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So will none of my 41mm straps, fit my new 42mm watch?
- Thread starter The Cockney Rebel
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Where did you get that idea? Apple has always maintained backwards-compatibility with watch bands.
Not a direct link because it is a pop-up:
40mm, 41mm, and 42mm bands are all compatible with 40mm, 41mm, 42mm case sizes. 44mm, 45mm, 46mm, and 49mm bands are all compatible with 44mm, 45mm, 46mm, and 49mm case sizes.
The Solo Loop and Braided Solo Loop bands are only compatible with Apple Watch SE, Apple Watch Series 4 or later, and Apple Watch Ultra or later.
For Solo Loop and Braided Solo Loop, the 40mm, 41mm, and 42mm cases are compatible with band sizes 0-9; the 44mm, 45mm, 46mm, and 49mm cases are compatible with band sizes 0-12.
Band Compatibility
You can match most bands with any Apple Watch Series 3 or later case of the same size.40mm, 41mm, and 42mm bands are all compatible with 40mm, 41mm, 42mm case sizes. 44mm, 45mm, 46mm, and 49mm bands are all compatible with 44mm, 45mm, 46mm, and 49mm case sizes.
The Solo Loop and Braided Solo Loop bands are only compatible with Apple Watch SE, Apple Watch Series 4 or later, and Apple Watch Ultra or later.
For Solo Loop and Braided Solo Loop, the 40mm, 41mm, and 42mm cases are compatible with band sizes 0-9; the 44mm, 45mm, 46mm, and 49mm cases are compatible with band sizes 0-12.
I had to read it a couple of times. It says 40, 41, 42 bands all compatible with 40, 41, 42 cases. So it seems like any 40-42 band fits any 40-42 case.
You literally just replied above to someone who posted that exact info from Apple for you. This product line has existed for 10 years and the watch strap compatibility has always worked this way. It’s confirmed above that the compatibility is the same as always.
The original watch size was 38mm, but the bands that fit those watches are still compatible with the 41mm models. I'm sure the 42mm model is compatible with all existing bands, it's just a 1mm difference, lol.
I am positive if there was going to be any changes with the band and it not fitting they would definitely state this all over the web site and it would have been mentioned when they presented the new watch.
Phew! I ordered new Apple Watch and was wondering if my old bands for 40mm (Apple Watch Series 4) will fit. Seems so and that good news for me!
There's no need to "hope" -- we KNOW the new watch is compatible with the old bands! Why can't you believe that?
For what it's worth, I opened the Apple Store app on my phone, which knows which products I have on my account, and it says the 42mm band is compatible with my 41mm watch, so I think we are good to go.
The little green checkmark at the bottom says it is compatible with your watch.
It's not showing the 41 because 42 is the newest case size. As posted above, all 40-41-42 bands will work with 40-41-42 watches and vice versa.
I suppose if you can't believe what is written on Apple's own website, you could wait until the watches are available to try in stores, and take one of your existing bands to the store and try attatching it to a new 42mm watch.