Apple kills its best Apple Watch band — the Leather Loop is no more

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Apple Watch Leather Loop
Apple Watch Leather Loop (Image credit: iMore)

What you need to know

  • With the release of Apple Watch Series 7, Apple has killed off the Leather Loop band.
  • Those buying leather will now have to choose the Leather Link or Modern Buckle instead.

After six years, the time has come to say goodbye to the best Apple Watch band the company has ever made — the Leather Loop.

Following the announcement of the hot new Apple Watch Series 7 and the refreshing of the Apple Store, it appears Apple is no longer selling the popular Leather Loop. As of right now, those looking to bag a leather band from Apple will have to buy the Leather Link or Modern Buckle instead. Or splash the cash on one of the Hermès models, instead.

While it's true the Leather Link band is similar to the Leather Loop, it doesn't loop through itself and instead relies on stronger magnets to hold itself together.

I was a huge fan of the Leather Loop, and I wasn't the only one. Rene Ritchie, reviewing the band when it launched in 2015:

The Leather Loop isn't for those who want something to exercise with or take into the shower, or for anyone who wants something closer to a classic buckle. The Leather Loop is for those who want something different. It's for those who want the feel of leather but a look unlike any buckle. For those who want endless adjustability and casual comfort that's still good looking enough for a night on the town.Though I've been wearing it for a few weeks, the Leather Loop still looks as good as the day it arrived. There's no visual signs of wear or staining or anything at all. I'll be interested to see how that holds up over the next few weeks and months. Either way, the Leather Loop has become one of my favorite bands. I highly recommend the Leather Loop and look forward to wearing it on many more occasions.

Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.