What you need to know
- Apple VPs sat down with HYPEBEAST to talk about Apple Watch bands.
- The executives talk about the challenges in creating bands that stay compatible and functional.
There's a lot more to Apple Watch bands than meets the eye.
In a new interview with HYPEBEAST, two Apple executives sat down to talk about the
Evans Hankey, Apple's Vice President of Industrial Design, said that the team has stayed committed to ensuring backward compatibility with watch bands that have created an "unbelievable number of potential combinations, well into the thousands."
Our goal has always been to create something that is beautiful, comfortable, and functional, and both pays homage to the rich history of watchmaking but also reflects the distinct individuality of the wearer.Since the first Apple Watch to today's Series 7, the interchangeability of the band has been a cornerstone of the product. Between the band style and color, the material of the Watch housing, and which Watch face you've selected and customized, the system affords an unbelievable number of potential combinations, well into the thousands. Each time we have refined the Apple Watch's design, we have pushed ourselves to maintain backward compatibility, which has been no small feat as the display has grown over the years.
Stan Ng, Apple's Vice President of Product Marketing, said that a major challenge with its bands is that all of them "must support the functionality of the Apple Watch."
For example, the velcro tabs on the Sport Loops, magnets on the Milanese Loop and Leather Link, and nine sizes of Solo Loop and Braided Solo Loop make it easy to adjust or find the right band size for a perfect fit.This ensures the watch is comfortable to wear — not too snug and not too loose — while also enabling features like all-day heart rate tracking, blood oxygen readings, and on-wrist detection that allow you to use Apple Pay or unlock your iPhone securely without authenticating every time.
You can read the full interview with HYPEBEAST on its website.
Bottom line: I love the Apple Watch Series 7, and its small upgrades make for a big difference on most previous models.
