Apple Watch Ultra's stunning new bands will fit your 45mm Apple Watch

(Image credit: Apple)

Apple announced the massive 49mm Apple Watch Ultra today and as much attention as it's getting, its bands are just as impressive. Now we know that those bands will also fit existing Apple watches, too.

The Apple Watch Ultra unveiling came during the September 7 Far Out event and that size is definitely notable. But the rugged and outdoorsy angle the watch takes also means that it comes with three unique band options — and now we know that the 44mm and 45mm Apple Watches can wear them, too. Initially, there were concerns that wouldn't be the case.

The news comes via the Apple Watch Ultra band page that lists the three bands — Alpine Loop, Trail Loop, and Ocean Band — as being compatible with the 44mm Apple Watch, 45mm Apple watch, and 49mm Apple Watch Ultra. That would also presumably mean that the traditional Apple Watch bands will fit the Apple Watch Ultra, so long as you're using the 44/45mm variants.

Apple Watch Ultra bands fit existing 44/45mm cases.#AppleEvent pic.twitter.com/JwkxzOf6M9September 7, 2022

The Apple Watch Ultra was announced alongside the new Apple Watch Series 8 and a refreshed Apple Watch SE. That wasn't all, either. We also saw Apple announce new iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus smartphones as well as premium iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max alternatives.

As for the watches, all of them are available for pre-order now, with deliveries taking place on September 23. Notably, every Apple Watch Ultra comes with cellular as the only option, while Apple is also throwing in three free months of Apple Ftiness+ to sweeten the deal. The Apple Watch Ultra costs $799 and early indications are that it's a pretty sweet wearable.

Waiting for an iPhone 14? Pre-orders begin on September 9, so get that alarm clock ready.

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.