NEWS – Since Apple has discontinued their Edition versions of the Apple Watch, there’s only the Hermes bands and faces to add a couture look to the Watch. But what if you could have a band made of the same material used to line Louis Vuitton bags or for covering the steering wheels in some Porsches, BMW M cars, and Lamborghinis? Yep, turns out that the suede-like Alcantara fabric (or Ultrasuede, as it was called when the synthetic microfiber fabric was invented back in the 1970s) can be used for Watch bands, too.
The Alcantara Watch Band is handcrafted in Italy of original Italian Alcantara. It has a metal buckle,color-matched stitching, and an Italian Rubberized Leather backing. It’s a unisex design, sized to fit the 42mm Watch. As offered by Fancy, the band featured here is available in red Alcantara, with your choice of white, yellow, red, or black metal hardware inserts to attach it to the Apple Watch. However, the 42mm band is also available in brown, indigo blue, and sapphire blue for $169. A blue version for the 38mm Apple Watch is available for $159. All bands come with a storage case and two tools. They ship from Italy and are available at the Fancy website.
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NEWS – Although the Trident Odyssey Valet looks like a protective display case for the Apple Watch, it’s more than that. The clear plastic top does keep dust off your Watch, but the base is a charging stand. And it’s powered by an internal battery to keep your Watch charged even when you’re away from a power source.
The charging cable for the Watch hides away in the base to keep everything looking neat. The internal 2600mAh lithium battery can charge your Watch multiple times, or you can charge both a Watch and an iPhone simultaneously. The LEDs on the front of the pedestal displays charging status for the battery. The clear top holds your iPhone while it charges
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NEWS – Forget about plastic, leather, or stainless steel bands – these Apple Watch bands from LAGOS are firmly pegged at the “fine jewelry” end of the spectrum. The Smart Caviar bands are made of sterling silver, 18K gold, and diamonds. Steven Lagos, the founder and Creative Director of LAGOS, says: “I’m a big fan of the Apple Watch® and love the functionality. It is perfectly designed for the sporty lifestyle but something was missing – there was no fine jewelry element to it.” He wanted to create a way to turn the sporty Watch into a jewelry Watch, and these Smart Caviar bands are undoubtedly a beautiful way to do so.
The partial diamond Smart Caviar band had 1.20 carats of diamonds and is $5000; the full-diamond band with 2.48 carats is $8500. All four styles accommodate both the 38mm and 42mm Apple Watch (Series 1, Series 2, and Series 3), and all come with a sizing tool and one extra link to ensure a comfortable fit. Additional links, if needed, may be purchased for $80 – $700 each, depending on the materials.
The LAGOS Smart Caviar bracelets are available exclusively at Bloomingdales (online and in-store). Learn more at Bloomingdales at the above links or at the LAGOS website.
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REVIEW – I’m a firm believer of the old adage “a place for everything and everything in its place.” I have a spot for my keys, wallet, and pocketknife, but when it came to my Apple Watch, it’s always been haphazardly placed on its charger next to my nightstand. Now, Studio Proper’s Apple Watch Stand gives that expensive Watch a dignified charging spot.
What is it?
Proper’s Apple Watch Dock is a simple, elegant stand for displaying and charging your Apple Watch, for use on a desk, counter or bedside table.
Hardware specs
designed for simple placement and removal of your Watch
seamless cable management
precision machined from solid aluminum
compatible with all series of Apple Watch
What’s in the box?
Only the Apple Watch Dock, but the packaging is nice
does not include charging cable
It’s a simple package, but nice.
Design and Features
Proper’s Stand couldn’t be easier to set up. It’s literally two pieces, the aluminum stand and a rubber piece that both holds the Apple Watch’s magnetic charging disc (not included) and the cable. Once assembled, which took all of 2 minutes, you’re left with a charging Stand with a long cable sticking out the back.
This simply plugs into a USB port or charging plug and you’re all set.
Step 1: feed the charging disc through
The Watch itself slips over the top of the stand and is held in place by the magnetic disc. It seemed to work better by clasping the bands first so that they hugged the stand a bit as they would a human wrist. This prevented it from slipping down a bit further and accidentally coming uncoupled from the disc.
Step 2: secure the disc in the rubber stopper
As far as functionality, that’s exactly what Proper’s Stand is made for. Holding, displaying and charging the Watch. However, it also acts as a bit of a damper to prevent the Watch display from coming on while in charging mode.
While the Watch is being charged, the slightest movement causes the display to illuminate. This includes footsteps, bed movements or even vibrations from the small fan that I have on my nightstand. The Stand acts as a small buffer against these accidental movements.
Step 3: slip the watch over the stand and BOOM, done
The material on the bottom of the Stand is like a hard plastic, which protects the surface its on, but also makes it a little slippery. It’s very easy to turn and move, depending on the surface. I would have appreciated a softer rubber but found a small cloth to add some friction between the Stand and my wooden nightstand.
In terms of looks, Proper’s Watch Stand is beautiful, sleek and goes with just about any design style. It’s basically a machine-carved solid chunk of aluminum, which is very “Apple.” It will look good for years and years.
What I like
nice, heavy aluminum stand gives my Watch a place to “sleep”
does a nice job of managing the charging cables and disc
What needs to be improved
the bottom could be a bit more grippy
expensive
Final thoughts
Having a charging stand for my Watch is a perfect example of a luxury you didn’t know you needed. It was fine to leave my watch just sort of laying haphazardly on top of whatever surface I placed it, but once I had a dedicated — and nice looking — place for it, it would be tough to go back. Proper’s stand is unnecessary, expensive, but undeniably lovely.
Price: $69.95 Where to buy:Studio Proper Source: The sample of this product was provided by Studio Proper.
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NEWS – I love my Apple Watch, and I love it even more after I replaced the Sport band with the Milanese band. I got the Milanese when I got the Series 1 Watch. Although I had the aluminum Watch, I thought the stainless Milanese worked well with it. When I upgraded to the Series 3 Watch, I just transferred my stainless Milanese band over to the new black Watch. I’d like to have a black Milanese, but I just don’t want to spend another $149.00 when the stainless one I have works fine. Casetify has some beautiful stainless steel mesh bands for the Apple Watch that are priced low enough that I just might take the plunge and get a black band.
The Casetify bands are styled like Apple’s own band. It’s infinitely adjustable to fit your wrist. It has a magnetic bar that holds the band closed, just like Apple’s. The Mesh Band is crafted with woven stainless steel, and it is available to fit both the 38mm and 42mm Series 1, 2, or 3 Watches. The 38mm band fits 5.5″-7.9″ wrists; the 42mm fits 5.9″-8.3″ wrists. The Casetify bands are available in rose gold (Series 1,2), yellow gold, gold aluminum (Series 3), space grey, purple, iridescent, silver aluminum, and black.
The normal price for these bands is $82, but they are on sale now for $66.00. The Stainless Steel Mesh Apple Watch Band is available at Casetify.
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