Best apple watch straps 2022: Sports bands and leather styles for the series 3 and more

Best: Overall

• Available for: 40mm, 41mm, 44mm, 45mm only
• Apple Watch compatibility: Apple Watch SE, Apple Watch Series 4, 5, 6, 7
• Rating: 10/10

The solo loop is a single piece of silicone rubber that you stretch a little to take it on and off. It is soft and supremely supple, making it easily the most comfortable watch strap. The Apple Watch has a heart rate monitor on its back which needs constant contact with the skin, so it is important that the strap fits snugly. This means that the sizing is especially important with the solo loop as it’s non-adjustable. In Apple Stores, you can try it on, but online, there is a tool you can print out to help you find the right size. If your reading comes up on the line between two sizes, choose the smaller of the two.

The solo loop comes in seven colours, though these change periodically. The spring range is: abyss blue, white, chalk pink, eucalyptus, mineral green and two real standouts, nectarine and lemon zest. The solo loop is designed for Apple Watch SE, Apple Watch series 4 and newer only.

Best: For evening wear

• Available for: 38mm, 40mm, 41mm, 42mm, 44mm, 45mm
• Apple Watch compatibility: All Apple Watches
• Rating: 9/10

This band is very smart and suits formal or dressy occasions. The band is stainless steel and holds in place by attaching the magnetised end to the main strap exactly where it fits best. It comes in three colours, graphite, gold and silver so you can match it to the case colour of the watch. It is lightweight and feels great. It’s not water-resistant, so you’ll need another strap if you take your watch swimming, for instance.

Best: Traditional leather band

• Available for: 38mm, 40mm, 41mm, 42mm, 44mm, 45mm
• Apple Watch compatibility: All Apple Watches
• Rating: 8/10

Swiss leather crafter Lucrin is all about choice. There are more than 50 different finishes to choose from, in total, across four different leathers: smooth, granulated, crocodile style calfskin and real ostrich leather. Smooth and granulated cost £95, crocodile style calfskin is £119 and ostrich leather costs £149. Many are made to order, taking up to 10 days to be delivered. Quality is extremely high and the bands have good longevity as well as attractive looks and real comfort.

Best: Leather band for style

• Available for: 38mm, 40mm, 41mm, 42mm, 44mm, 45mm
• Apple Watch compatibility: All Apple Watches
• Rating: 8/10

The leather link has replaced the previous leather loop and comes in two lengths for each size of Apple Watch. For the smaller watch, there’s a small-to-medium size for wrists measuring 130-160mm and a medium-to-large for 140-180mm wrists. For the bigger case size, the small-to-medium fits 140-180mm wrists, while the medium-to-large suits 165-205mm wrists.

There are ridges that overlap when you rest it, holding it securely. The leather is soft but hard-wearing and works for casual as well as more formal occasions. There are four colours: golden brown, sequoia green, midnight and dark cherry.

Best: Leather band for feel

• Available for: 38mm. 40mm. 41mm, 42mm, 44mm 45mm
• Apple Watch compatibility: All Apple Watches
• Rating: 7/10

Nomad’s Watch straps are extremely high quality, like Apple’s own. The modern band is made of horween leather that feels so good you’ll want to touch it all the time. The leather gains an attractive patina eventually. As well as coming in two leather colours, rustic brown and black, there are two hardware finishes, with black or silver buckles.

Best: Everyday band

• Available for: 38mm, 40mm, 41mm, 42mm, 44mm, 45mm
• Apple Watch compatibility: All Apple Watches
• Rating: 9/10

Like the solo loop, the sport band is made of a super-soft, comfy material – fluoroelastomer – which looks good and feels great. The fastening is called pin-and-tuck: put the straps together and pin through one of the holes slightly loosely, then tuck the end inside the loop, which tightens the fit a little. There are seven colours to choose from. The strap lasts well, with no loss of elasticity or discolouration after a year and more. The current colours include three new ones for spring: bright green, lemon zest and blue fog. The others are starlight, product red, abyss blue and midnight.

Best: Active band

• Available for: 38mm, 40mm, 41mm, 42mm, 44mm, 45mm
• Apple Watch compatibility: All Apple Watches
• Rating: 8/10

Nomad’s active band pro is a clever combination material made of waterproof leather and FKM fluoroelastomer rubber lining, so it’s highly versatile. You can wear it for swimming or for smarter occasions. The inside is ridged to provide better ventilation during exercise. It’s a chunky and attractive look with black and brown finishes. It has the Nomad speciality of two choices of metal lugs, black and silver, to match the colour of the Apple Watch case. There are three colours to choose from: chalk, midnight and wisteria.

Best: Leather band for dressy occasions

• Available for: 38mm, 40mm, 41mm
• Apple Watch compatibility: All Apple Watches, smaller sizes only
• Rating: 7/10

This is perhaps Apple’s most elegant strap and it’s designed only for the 38mm, 40mm and 41mm Apple Watches. There are three different strap sizes, to suit, respectively, wrists sized 135-150mm, 145-165mm and 160-180mm.

Best: For sports

• Available for: 38mm, 40mm, 41mm, 42mm, 44mm
• Apple Watch compatibility: All Apple Watches
• Rating: 7/10

The woven nylon sport loop is simple and ideal for working out or swimming. Hook and loop fastening means that it’s completely adjustable and holds in place securely. The outer strap is secure even in more active sports and is designed so that moisture escapes easily. There are five versions, each with two colours. These are lavender grey/light lilac, oat milk/lemon zest, blue jay/abyss blue, midnight/eucalyptus and the most striking of all, nectarine/peony.

Best: For versatility

• Available for: 38mm, 40mm, 42mm, 44mm
• Apple Watch compatibility: Apple Watch SE, Apple Watch Series 4, 5, 6, 7 only
• Rating: 9/10

This is a matte, rougher-finish version of the solo loop and is made of braided polyester yarn filaments. The same measurement system is used as for the solo loop above so, as above, choose the size carefully. The textured finish is comfortable and appealing, and this strap is water-resistant so fine for on the beach or in the pool, working out or more formal occasions. It’s very versatile. Choose between a highly eye-catching flamingo, bright green (also very punchy), abyss blue, starlight and product red. There’s also a brilliant Pride edition band with rainbow colours woven in. And another special edition, Black unity which is black with flecks of green, red and yellow. Over months of use, there is a little give in this strap, but not enough to change the fit significantly.

Best: Titanium band

• Available for: 42mm, 44mm, 45mm
• Apple Watch compatibility: All Apple Watches, larger sizes only
• Rating: 8/10

If you have an Apple Watch in titanium finish, there’s no option from Apple to have a strap from the same material. Nomad has created this band, in two colours, designed to match either the titanium or the space black titanium casing. It has its own magnetic clasp which is attractive and comfortable. To ensure the perfect fit, Nomad has included instructions and special tools so you can add or remove links as needed. Designed for larger-sized Apple Watches only.