Apple Watch gets larger Sport bands & Link Bracelet Kit, activates orders for Modern Buckle
Apple on Friday quietly introduced several new band options for Apple Watch focusing on options for people with larger wrists, while at the same time activating orders for the standalone Modern Buckle.
The Sport Band is now available in an large and extra large sizes at no extra cost, but only for owners of 42-millimeter Watches. Meanwhile a Link Bracelet Kit, costing $49, lets owners of the 42-millimeter Link Bracelet stretch the size of the band by up to six more links.
The Modern Buckle -- exclusively for 38-millimeter Watches -- can finally be purchased as a separate accessory for $249 in small, medium, or large sizes. The band has been listed on Apple's website for months, but until today was simultaneously quoted as unavailable. That forced people considering the product to choose it during their original Watch purchase.
In the U.S., the Link Bracelet Kit is currently shipping in five to seven business days, while Modern Buckles have a one- to two-week delay.
Apple has been fine-tuning its sales of the Watch since the device launched in April, for instance by changing the way shoppers browse through bands on the online Apple store. The biggest shift came in June, when the product moved into retail outlets for the first time.
As of this month customers will also be able to shop for the Watch and accessories at Canadian and American Best Buy outlets, and Harvey Norman in Australia.
The Sport Band is now available in an large and extra large sizes at no extra cost, but only for owners of 42-millimeter Watches. Meanwhile a Link Bracelet Kit, costing $49, lets owners of the 42-millimeter Link Bracelet stretch the size of the band by up to six more links.
The Modern Buckle -- exclusively for 38-millimeter Watches -- can finally be purchased as a separate accessory for $249 in small, medium, or large sizes. The band has been listed on Apple's website for months, but until today was simultaneously quoted as unavailable. That forced people considering the product to choose it during their original Watch purchase.
In the U.S., the Link Bracelet Kit is currently shipping in five to seven business days, while Modern Buckles have a one- to two-week delay.
Apple has been fine-tuning its sales of the Watch since the device launched in April, for instance by changing the way shoppers browse through bands on the online Apple store. The biggest shift came in June, when the product moved into retail outlets for the first time.
As of this month customers will also be able to shop for the Watch and accessories at Canadian and American Best Buy outlets, and Harvey Norman in Australia.
Comments
I brought a Chinese knock off of the Apple Link Bracelet for 85 dollars. That is what the clone looks like.
THE GOOD:
It emulated the look of the links of the official Apple one to a t. Significantly cheaper than the $450 Apple variation.
THE BAD:
It was difficult to remove unlike the official Apple bands. Also, the tiny rubber connectors were already wearing off after a few days. There is no button behind links. The clasp is different from the official one and pushes into your skin. Requires paper clip to remove links.
THE UGLY:
It was pretty sub standard quality but with a marvelous look. From resizing three times, a pin broke and wouldn't connect the link anymore. Basically, its a story of you get what you pay for. Returned it to seller on eBay.
I own the official Apple Link Bracelet now. Very happy with it. My wallet is not.
I must admit, at first I was smitten by the Milanese Loop, but the Modern Buckle has grown on me.
Has anyone got experience with a Modern Buckle ? watch?:
How comfortable is it to wear? My concern is that the Buckle might touch the desk surface too often when typing on a Qwerty keyboard?
"Meanwhile a Link Bracelet Kit, costing $49, lets owners of the 42-millimeter Link Bracelet stretch the size of the band by up to six more links."
Come ON, Apple! That's just insane. It cost me $500 for my link bracelet, and it's one link short of being perfect. For that, you expect me to shell out $50 MORE???!!!
I've been a supporter of Apple in many different ways since 1984. This is simply unacceptable to me. IF you have a link bracelet, and it's too tight, then GIVE people the links they need. Anything else is just greed. And greed is not becoming to you, Apple. Not becoming at all.
