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Stainless Steel silver vs space black band options

jbachandouris

jbachandouris

macrumors 603
Original poster
Aug 18, 2009
6,063
3,270
Upstate NY
I recently sold my series 0 and am looking to buy a series 2. I want SS, but need to choose between space black and silver.

My concern with the space black is the band choices. Last time I checked, only the black sport band and black Milanese loop were the only OEM options. Has this changed?

Odds are that I will keep whatever band it comes with, so the answer may not matter in the long term.
 
You should also be good with all the sport and nylon bands since they don't use metal lugs. All of Apple's leather bands use silver stainless lugs though so you'd be out of luck there.
 
I think you can also get it with the Milanese loop too. But yeah it's pretty annoying. I ended up selling my white band to offset the cost of a different color. It would be nice if Apple would just sell the watch without any band online and then you could buy the one you actually want at checkout.
 
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MacDevil7334 said:
I think you can also get it with the Milanese loop too. But yeah it's pretty annoying. I ended up selling my white band to offset the cost of a different color. It would be nice if Apple would just sell the watch without any band online and then you could buy the one you actually want at checkout.
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I had the Milanese loop, but my wrist is too small. Not a fan. Sold it.
 
I have the SBSS S0 and while I really appreciate how sleek it is and everything, there have been plenty of bands I would buy but don't because it just doesn't work as well with the black. When I upgrade it will be to a SS for sure.
 
Nightrich said:
I have the SBSS S0 and while I really appreciate how sleek it is and everything, there have been plenty of bands I would buy but don't because it just doesn't work as well with the black. When I upgrade it will be to a SS for sure.
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Isn't it crazy, that after ALL this time, Apple has done nothing to address the band needs of this color? Why bother selling it at all then? So stupid.
 
jbachandouris said:
I recently sold my series 0 and am looking to buy a series 2. I want SS, but need to choose between space black and silver.

My concern with the space black is the band choices. Last time I checked, only the black sport band and black Milanese loop were the only OEM options. Has this changed?

Odds are that I will keep whatever band it comes with, so the answer may not matter in the long term.
Click to expand...

I have both the black stainless and regular stainless, and my preferences are with regular stainless. The black stainless is a great watch, but does lack the bands as you noted. The biggest advantage with the black stainless is the diamond like carbon coating on the watch.

Good luck with your decision and let us know what you choose.
 
Relentless Power said:
I have both the black stainless and regular stainless, and my preferences are with regular stainless. The black stainless is a great watch, but does lack the bands as you noted. The biggest advantage with the black stainless is the diamond like carbon coating on the watch.
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I have both as well. The SBSS is gorgeous, but the band selection is very limited. It will work with most of the sport bands, nylon bands and the leather loops, but if you choose a band where the connectors are SS, you need to go third party to find them in black.

I also wish Apple would offer more options for the SBSS, but IIRC most analog watches in black feature black bands or bracelets.

I really like my SBSS but my SS is much more versatile.
 
Returned my series 0 SBSS as well Bc the bands just didn't look good.

But for some reason it looked small on my wrist. Black makes things look smaller in general with clothes and shoes. Got a SS instead. Never going back.

I also owned the ceramic one but it looked like a plastic watch to me and couldn't get over it for the price point. Got the Hermes instead.
 
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The SBSS looks super sleek with the black Milanese or link bracelet. The only thing that is annoying is the lack of a black adapter for the black classic buckle. Not saying Apple should release a black adapter for each classic buckle colour, just the black one is sufficient.

In that regard, the main advantage of the regular SS is being able to use any of the coloured classic buckles, which allows you to mix and match colours to your outfit while still looking classy. You could even buy the Hermes straps if you wanted.

If you don't fancy the coloured classic buckles (or modern buckles for 38mm watches) or if u don't mind getting a black third party adapter, then the SBSS shouldn't be a problem. While you can change the adapter, the buckle will still be silver coloured, and that can also bother some people. All other bands don't have connector issues as stated by posters above.
 
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AndrewR23 said:
Returned my series 0 SBSS as well Bc the bands just didn't look good.

But for some reason it looked small on my wrist. Black makes things look smaller in general with clothes and shoes. Got a SS instead. Never going back.

I also owned the ceramic one but it looked like a plastic watch to me and couldn't get over it for the price point. Got the Hermes instead.
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I thought it was just me. Looked at one again today and it looking TINY and that was a 42mm.
 
