Best Third Party Apple Watch Bands

I’ve had my Apple Watch for a while now and when I first got it, not many people had one so it automatically stood out from the crowd. Today, it’s another story as more and more people get them.  I’ve been trying to make my Apple Watch stand out and the best way I’ve found is by changing the band.  Here are some of best third party Apple Watch bands I’ve found.

I’m sure if you’re reading this article,  you already know that getting your band from Apple can be quite expensive, they range anywhere from $49 up to a whopping $449 for the link bracelet!  So I was on a quest to make my Apple Watch stand out without breaking the bank and this is what I discovered.

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Let’s dive right in and start with my least favorite, I thought I would like it but the verdict’s still out.  In fact I haven’t even worn it yet!  This band is supposed to be leather, however I don’t like the way that bottom side is made and just the way that it fits, it just didn’t feel right to me. I purchased this from Amazon for $15.99, it’s made by a company called Jet Tech and comes in several different colors.  To me, this band just looks thin and feels a bit flimsy.

Now on to my favorites that I’ve tried so far.

First up is the “classic buckle” and again I got this one from Amazon for about $20. The manufacturers claim that this is premium genuine leather and I must admit, this really did give me the leather feel.  I wouldn’t call it top quality leather, but it’s really pretty good.  It also fits nicely on my wrist and the bright red color really makes my watch standout!  I’ve gotten quite a few compliments while wearing this band.

See It On Amazon

Now this next band has very basic packaging, the box’s description is written in broken english, but don’t let that distract you.  I would definitely give this third party Apple Watch band my thumbs up, in fact I bought 2 already!  I ordered the black leather buckle, it’s really comparable to the original when you look at it while it’s on your wrist. It fits well, has nice stainless steel adapters and everything comes set up so you don’t have to do anything except slide it in place (stainless steel version).  For what I paid, this band has exceptional quality and it’s quite beautiful.

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The other one I purchased from this manufacturer is a brown suede band.   I’ve worn this a lot and you can probably tell by looking at it that it’s got some wear on it!  It’s suede, so you want to be careful because any type of liquids will stain the watch band or it might just look a little worn to some and add character. I really do think it’s leather and it feels great!

So even though this packaging looks like crap, the bands you get from this company are well worth it! For me, I’ll spend $25 all day as opposed to $49 to  $449! 

Check out the reviews on Amazon

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One of my other favorites is this black Milanese loop.  The only downside is that you can see through it more than you can when compared to the real Milanese loop.  I’ve worn this numerous times and it hasn’t scratched at all, I’ve read some other places where people have said the black has come off on their third party Milanese loop. Not on mine!  The magnetic closure is top notch and I think I will even try another color from this company.  I purchased this from eBay and I paid I think about $30 and it’s worth to me every penny because the real Milanese loop retails for $149!

See this on Ebay

My latest band that I just bought is made by a company called Casetify.   The packaging on this one a lot more upscale than the others and they specialize in doing custom bands and cases.  One of the unique things about Casetify is that you can design your own from photos or patterns or you can order from their pre-designed selections.

I decided to buy one from their collection.  Their bands are made from a soft plastic material and it feels comfortable.  I think this would a good band to use while working out.  One thing I don’t like is that these bands retail for $80 (I got a coupon and saved 25%) which is still kind of pricey compared to some of these other third party bands.  The adapter does not match the stainless steel on my Apple Watch,  it looks like it’s some type of brushed steel and if you’re paying 80 bucks you should be able to get a little better quality! That’s a little “pet peeve” of mine especially when you’re paying that much money for the band, the adapter should match up perfectly.

I like the band overall it’s really nice, very flexible and it’s pretty lightweight. Also I think it’ll be tough to run into someone with the exact same band design, so you can be unique with your Apple Watch fashion! I think that I’m going to order another one from this company because I want something with a splash of color!

Castify Website

These are some of the best third party Apple Watch bands I’ve found so far,  if you know of another third-party Apple Watch band that rocks your Apple Watch, let me know in the comments below.