Whats so special about the Link Bracelet?

splogue said:
This has been covered many times now.

The Brietling SS link bracelet is $500. It is well-crafted, beautiful, and requires a jeweler with special tools to adjust the length.

The Apple SS link bracelet is the same, but with a better design and is $50 less.

Who cares how much the Apple Sport watch costs? It isn't even remotely the same item.

Honestly? You are surprised because you don't know anything about watches.
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The part in bold is a little harsh, but it's true. These bands and bracelets only seem high to those Apple fans that aren't familiar with the typical prices of higher end watch bands and parts. On paper (I haven't seen in in hand yet) the Link bracelet is one of the few parts of the Apple Watch I actually do like. The engineering seems impressive to a watch enthusiast like myself. And it's very reasonably priced compared to other watch bands. The bracelet and Glidelock clasp assembly on my Submariner is $2200, bracelet on my Tudor is $950, and bracelet for my DateJust II is approx $1300, just to name a few prices. Hell, the leather band and clasp option for that Tudor mentioned above is over $600. These are just "part of the game" of higher end watches, and Apple is definitely positioning the stainless watch and accessories against quality mechanical watches. So, they are pricing them accordingly. And actually, pretty fairly IMHO.
 
chris975d said:
Yeah, but those few that are cheaper are for some OLD Omegas. Not up to snuff on all the Omega reference numbers, but most if not all of those all look 1970's or before. Or some less than desirable models. Nothing modern that I can easily identify.
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Fair enough. Point taken. :)

That said, it's still pretty impressive that an owner today can buy a brand-new identical replacement bracelet for a 70’s model watch. Says a lot about the longevity of the watches themselves and the manufacturer's commitment to supporting their customers in what, for many, is a once in a lifetime purchase.

The other thing to note is that many of the newer bracelets are not that much more expensive, than Apple's link, but come from a Swiss manufacturer with a century and a half of watchmaking experience behind it.
 
rrandyy said:
Thank you! I just adjusted one of my Movado watches using this technique (after 3 years!).
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You're welcome! Ideally, I think that you're supposed to remove links until the micro-adjustment sits in the middle. Then it can be adjusted either looser or tighter.

My other Movado has both full size links and smaller links near the clasp to allow for various adjustments. Maybe the AW also has different sized links?
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That was my first thought. Link bracelets without micro-adjustment sometimes have half-link sizes to make up for it.

However, after looking at this Apple 3D view, I don't see any different size removable links on the Apple bracelet:

apple-link-bracelet.png

I would be pretty upset to buy one and have it end up being too loose because of this. Others may not care. Even nicer watches sometimes have the same problem.
 
I have a love-hate relationship with link bracelets. I love their looks and durability, but I can never get the fit right. I like my straps and bracelets to fit snug to keep the watch from rotating around the wrist but not uncomfortably tight. The problem is that during the day my wrists swell up a bit, not much but enough so that in the morning the bracelet would be too loose and in the evening it would be too tight.

I tried leather straps to get around issue, the distance between two holes is all the morning-to-evening variation I need. The big problem is that they deteriorate quickly under the influence of sweat and water, start smelling, and eventually fall apart. This typically takes no longer than a year.

The Milanese loop is the way out of this dilemma for me, it is the ideal solution in every respect. Plus, I love the looks of it.
 
Ron21 said:
I do wonder if it's solid or hallow. Based on the weight of the link bracelet, seems hallow :( Also, Apple hasn't advertised anywhere that it is solid links...

My solid stainless steel Orient band is a lot heavier and the dimension are very similar.

For $450 one would expect solid stainless steel at least. :confused:
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It's completely unclear what part of the band you think could be hollow (not "hallow"). And why would it be hollow?

Do you suspect that the links are made by folding pieces of thin sheet metal so they interlock? It's definitely not made that way. The links are made from solid pieces of SS. Clearly there are holes drilled in the pieces to accommodate the hinge pins. Do you call the link "hollow" because it has holes for the pins?

If the band it lighter than you expected, it's likely because it's quite thin compared to many link bracelets. If you prefer thick and heavy for the sake of thick and heavy, this probably isn't the right band for you.
 
MeFromHere said:
If the band it lighter than you expected, it's likely because it's quite thin compared to many link bracelets. If you prefer thick and heavy for the sake of thick and heavy, this probably isn't the right band for you.
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This is correct. It is thin by design, as it's derived from Marc Newson's Ikepod Megapod.
 
Arran said:
Anyone that's tried it on care to comment on how solid the clasp is?

Say the watch was in your sports bag and the clasp was open by accident. Is it solid enough to stand up to twisting/bending forces? Imaging throwing your bag in the trunk of your car, dropping bags of canned groceries on top and driving fast round corners. :)

Any worries?
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In my experience its really solid hard to Twist but if its old it would break.
Regards
JUNIBA
 
You can get a 1:1 knockoff on eBay for around 70$. They are identical.

I’ve had them side by side. I would guess they are probably made in the same factory on the same equipment when it’s not being run for apple.
 
Juansito said:
It just hit me that the link bracelet is $450 plus tax.

You can buy a 42mm apple watch sport with an extra band for that price. Why is it so special that apple thinks its worth more than an apple watch sport. Were the links forged by the Dark Lord Sauron himself or something....geez
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It is superior in build quality.

I like and use the Apple Leather Loops. Tried a similar model from Amazon and it looked like cr^p in only a few months.

One of my Apple Leather Loop still looks like new after over a year. It looked so good that I removed it from my AW3 and put it on my new AW4. I had bought a new one just for the new watch but the old one still looks like new.
 
Rameez777 said:
In my experience its really solid hard to Twist but if its old it would break.
Regards
JUNIBA
Click to expand...
Old thread! But I'm now in a position to agree wholeheartedly.

My original question was from 2015. In the interim, I bought three cheap knockoff replicas from Amazon and they were junk. Admittedly, they looked great when I opened the box and, in my ignorance, I thought I'd scored a bargain: Identical to the real thing and $400 cheaper! After a few weeks, one fell apart catastrophically and my $650 watch almost wound up on the (concrete) floor.

Never again.

I since bought the real thing in black and silver. The difference is night and day. Costs more, but a couple of years on and they're still beautiful. The space black is my favorite. I've worn it most days for couple of years and it looks like new. The silver has a few scratches. I could probably buff those out - if I could be bothered, haha.

But really, the engineering is impeccable. Enormously satisfying to use and wear. I like that sort of stuff. The technology in the watch body may age fast - and I've owned and discarded all previous watch generations so far, but I'll keep the bracelets for a long time.
 
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