Apple Watch Hermes bands to be sold separately, come in 4 new colors on April 19
Apple and French fashion house Herm?s on Thursday revealed an upcoming expansion to their collaborative Apple Watch effort, unveiling four new band colors and announcing that each luxury leather accessory will be available for individual purchase later this month.
Apple and Herm?s chose to break the news through various fashion outlets like Elle, which said the new editions are due to arrive at Apple Store and Herm?s outlets on April 19. Herm?s also updated its dedicated Apple Watch website with color and pricing details.
When Apple Watch Herm?s launched last October as a special luxury package -- a stainless steel Watch with special watch faces and exclusive leather straps -- included bands were offered in Fauve (deer brown), Etain (tin gray), Capucine (red), and Bleu Jean (blue). Color availability was dependent on size and style.
In two weeks, the bands become standalone accessories for the first time, and Herm?s will add peacock blue, sapphire blue, white and its iconic orange shade to its Apple Watch palette.
As for pricing, individual bands start at $340 for 38mm and 42mm Single Tour versions. The 42mm model will be available in sapphire blue, deer brown, fire orange and black, while the 38mm version adds white and peacock blue to that list.
The popular Double Tour design, limited to 38mm Apple Watch models, sells for $490 for both regular and long strap lengths. Regular models will be available in white, peacock blue, sapphire blue, tin gray, deer brown and fire orange, while the "long" edition comes in deer brown. Finally, the large 42mm Cuff design will sell for $690 and is limited to deer brown.
Initially available only at select brick-and-mortar locations, Apple Watch Herm?s went up for online sale in January. Whether Herm?s plans to extend the new colorways to complete device and strap packages is unclear.
Apple and Herm?s chose to break the news through various fashion outlets like Elle, which said the new editions are due to arrive at Apple Store and Herm?s outlets on April 19. Herm?s also updated its dedicated Apple Watch website with color and pricing details.
When Apple Watch Herm?s launched last October as a special luxury package -- a stainless steel Watch with special watch faces and exclusive leather straps -- included bands were offered in Fauve (deer brown), Etain (tin gray), Capucine (red), and Bleu Jean (blue). Color availability was dependent on size and style.
In two weeks, the bands become standalone accessories for the first time, and Herm?s will add peacock blue, sapphire blue, white and its iconic orange shade to its Apple Watch palette.
As for pricing, individual bands start at $340 for 38mm and 42mm Single Tour versions. The 42mm model will be available in sapphire blue, deer brown, fire orange and black, while the 38mm version adds white and peacock blue to that list.
The popular Double Tour design, limited to 38mm Apple Watch models, sells for $490 for both regular and long strap lengths. Regular models will be available in white, peacock blue, sapphire blue, tin gray, deer brown and fire orange, while the "long" edition comes in deer brown. Finally, the large 42mm Cuff design will sell for $690 and is limited to deer brown.
Initially available only at select brick-and-mortar locations, Apple Watch Herm?s went up for online sale in January. Whether Herm?s plans to extend the new colorways to complete device and strap packages is unclear.
Comments
This definitely takes some of the exclusivity off of buying the Hermes edition. Not sure why they wouldn't have at least priced the bands so that they didn't compete with the Hermes edition.
What surprises me is that Apple has not gotten more brands to issue their own Apple Watches, such as a Tag Heuer Apple Watch, a Montblanc Apple Watch, a Dunhill Apple Watch, etc. This would take some of the remaining "nerd" stigma from the Apple Watch as people would probably pay more attention to *which* Apple Watch you are wearing. You'd be seen as wearing a Dunhill, not a tech gadget bought at an electronics store. None of the watch makers that pride themselves on movements will do this (such as Rolex, Panerai, Patek), but the luxury brand watch makers will.
(My wife wears a Hermes and it is much nicer and more sophisticated than a normal Apple Watch; and while I bought the Sport to try the Watch out, I do want to upgrade when the next design comes out to a more upmarket design, and would be more than happy to pay a premium for a Montblanc or Omega watch face and band)
Hermes also makes sense because of the bands (they are noticeably nicer than the standard Apple bands).
Because Apple Watch really created a third-party ecosystem for interchangeable bands with its two simple sizes and it innovative connector. How do I swap bands easily between my Rolex, Baume and Mercier, Movado, etc? So this creates a market, and Herme's is being smart here. My wife has been wanting the Double Tour for a while, but already has a 38mm...
Better being the consort of the rising king than the leader of a ruined land
Watch sales are about to fall off the cliff and Hermes knows it.
Hermes realizes that doing its own sub par Android Watch is not going to cut it; they don't have the expertise.
Selling accessories for smart watches correspond more to their core business than fighting Apple on watches.
Hermes doesn't just sell watches, in fact its just one of 14 products they sell.
With Apple going into Upmarket fashion and Hermes still being a small fashion firm ($4B sales) compared to other giants like Louis Vuiiton, they're a nice fit
A more prominent watchmaker or fashion house would probably have more difficulty integrating with Apple's products.
Hermes gains exposure to group that maybe were buying from other fashion brands.
And then where does it stop? If Hermes sells their exclusive leather watch bands, what about their exclusive digital watch faces? Why not sell those and make even more money with those, whether a customer buys the Hermes edition watch or not?
A few people showed me they're Hermans Cuff, some knock off they got from eBay or Amazon and said "Look, it's just like the real thing!"
No, no it's not. I look at those bands and they scream KNOCKOFF!! If they're happy with a Rolexx or whatever fine. I'm not.
My wife previously ordered a single tour Hermes from Apple to go with her Apple Watch.
Just got a Hermes Apple Watch with the double cuff for a 50th anniversary gift.
Faces are great, and the included orange sport band with the Hermes stamp, matches the orange dials perfectly. Sharp look. So now my wife is wearing the orange sport band most of the time. Who knew?
What I don't like. When you spend. $ 1499 for a Watch, you should get a choice of colors. Not so. The brown comes with it. You want a different color, it's another $ 699.
Recommend you order one with the less expensive single tour, and buy the double cuff in your preferred color, separately. Or, just wear the orange sport band most of the time, and the leather on occasions. The watch is waterproof, not the leather band.