Apple Watch Bands FAQ: Everything you need to know!

Nike bands, new woven nylon colors — here's what's changed in the Apple Watch Spring 2017 collection!

Every Spring and Fall, Apple releases new watch bands for the Apple Watch, and this spring is no different. Watch band collectors like myself and Rene are pretty excited about the new lineup, which includes stand-alone Nike Sport bands (for the very first time! Hooray!), new multicolored Woven Nylon bands, and a new buckle design for the Classic Buckle.

What's so exciting about new bands?

SO SKEPTICAL. In all seriousness, though, they're a fun way to spruce up your watch-wearing experience, and a weird (but fun) collection item. Apple tends to release new collections every Fall and Spring, coinciding with the fashion industry's own collection releases, and new bands tend to adopt similar color schemes from the industry's lineup.

Tell me about the Nike Sport bands! It's true I can get them without buying a Sport watch now?

Yup! The Nike Sport bands are now available for any Apple Watch-wearer if you have $49 and a hankering for them. You can get them in Anthracite/Black, Pure Platinum/White, or Volt/Black, for either the 38mm or 42mm sizes.

Interesting to note: If you're buying a new Nike Sport Watch and band combo, you can now only get the Anthracite/Black or Pure Platinum/White band options paired with the watch — the Volt/Black option (AKA the neon green look) is now only available for standalone purchase.

Why would I want the Nike Sport band?

It depends on your preference, of course, but the Nike Sport band is superior to Apple's traditional Sport band for runners and other heavy exercisers thanks to its perforated fluoroelastomer design. The perforations help air your wrist out in a way the traditional Sport band can't, giving you a lighter and more breathable wear.

What about the regular Sport band? Any new colors there?

Three, in fact! You can now get the Sport band in Pebble (an off-white), Azure (a pale blue), or Camellia (a slightly reddish pink). Along with these entries, a number of older Sport bands have been retired; the current collection now looks as follows:

Camellia
Pebble
Azure
White
Pink Sand
Midnight Blue
Black
Product Red
Yellow
Concrete
Cocoa
Ocean Blue
Turquoise

There are new Woven Nylon bands, too?

Yes, and they're fun as fun can be: The new Woven Nylon models are largely tri-tone striped bands, and should look fantastic on the wrist. They include:

Orange Woven Nylon (dark blue/orange/light blue triblend)
Berry Woven Nylon (red/maroon/pink triblend)
Red Woven Nylon (sand/red/yellow triblend)
Pollen Woven Nylon (blue/lime/turquoise triblend)
Tahoe Blue (jean/sky blue/dark blue triblend)
Midnight Blue (dark blue single blend)

These bands join the existing Woven Nylon collection, which has also been paired down for 2017:

Pearl
Black
Light Pink/Midnight Blue
Yellow/Light Gray
Space Orange/Anthracite
Toasted Coffee/Caramel
Navy/Tahoe Blue

What about the Classic Buckle? I heard it's been redesigned?

You're correct! The Classic Buckle has an all-new square buckle closure and an array of new band colors to show it off:

Saddle Brown Classic Buckle
Berry Classic Buckle
Taupe Classic Buckle
Sapphire Classic Buckle
Red Classic Buckle
Midnight Blue Classic Buckle
Black Classic Buckle

The old colors and Classic Buckle design have been officially retired; if you have a curved rectangular Classic Buckle, congratulations — you now have a relic of the past.

Anything new for the other leather bands?

Like the other band collections, the other leather bands have had their options dramatically reduced: You can now only get the 42mm-only Leather Loop in Smoke Gray and Midnight Blue, while the 38mm Modern Buckle has been reduced to Midnight Blue and Black.

What about the Hermès bands?

There are a few new colors gracing the Hermès line this Spring, including:

Fauve Barenia Leather Double Tour (38mm only)
Bleu Zéphyr Epsom Leather Double Tour (38mm only)
Lime Epsom Leather Single Tour (42mm only)
Colvert Swift Leather Single Tour (42mm only)
Fauve Barenia Leather Single Tour (42mm only)
Fauve Barenia Leather Double Buckle Cuff (38mm only)

They join the existing (again, pared down) Hermès lineup, which includes:

Etoupe Swift Leather Double Tour (38mm only)
Rose Jaipur Epsom Leather Double Tour (38mm only)
Anémone Swift Leather Double Tour (38mm only)
Blue Agate Epsom Leather Double Tour (38mm only)
Bleu Jean Swift Leather Double Tour (38mm only)
Capucine Swift Leather Double Tour (38mm only)
Feu Epsom Leather Single Tour (42mm only)
Etoupe Swift Leather Single Tour (42mm only)
Bleu Agate Epsom Leather Single Tour (42mm only)
Capucine Swift Leather Single Tour (42mm only)
Etoupe Swift Leather Double Buckle Cuff (38mm only)
Rose Jaipur Epsom Leather Double Buckle Cuff (38mm only)
Bleu Agate Epsom Leather Double Buckle Cuff (38mm only)

Anything new for the stainless steel bands?

Nope. You can still pick up the Milanese Loop and the Link Bracelet in Silver and Space Black, but there are no new colors or styles there.

Any new hardware casings for Apple Watch?

Not this time around. If you want to buy a new Apple Watch, you have the following options:

Silver
Gold
Space Grey
Rose Gold
Stainless Steel
Ceramic

Apple has also dramatically reduced its paired watch-and-band collection: When you buy a new Apple Watch, you can only get it with a few specific band choices:

Silver Sport with White Sport Band
Space Grey Sport with Black Sport Band
Rose Gold Sport with Pink Sand Sport Band
Gold Sport with Midnight Blue Sport Band
Silver Nike Sport with Pure Platinum/White Nike Sport Band
Space Grey Nike Sport with Anthracite/Black Nike Sport Band
Space Black Stainless Steel with Black Sport Band
Stainless Steel with White Sport Band
Stainless Steel with Milanese Loop
Space Black Stainless Steel with Space Black Milanese Loop
Stainless Steel with Fauve Barenia Leather Double Tour (38mm only)
Stainless Steel with Fauve Barenia Leather Single Tour (42mm only)
Stainless Steel with Fauve Barenia Leather Single Tour Deployment Buckle (42mm only)
Stainless Steel with Fauve Barenia Leather Double Buckle Cuff (New for 2017, 38mm only)
Stainless Steel with Feu Epsom Leather Single Tour (42mm only)
Stainless Steel with Etoupe Swift Leather Double Tour (38mm only)

How can I preview how these bands will look?

If you can't get down to an Apple Store to see the bands in person, you can visit Apple's interactive watch gallery, which lets you preview cases and faces with the entire band collection.

Will the new bands fit both Series 1 and Series 2 Apple Watches?

Absolutely! Every Apple Watch and band has the same clasp and connection design. Fun fact: The 38mm bands will fit a 42mm Apple Watch (and vice versa), but they won't look particularly great if you do so.

What do I do if I really want a band Apple doesn't make anymore?

Right now, your best bet is to check Ebay or Etsy. You can also check out Amazon's many knockoff bands — they're not directly from Apple, but they still look great.

Apple Watch Bands for Less

Questions?

Other questions about the new Apple Watch bands? Let us know below!

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