Black milanese bands exist, but no clue as to whether they stand the test of time
...but yes, the black and silver looks pretty bad together.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Milanese loop discussion (merged)
- Thread starter kybldmstr
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Black milanese bands exist, but no clue as to whether they stand the test of time
...but yes, the black and silver looks pretty bad together.
Sorry, by not existing I mean Apple's own version doesn't exist. Also, that pic says it's PVD, which is basically paint, and will certainly wear out with regular use. What you'd probably get are tiny strips of silver color at all the contact points after a year or so. Not untenable, but, not suitable for what Apple's pushing for here, quality-wise.
I have a knife with PVD coating and it scratches off with use rather easily. It's to be expected with something making regular, strong contact with surfaces, but, still... in retrospect, I should have gone with a typical silver/metal finish.
One thing to consider is that Apple could be planning to do a DLC Milanese and sell it for more money, like, maybe $50 or $100 more, down the road. RIght now, the set of choices available are already making people go nuts, having even more could just be too much. It's also possible that production's too slow and they need time to build it up. Or maybe it will never happen. It's tough to guess exactly what Apple's going to be up to in the next couple years with this product.
We designed a docking station (we currently sell on Kickstarter- sorry,needed to mention it)
Seriously, have been working on this project for a couple of months and we could only do visual testing with some mock-ups, best help were a couple of 1:1 scaled 3D printed versions of the 42mm one. We also compared with other smart watches and we think that the 42mm is at the limit, I mean in terms of visibility and size of the display. The 42mm looked even nice on my 12-year old daughter. Discussing the right band includes being firm on the size and I would always go for the 42mm.
Good to know. I have tried printing mockups (2D) and spent hours staring at pictures, watching YouTube videos and agonizing over the 38mm vs. 42mm decision. Honestly, I still feel no closer to deciding. I'm just going to have to pick one and visit an Apple Store on the 10th to confirm my choice.
I have a 165mm wrist and really feel like I could go either way. I do prefer a smaller looking watch though... Argh... I wish I could find more photos that clearly show the same person wearing both sizes, in the same style, from multiple angles, and said what their wrist measurement was.
Either way, I'll be getting the Milanese and a sport band separately.
Does anyone know if the Milanese Loop band opens up all the way? Meaning, can the magnetic piece that is thicker than the band slip out of the "bracket" that slides into the watch?
I haven't seen any indication of this in the videos or online, but if it doesn't, charging with the Nomad Pod would be annoying/difficult, no?
I haven't seen any indication of this in the videos or online, but if it doesn't, charging with the Nomad Pod would be annoying/difficult, no?
Yeah, I'm pretty sure you're me, down to the indecision over size, your band purchase plan, and exact wrist measurement. I can commiserate. Leaning currently towards 38mm. I think 42 might look okay but my real concern is that 38 would look small, and after watching videos and seeing pics I don't think it will look as small as the mockup I printed would suggest.
I agree, but you have to remember it was still in very very early beta mode then. I'm sure they weren't quite ready. I remember reading how if Steve Jobs had run through the original iPhone demo any differently, it would of crashed and burned. They probably didn't have a stable iPhone OS until a few months after that.
Look at new videos of the Watch. It's a lot more stable, and it's why they allow press people to play with it themselves. They've probably been working their tails off for the final 1.0 release in a few weeks.
I can only guess 38mm because it appears to be a tiny wrist with the end of the loop going all the way up to the other side.
That's why its the 42 on a small wrist. If it was the 38, it would end near the bottom side of the wrist.
Not necessarily. One female member here reportedly can't get the 38mm Milanese Loop because her wrist is smaller than 130mm.
I'm in the same boat.
I heard a podcast by imore and Georgia said the Milanese loop is so strong she couldn't make the magnet slide by flexing her wrist with the band on tight.
In the picture, the loop doesn't look as shiny as it does on Apple's website... i actually think it would look quite nice with the silver sport. The space gray as show in the picture looks more like my the space grey on my iphone 6 instead of almost black as show on Apple's website.
