com
not sure how their shipping works but it would still be cheaper than Apple

Do you own any of these third party bands to know they are similar quality?

 

[Archer1440]

No it's not worth the price. It's nice, but I actually found that my $42 hoco band has more heft. I was constantly worried about my link band scratching and when it did I spent too much time trying to buff them out. $42...looks good and no worries.

That band looks like you spent $42.00. Sorry, it's simply discordant.

 

[Bbqthis]

That's the one I have. I can't wear plastic straps and I don't like leather. So it was either the SS link or the Milanese Loop. I've had link bracelets for the last 20 years or so, so I saw no reason to change.

I work with a Dutch guy called Bram too...

Apple doesn't make a plastic band.

 

[c55]

Do you own any of these third party bands to know they are similar quality?

I have the leather band from them and like it but I don't wear it that often just because it's been so humid recently and I don't "dress up" enough to wear it. I got it used off of eBay so I didn't pay full price - I would have paid full price if I wore it more often. I've read on a couple of sites that their metal link band is one of the best deals as of right now when factoring in price, looks, build, and the fact it had the Watch adapter built in. In the case of their leather bands, I totally agree. I'm assuming based on my experiences with their products, the metal band is the same.

 

[jmikhail490]

If you go to the apple store and try it on with the link bracelet and you immediately smile. Buy one. Exactly my experience and just the fact that I love it so much easily outweighs the fact that it costs so much. I do not regret buying my link band at all. Best purchase I've made for the watch. The quality is unbelievable.

 

[Asuriyan]

The black link bracelet was the only model I even considered. The extra durability of the finish alone made it worth the $100 premium over the silver. No regrets.

 

[wchigo]

I'm on the fence on the link band personally, which is why I don't have one myself. I live in a hot and humid area too, and I love how easy it is to adjust. The only ones I've seen that can be adjusted as easily are the Rolex ones. I also love that the clasp is flush with the rest of the band.

On the other hand, I think that the sport band is so great that I have no need to wear anything else. I could tell the instant I put it on that it was the most comfortable band I had ever worn. I work from home 90% of the time, and when I do go to work I see plenty of fitbits around that my sport band isn't going to stand out. I've been considering a leather loop, but I'm having a hard time justifying even that at this point.

It is most definitely easy to adjust, but it's not convenient to do so during the day. There are definitely times when I've wanted my LB to be even looser when my wrist swelled, but I didn't want to carry the extra links around for fear of losing them.

Have you tried it on though? The Leather Loop is so comfortable. In my case, I'd almost put it up there with the Sports Band in terms of comfort. When the Watch was originally announced, I was immediately drawn to the Link Bracelets and the Milanese Loop and the Leather Loop was not on my radar at all. Considering that the ML and LL are the same price, it seemed even weirder; why spend that much money on leather which will wear down when I can get an all metal one that will last much longer?!

In practice though, the LL ended up being the much better buy for me, reason why outlined in my previous post. Whereas my workplace isn't super uptight about stuff like this (even our Regional GM just wears his AW with the Black SB), I do like the dressier look of the Black LL to go with my suit. If you're working at home 90% of the time, you're probably mostly in casual wear so the SB would go fine with that. I'd say if you're not desperate to get an additional band for a different look, might as well hold off for a while longer to see what other third-party options become available. Otherwise, from one person living in a hot and humid area to another, I have to say that the Leather Loop comes highly recommended.