For the extra links? Of course! They have to draw the line somewhere with how many links the provide or the price would simply be more. My suggestion is to A) buy the kit and then sell the remaining for 4 link on eBay for $8-12 each thereby recouping most or all of your cost, or
Is that standard practice among watch makers? What if you can't come into the store where they can verify your wrist size and ownership of the watch with the proper band; how many of these extra links should Apple send out. Considering that it takes 10 hours to polish each link bracelet and the additional cost for the link bracelet, not to mention the links you are buying all have additional mechanics in them, I'd say that that $8.17 per finished stainless steel link is quite reasonable.
edit: Yikes! Looks like $8-12 would be a steal right now.
They have to draw the line somewhere with how many links the provide or the price would simply be more. My suggestion is to A) buy the kit and then sell the remaining for 4 link on eBay for $8-12 each thereby recouping most or all of your cost, or
Baloney. People with wrists larger than the maximum are not common, probably 1/100th or less of your customer base. It's a tiny price to pay. Keeping your customers happy is the bottom line for a company like Apple.
And nothing could be easier than for Apple to ship these kits to Apple stores and let people know that they can come in and get them for free.
"What if you can't come into the store where they can verify your wrist size and ownership of the watch with the proper band?" Then have them pay for shipping for the links and charge them $8-12 each.
You're just trying to find excuses for Apple. There aren't any.
Trying to be reasonable is not finding excuses. eBay doesn't just have link for Apple Watch, but all sorts of extra links from companies for sale. Here are half the links for half the price for some other brand...
If these were free from all watch manfacturers there would be no market for selling them at such high prices, right? So don't get your reasoning for thinking Apple should give away free high-quality stainless steel parts with intrigue mechanics inside? That has to cost money so either you're paying for it with an even more expensive Watch, which may be more than the $49 charge for just one link since of all the giveaways involved (I'd certainly go pick one to check out the fit and finish, and mechanics if it were free), or it's going to be folded into the cost of all Watches which may increase their price and/or reduce their features and/or fit and finish in some way. Why would you want that? I certainly don't think my custom made condoms should cost the same as the little ones sold in stores¡
PS: I was actually trying to find you a solution that would yield you the link(s) you need without incurring any cost. Life is more fulfilling when you find solutions, not problems.
Trying to be reasonable is not finding excuses. eBay doesn't just have link for Apple Watch, but all sorts of extra links from companies for sale. Here are half the links for half the price for some other brand...
If these were free from all watch manfacturers there would be no market for selling them at such high prices, right? So don't get your reasoning for thinking Apple should give away free high-quality stainless steel parts with intrigue mechanics inside? That has to cost money so either you're paying for it with an even more expensive Watch, which may be more than the $49 charge for just one link since of all the giveaways involved (I'd certainly go pick one to check out the fit and finish, and mechanics if it were free), or it's going to be folded into the cost of all Watches which may increase their price and/or reduce their features and/or fit and finish in some way. Why would you want that? I certainly don't think my custom made condoms should cost the same as the little ones sold in stores¡
PS: I was actually trying to find you a solution that would yield you the band(s) you need without incurring any cost. Life is more fulfilling when you invent solutions, not problems.
Apple has already made plenty off of me, and clearly failed to think about the fact that people like me exist and make allowances beforehand. Then they pull this six link minimum stunt. I have no problem paying $8-12 for a bonafide Apple extra link. But that's not going to happen. It COULD happen, but Apple would have to pull its head out of its *** to make it happen, like by telling its Apple stores that they can sell extra links for that price.
Thanks for trying to find a solution for people like me. But this is all in Apple's court. They have the only possible solution in hand.
I must admit, at first I was smitten by the Milanese Loop, but the Modern Buckle has grown on me.
Has anyone got experience with a Modern Buckle ? watch?:
How comfortable is it to wear? My concern is that the Buckle might touch the desk surface too often when typing on a Qwerty keyboard?
It's a great bracelet. I'm forced to wear it one link smaller than would be comfortable. Fortunately, I'm "beefy", so my flesh tends to squish out enough to barely make a fit. But when I do heavy work, it gets pretty darned tight. Not good.
