So you have just bought an entry level Apple Watch Sports edition which comes with the sports strap. You would like to wear the watch for work but it does not really match the occasion. What do you do? Well, the solution is simple, get another Apple watch strap to match a more formal setting.
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| - image taken from Apple Store Singapore |
However, if you decide to get the official Apple watch strap, it will set you back by another S$218. That would place your whole Apple Watch collection at S$518 + S$218 = S$726 and if you are on a tight budget, this may not seem affordable. But fret not as with all Apple products, there would always be other alternatives for you to consider and in this case, more affordable third party Apple Watch straps.
I will be presenting to you a three parts post on the Apple Watch straps available. In part 1 of these post, I will be looking at some of the metal and leather straps that are available from Amazon and Qoo10.
iVapo US - Apple Watch Straps (Metal and Leather)
iVapo US carries the metal straps from Hoco. The metal straps comes in two sizes (38mm and 42mm) and is available in four colours being silver, space grey, gold and pink. Do take note that the metal clasp has the label Hoco printed on it. It comes with a tool, a mini-vise, for you to adjust the metal links to fit the size of your wrist.
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| Colours Available |
Pros (From comments by buyers)
- Looks good with jackets
- Fits well on wrist with a sturdy metal clasp
- Good and solid feel to the watch strap
- Easy to replace
Cons
- An isolated case where a user commented that the pins were loose but the seller contacted the buyer to resolve the matter.
- The leather straps available received a lower rating compared to the metal straps (Take note when buying)
The iVapo US Metal Apple watch strap is available over at Amazon - iVapo US Apple Watch Strap.
Oittm Apple Watch Straps (Metal and Milanese)
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| Milanese style metal strap |
Very similar to the Hoco straps carried by iVapo US, the Oittm metal straps looks very good and with the many positive reviews that was given for it, I am inclined to choose Oittm over iVapo US. The watch straps also comes in four colours being silver, space grey, gold and pink. Oittm does not have any leather straps available but they do offer the Milanese style metal strap that is retailing at S$218. Do take note that the logo Oittm is printed on the metal clasp. It comes with a tool similar to Hoco, to remove pins from the metal links to fit your wrist. (Yup the strap is packaged with a mini-vise).
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| Tool that comes with the watch |
Pros
- Many positive reviews from buyers
- Solid feel to the straps
- Provides good fit on the wrist
- Has the Milanese loop design
Cons
- A case where the band adaptor was loose but can be replaced with another
Generally, the third party metal straps from Oittm and Hoco appears to be of better quality compared to the leather ones as it seems that some of the leather straps tend to feel more plastic than leather. In addition, for the leather straps, some of the metal buckles are gold instead of silver.
The metal straps offered by Oittm and iVapo US looks uncannily similar. I guess it's from the same manufacturer but just that the labels are different. Ultimately, it boils down to the service and quality of delivery that the sellers provide to determine which strap is better.
In part 2 of the review, we would be looking at some of the sports, rugged and leather editions of the Apple watch strap. Stay tuned.
Do take a look at how easy the Apple watch strap can be changed.
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