AndrewR23 said:
Returned my series 0 SBSS as well Bc the bands just didn't look good.

But for some reason it looked small on my wrist. Black makes things look smaller in general with clothes and shoes. Got a SS instead. Never going back.

I also owned the ceramic one but it looked like a plastic watch to me and couldn't get over it for the price point. Got the Hermes instead.
Click to expand...

The Stainless is definitely my preference over my black stainless. And on a sidenote, the Ceramic Edition looks like a kids watch to me. Even though it has its true meaning with the lightweight and high durability with scratches. I think the stark white look to me throws me off.

I would be interested in the Ceramic Edition if Apple makes it in black one day. Which I believe they will.
 
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With the S0 I went for the Space Black and loved it but were really annoyed that it wasn't possible to get any of the classic buckle leather bands. Also looked quite a lot at 3rd party options at the time (completely dumped the idea of them now, but that's another thing) and 90% of the 3rd party options were for the SS as well.

To make a long story short I went for SS with the S2 and even though SBSS is an awesome looking colour my next is going to be SS as well. Just extremely good looking and very versatile

Good luck
 
It's all personal choice. I went with SB SS. I didn't even consider the SS. I really like the sleekness of the black. I've have 3 bands for it so far, all black, they go with anything I wear. Good luck, you can't go wrong with either!
 
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For the OP, go with your gut on this, especially since you think you're likely to stick with the band it comes with. SS definitely has more options but it can't do an all black look, which can be very sharp. I went with SS and like changing the bands, but I'm not everybody. And the SBSS works well with enough non-black bands (esp. third party bands) that you won't be out of luck if you want to change-up your look. Even among Apple's offerings, I think SBSS would look great with either of the leather loops, for example.
 
BullittMustang said:
It's all personal choice. I went with SB SS. I didn't even consider the SS. I really like the sleekness of the black. I've have 3 bands for it so far, all black, they go with anything I wear. Good luck, you can't go wrong with either!
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Even brown leather bands pair well with the black. The contrast sets off the two colors together and makes it easier to dress up or down.
 
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While SS has the versatility of band selection, SSBS is gorgeous and looks much better than SS. Black is my choice.
 
I swapped my S0 SS for a S2 SBSS and couldn't be happier. It is so much better looking in my opinion. It is frustrating that the band choices are limited, but luckily I had a black leather loop from before they were discontinued and that looks great with it. I've jut bought the Nike black/volt band, which also looks great. The Link is insanely expensive and not a great fit for me, so I'm passing on that. And I can't get past the asymmetry of the Milanese loop. I could never buy a non-Apple strap.
 
After a year, I traded my S0 SG Sport for an S2 SBSS. I never considered the SS for either purchase because I do not like how easily the SS scratches. Plus, I never liked the SS look for my non-Apple watches. Also, the SBSS matches my Black Titanium wedding ring almost perfectly!

I have the Black Leather Loop and the new Nike+ Anthracite/Black bands from Apple. I also bought two of the Nike knock-off bands (black/volt and black/gray) before Apple released their own.

The SBSS looks classy when dressed up with the leather loop and looks great when dressed down with one of the Nike bands that I use for running and on the weekends. My new favorite band is the Nike Anthracite/Black which would NOT look good with the SS model.

TxWatch
 
After much deliberating, I ordered the Silver 42mm Apple Watch 2 SS with white sport band from Best Buy (only sport band choice available).
 
It's not just lugs, but pins and buckles and loops as well. It's unfortunate. The black nylon band has a black buckle, the rest don't. The black sport band has a black pin, the rest don't. The leather loops have a stainless steel outlet.

Also, the anthracite looks great with SS. It matches the black display and black crown accent nicely.
 
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jbachandouris said:
After much deliberating, I ordered the Silver 42mm Apple Watch 2 SS with white sport band from Best Buy (only sport band choice available).
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Good choice. I know you mentioned the white band annoyed you on how it was the only option, but that's one of my favorite sports bands. It's clean looking and accents the stainless nicely. It's a good starter band once you add to the collection, which can be a slippery slope.
 
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Relentless Power said:
Good choice. I know you mentioned the white band annoyed you on how it was the only option, but that's one of my favorite sports bands. It's clean looking and accents the stainless nicely. It's a good starter band once you add to the collection, which can be a slippery slope.
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I'm not really a band changing guy. I only want one band. I'll pick up black sport band as soon as possible.
 
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