Nope, still unable to decide. However, I've always been leaning more toward 38mm. I tried on my paper mockups again this morning and although the 42 looks okay, I think the proportions are just better with the 38. My plan is to order both at 12:01 PDT on Friday, make an appointment as soon as I can, try them on, then cancel the one I don't want. But, to be honest, I'll be surprised if I end up going 42 (I've never felt comfortable wearing a chunky watch, so if it feels or looks at all chunky, it's out).
One concern though is that I won't like the milanese loop in person, but I've definitely liked milanese watch bands in the past so I don't think it'll be a problem. Plus, I'll have the sport band to fall back on which I have no qualms about appearance-wise. I just figure it'll be pretty sweaty and uncomfortable for every day use in the summer and the milanese loop will solve that, since it's full of holes.
Milanese + Black Sport Band seems like a perfect combo.
You get the dressy, more formal option with the Milanese while also having a sport band for exercise and more casual moments. They are very unlike each other in color so you don't feel like you have 2 identical bands (like I think you would feel with 1 leather 1 black sport) and they are also 2 of the most durable ones.
You get the dressy, more formal option with the Milanese while also having a sport band for exercise and more casual moments. They are very unlike each other in color so you don't feel like you have 2 identical bands (like I think you would feel with 1 leather 1 black sport) and they are also 2 of the most durable ones.
I'm a watch enthusiast and I can tell you that a milanese mesh is unisex and sporty and dressy at the same time.
There are many men's and women's watches on a milanese mesh, but it's mostly for men. And of all the bracelet types, the milanese is so tightly knit that your arm hair won't come through and won't be pulled out
Also there are many really dressy watches with this bracelet (like from IWC), but also sporty or dive watches (from Omega and Breitling).
So you guys don't have to worry about the Apple Watch becoming too formal on a milanese mesh, because first of all an almost square smartwatch will never look too dressy. Second of all the milanese looks really good on a t-shirt and jeans when you have a black dial, because it makes the look more sporty. The Apple Watch is all black on the front no matter which version you buy, so it can be down dressed without a problem.
My only advise, don't get the completely black Apple watch, because that will look very off with this bracelet. Scratches will be seen more quickly too on a black watch. A black milanese will lose its color even more quickly, so better stay away from those.
When you are stuck in deciding between the 38mm and 42mm and comparing cut-outs, remember that the height has a lot of impact on size perception with watches. A 42mm Apple Watch will be significantly larger in real life because of the total volume increase. So put a real watch underneath your cut-outs to get a better sense of depth.
One thing I've learnt in the watch world is to never buy a watch you haven't had on your wrist! In real life on your wrist, with your wrist size, with your skin tone, a watch that looks great on pictures can look bad in person or the other way around. Ordering of the internet will leave many people disappointed I'm afraid. Trust me on this
Finally, in my opinion $149 for a milanese mesh is a steal (the bracelet alone from IWC costs $1500)! I'm really curious to experience the quality.
There are many men's and women's watches on a milanese mesh, but it's mostly for men. And of all the bracelet types, the milanese is so tightly knit that your arm hair won't come through and won't be pulled out
Also there are many really dressy watches with this bracelet (like from IWC), but also sporty or dive watches (from Omega and Breitling).
So you guys don't have to worry about the Apple Watch becoming too formal on a milanese mesh, because first of all an almost square smartwatch will never look too dressy. Second of all the milanese looks really good on a t-shirt and jeans when you have a black dial, because it makes the look more sporty. The Apple Watch is all black on the front no matter which version you buy, so it can be down dressed without a problem.
My only advise, don't get the completely black Apple watch, because that will look very off with this bracelet. Scratches will be seen more quickly too on a black watch. A black milanese will lose its color even more quickly, so better stay away from those.
When you are stuck in deciding between the 38mm and 42mm and comparing cut-outs, remember that the height has a lot of impact on size perception with watches. A 42mm Apple Watch will be significantly larger in real life because of the total volume increase. So put a real watch underneath your cut-outs to get a better sense of depth.
One thing I've learnt in the watch world is to never buy a watch you haven't had on your wrist! In real life on your wrist, with your wrist size, with your skin tone, a watch that looks great on pictures can look bad in person or the other way around. Ordering of the internet will leave many people disappointed I'm afraid. Trust me on this
Finally, in my opinion $149 for a milanese mesh is a steal (the bracelet alone from IWC costs $1500)! I'm really curious to experience the quality.
