The best Apple Watch straps and bands for every size, every taste and every budget.
It’s difficult to pick the best Apple Watch bands when there are so many on sale. Apple has its own batch of options but there is a booming third party Apple Watch strap market with a dizzying number of options.
Not all of the bands and straps are great though, and that’s where we come in. We’ve used all the Apple Watch models since the first one in 2015 and know a thing or two when it comes to spotting which bands will be best to buy.
Apple updated the Apple Watch design with the Apple Watch 4 and Apple Watch 5, but straps will fit these models even if they are designed for an earlier version as the small and large sizes are interchangeable. You just have to make sure you’re buying the right size – Apple Watch 4 and 5 have 40mm (small) and 44mm (large) sizing, while older Watches are 38mm (small) and 42mm (large).
The biggest variables for straps are design and price – some bands are understated while some are extravagant accessories. Sometimes it’s hard to tell why one is more expensive than another, too.
We’ve ranked these Apple Watch band options from cheapest to most expensive. We think there’s something there for everybody until we see what Apple has to offer when it launches the Apple Watch 6 sometime later this year.
These are products that we haven’t had in our test labs, but based on our experts’ opinion and knowledge of the most reputable brands around, we think these are worth looking at.
Our selections, ranked from cheapest to most expensive, takes into account online reviews, brand reputation, product capability or unique features, to help you pick through the maze of choices available to you.
If you like the leather strap look but don’t want to fork out for the official Apple leather bands then look no further from this curiously named option. Chok Idea’s simple leather strap apes the fastening of the Apple Sport Loop for a true melding of ideas at a fine price.
The leather may be a tad stiff and take a few wears to break in but after that it should age splendidly. It’s available in either Watch size and a whole host of colours.
Pedants would argue that these aren’t NATO bands, because that describes a very particular kind of strap that runs under the watch itself, whereas these are two-part Apple Watch straps. But screw those guys!
These NATO-a-likes look very much like the real thing and come in a range of designs clearly designed to cover all bases – so there’s a good old-fashioned US flag right next to a brightly colored Pride rainbow (although unlike Apple’s Pride band there’s no charity benefiting here), and plenty of other options too.
Casetify’s printed bands are tons of fun, and probably cheaper than you might expect. Made from cruelty-free faux leather, the bands come in a dizzying variety of designs and colors from animal prints and bold florals to geometric patterns, emoji and flags.
There should be something here to suit all tastes and all kinds of looks: for example, there’s a beautiful black strap with dark red and grey florals that would go well with a nice frock, or you could relive the 1990s with fluorescent smiley faces.
Straps come in both watch sizes and you can choose between gold, black or silver fixings and buckles.
You don’t get many Apple Watch straps offering a five-year warranty, but then you don’t get many Apple Watch straps made as beautifully as this.
Handmade in San Francisco from a single piece of nylon and with hardware that’s noticeably higher quality than the majority of similar products, these straps come in a variety of colors including NATO-style stripes in sober and fun colors.
