Believe it or not, Apple Watch watchbands aren’t that easy to find. Well, at least really nice watchbands at a reasonable price. Apple’s offerings are good but limited and sometimes costly. You can find dozens of cheap watchbands on Amazon, but most of those suck donkeys. The Monowear Apple Watch watchbands are most certainly not sucky. Plus, they’re reasonably priced for what you get. Read on for our full Monowear Apple Watch watchband review.
Specifications
The Monowear Apple Watch watchbands sent to us have the following features and specifications:
- Genuine leather
- Stainless steel
- Adapters color matched to Apple Watch
- One-year warranty and 30-day money back guarantee
What’s In The Box
- Monowear Classic Leather Band for 44mm Apple Watch Series 4
- Monowear Leather Deployant Band for 44mm Apple Watch Series 4
Design
The Monowear Apple Watch watchbands sent to us for review were the Original Genuine Leather and Leather Deployant models. Let’s start with the Original Genuine Leather.
This is a simple clean design in which the leather looks almost like suede. The band is very soft and the back side is a tan leather. There are plenty of holes for proper sizing of the band to just about any size wrist. I love that there are two band loops here helping to keep the loose end secure at all times. The watch buckle is color matched to my Space Gray Apple Watch Series 4 as are the lugs, a very nice touch. The watch buckle is also ample and feels solid, not flimsy and weak.
The Leather Deployant watchband feels of higher quality than the Original Genuine Leather watchband. The leather on this one is a bit more textured, giving off that real leather look. I’m excited to see how this patinas over time. There is precise stitching all throughout the band that is of premium quality. The watch buckle on the Deployant band is actually a latching system, more on that later. The buckle is even sturdier than the Original Genuine Leather buckle and is very comfortable. Again, there are plenty of adjustment holes, allowing for a variety of sizes. The lugs and watch buckles are, once again, color matched to my Space Gray Apple Watch Series 4.
Ease of Use
These Monowear Apple Watch watchbands are super simple to use. Apple is partially responsible for this with the way they designed the watch’s watchband mounting points.
First, the Genuine Leather band is really simple. Just push the release on the back of the Apple Watch and slide the lugs into place. After you have both sides on, it’s just a matter of adjusting the strap like any other watchband. Just pull through the buckle and slide the pin into one of the holes and secure the excess. As easy as it gets.
The Leather Deployant is a little more involved but still very simple to use. This watchband uses a buckle system where you make the adjustment to the band only once. It’s much like a steel strap buckle but with leather. Just slip the holed side into the buckle and snap a hole into the pin. Test for fit. Adjust as needed. Once you have the strap all setup, it’s just a matter of slipping it on and snapping the buckle. This buckle is like a butterfly buckle and it unlatches with just a press of the sides. Super simple to use, and we’ve included a video below on how to setup the Leather Deployant watchband.
Overall, these bands aren’t hard to use at all. With Apple’s lug design, installing them is a breeze. Monowear’s buckle system is also a joy to use and easy to setup.
Performance
As I mentioned in the opening, there are dozens of Apple Watch watchband offerings on Amazon. Most of them are cheap and rightfully so, since most of them are not real leather. The Monowear Apple Watch watchbands are solid performers just because they’re made from real leather and will stand up over time. I expect the Leather Deployant will patina nicely and the Original Leather should look good after some time as well. Overall, these are quality watchbands that should last for awhile.
Price/Value
The Original Leather is priced at $45USD and that’s a more than fair price. Normal leather watchbands can go for about this price, maybe $5 cheaper but comparable. The Leather Deployant is priced at $65USD and this one is the nicer of the two. The leather feels more premium and you get that nice buckle system. I think these watchbands are priced perfectly and well worth the money. BONUS! Monowear has provided our readers with a coupon code for 15% off their order. Just use coupon code Aeris15 at checkout and you’ll get the discount!
Wrap Up
Listen, I know it’s super easy to pick up a watchband or two from Amazon for $9USD and call it a day. But I’m telling you that investing a few bucks into a decent band makes all the difference in the world. The Monowear Apple Watch watchbands not only make your Apple Watch look like a million bucks, they feel better than some cheap, fake leather band that will likely fall apart in a few months. I don’t score products a perfect 10 very often at all, but these Monowear bands are really top notch Apple Watch watchbands. One thing to note, the bands may say 42mm but they fit the 44mm perfectly.
*We received samples of the Monowear Apple Watch watchbands for the purposes of this review.
Last Updated on February 3, 2021.