I'm rough on watches, which is why I went the SS route. The buckle is not as hard as the watch, by any measure. It scuffs much more easily than the watch. I don't really care, since I didn't buy it to look pretty. If it gets too scuffed looking, I'll just take it to a jewelers and have them buff out the scuffs. Plenty of metal there for that.
I can see why they charge the price, though ($500). It's really a mechanical thing of beauty. If it turns out that there's an "upgrade" path for my watch, so that I can trade it in for a new one in a few years, then the band will stay with me for the maximum couple of decades I have in front of me. It would be cool if it turns out to be the last watch band I'll ever need to own.
Edit: I'm EXTREMELY impressed by the sapphire lens! Not a mark on it, and as I said, I'm rough on watches.
so what would stop people from collecting free link bogusly?
the band is $500. why should its parts be free?
so you're not going to buy the pack and sell the other links at a crazy profit? sounds like you're just here to complain, not solve your problem.
newsflash -- we aren't Apple.
so what would stop people from collecting free link bogusly?
the band is $500. why should its parts be free?
Well, thanks for reminding us of Prohibition...
If Apple were providing the very occasional extra link free,
there'd be no no reason to be "collecting [them] bogusly",
since there'd be no Black Market (or secondary market) for them anymore...
They want $49 because they're offering six links, when, in fact,
most slightly plus-size-wristed people won't need six (but that's what'll create the aftermarket),
so you're not going to buy the pack and sell the other links at a crazy profit? sounds like you're just here to complain, not solve your problem.
newsflash -- we aren't Apple.
Yeah. That must be it. I'm here to complain. That's why I offered a solution - sell them as separate links at the Apple store. You probably didn't get that far, though.
I did get a little hot in saying they should be free, though. I retract that.
When you going to the store to buy clothing are larger sizes more expensive and than their smaller counterparts? You would think there would be enough margin built into the price of the link bracelet that Apple could offer a larger size without charging more money.
OK, that's a much more reasoned approach. Your previous comments made you sound entitled, which I didn't care for.
Yes, I do agree that Apple should simply sell them one link at a time. How many people will ever need all 6 links? Surely the most common need is one link, then two, and so one as we get further away from the normal adult male wrist size.
Additionally, if on is a frequent and longtime wearer of watches with link bracelets, is the bracelet size of their 42mm Watch standard, or is on the small side? Meaning, compared to other watches is it missing a link on each side to shore up the inside circumference?
They include 8 sizes for the standard link bracelets for both the 38mm and 42mm sizes in both silver and black. However, "without charing more money" is ridiculous as the are surely charging for those 8 removal links for the $949, $999, $1049 an $1099 prices.
What's funny about all this whining is that if they had simply added 3 more links on each side by raising the prices by $50 they would get one more $1 per sale, there would be virtually no need for aftermarket links, I doubt that the extra $50 would have prevented hardly anyone from not buying it at the slightly higher price, and [@]Sacto Joe[/@] might have been praising Apple for having the forethought of including enough links to support his Brobdingnagian wrist size. You can please some of the people...
It's a great bracelet.
How tolerant is the leather strap to moisture -- e.g., sweat or rain?
I like the look but wouldn't want the leather to ripple or blister when wet (as happens with most natural leather).
I can't answer your question but it's a good segue for me to bring up my port band on my black Watch Sport, which means the metal in the clasp is aluminum and not SS or gold, which I assume is the case for other other subcategories.
Last week I noticed the inside plate of the black metal rivet used for connected to two straps, seems to have what appear to be little white air bubbles under a thin film, but it's flat to the touch and I can't seem to remove any film on the aluminium. So is that an actual discoloration of the anodizing?
Then today I noticed the inside of one of the straps (same side as the metal rivet) there what appears to be thin clear film that has worn away on part of that strap that touches my skin the most. This is slightly white in color (more light refracting though it giving it a white appearance?) and resembles skin pealing after a sunburn, except on a much smaller scale.
Good luck!
I like to keep abreast of these things
That Modern Buckle looks really cool. But along with the white Sport Band that came with my watch, I purchased the Milanese Loop as well. I just can't bring myself to drop another $249 on yet another band.
But I want it.