One of the smartest things Apple did when it introduced the Apple Watch back in 2015 was to create a standard for replaceable watch bands. Since then, there have been thousands of band styles produced by Apple, Apple partners, and just about any company with the right equipment.
You can get four different bands for under ten bucks (total)[1]. If you've got more style sense than real sense, you can pick up the $849 Hermes Fauve Barénia Gourmette Double Tour leather band[2] directly from Apple.
No matter what band (or bands) you buy, it's easy to change on an Apple Watch[3]. Doing so generally involves a few simple steps:
- Pick out your new band
- Take the Apple Watch off your wrist and turn it over
- Push the little button on the bottom of the watch
- Slide out the old band
- Slide in the new band
- Put your Apple Watch back on and show off your style
Let's get started.
The first step is flipping over the watch and finding the little buttons that are next to the bands. There are two of these buttons, one near each edge, on the bottom of the Apple Watch.
It can sometimes be a bit of a challenge, but press that little button in. As you do, start to slide the old band out of the channel that holds it to the watch.
If you look really closely inside that sleeve, you can see how there's a mechanical linkage between the button on the outside and a little pressure plate inside the channel.