Adapters for Apple Watch 3rd Party Bands / Straps

If you have an Apple Watch, you know how expensive the bands can get from Apple. Luckily, with a little band adapter for your Apple Watch, you can outfit your new Apple Watch with a variety of 3rd party bands. We have tried a variety of different adapters for each variation of watch and found the best adapter for your Watch along with a couple nice choices for third party straps.

Apple Watch Band Sizes

If you're looking for the apple watch 3d party band size, here is a quick guide of which size aftermarket band for the Apple Watch:

38mm Apple Watch = 20mm Band Strap

42mm Apple Watch = 24mm Band Strap



Two Types To Choose From

Best Adapter - Interchangeable Adapter

The first point to note about adapters is there are two different types available. When choosing the right adapter for your Apple Watch, you need to consider not only the look and color of these two adapters but also the functionality. The first you see on the left in the photo is a spring bar type adapter. This means there is a bar in the middle which goes inside the band. On the right, you see the 2nd style of adapter which is more a tube type adapter and also found in Apple's own Leather Band. In this type of adapter there are tiny screws (sometimes requires a pentalobe screw driver ) on the bottom that you need to remove in other to free the bars and slide them through your band.

While this type of adapter looks a little bit different than the common one, functionality wise it is much better. The first reason being that the spring bar is most commonly used for traditional watch straps, so you won't have a problem fitting the pin in most bands. You may need a springbar tool to add/remove your strap, but some adapters like the one seen above also have a pin hole which makes it easy to push out the spring bar. Unlike the Type B adapter, there are no screw on the bottom of this adapter (makes for better construction)

Even better is the fact that this type of adapter fits perfectly with a special type of band/strap called a Quick Release band. These bands have the spring bar loaded in the band with a convenient pin you can easily pull with your finger tip to remove the band. This means you don't need any tools, and with 1 single adapter you can easily have multiple bands.



Where to Buy It Online

Interchangeable Adapter - $11.95–$13.95 at ClockworkSynergy (Ships from the USA!)



The Clockwork Synergy adapters do not have a pin hole on the side, and while it looks better without the hole, it makes it harder to change the band if you are not using their Quick Release bands. For bands that do not have quick release pins, you can always add this special Spring Bar Remover Tool to your order from Clockwork for only $3 bucks.

Pair it with a Variety of Quick Release Straps available by Clockwork Synergy



Interchangeable Adapter with Lug Hole Pin - $14.99 on eBay (Ships from USA)

rover.ebay.com For Apple Watch 38mm 42mm Band Adapter Connector Kits + New Watchband Adaptor 42mm adapter fit width: Max 24mm watchband. 38mm adapter fit width: Max 20mm watchband. Color 38mm Delivery Time 42mm Delivery Time. Include: 2pcs adapter and tool.

These eBay adapters ship from the USA and are good quality. These adapters have a matte finish, but they are black in color. The Clockwork Synergy ones are a gunmetal/space grey, but they're polished/shiny/chrome. So neither matches perfectly. These eBay adapters have the lugs with holes in the sides for you to easily remove the spring bar when a band is installed by pushing the pin out. The eBay adapters does come with a springbar tool which is a nice plus.

Wearlizer Quick Release Apple Watch Adapter - $15.99 on Amazon w/ Prime

This adapter is the same as the one from Clockwork Synergy, but it's available on Amazon with free prime shipping. You can also find others under different brand names



2nd Style: Tube Type Adapter

This is the second type of adapter which we will call 'Tube Style' since it has tubular bars that extend a bit further away from the adapter. This is the same style that you find with the original Leather Black Classic Band offered by Apple for $149. This type of adapter is nicely paired with many leather bands and steel link bands as well. The only downside with this band is that you need to unscrew little screws on the bottom in order to swap bands. That means extra tools, and a new adapter for each band or strap for your watch.

Pictured: Top - tiny philips head screw, bottom - Pentalobe screw ( pentalobe screw driver on Amazon - $10)

Where to Buy it Online

LUVVITT Apple Watch Adapter - $14.99 on Amazon w/ Prime

Apple Watch Band Adapter w/ Tool - $11 on eBay (Ships from NY, USA)

rover.ebay.com For Apple Watch Band Adapter Kits Watchband Strap Connection + Tool 38mm 42mm 42mm Fit:24mm or 22mm Genuine Leather Band or Sport Band. 38mm Fit:22mm or 20mm Genuine Leather Band or Sport Band. Metal Band Adapter Please Choose This One. Include: 2*Adapter + 1*Tool + 6*Screws.

Adapter Colors That Match Apple Watch

As you may have read and seen for yourself, finding an adapter that has the same exact finish of the Apple Watch is very difficult. This is because the Sport Grey has a finish on the aluminum which colors by ionization. This color is special to Apple and you could call it a "secret sauce". Adapters with the same color finish are hard to achieve. No one is going to be able to get a perfect match at cheap prices, so that's why you should go for contrast instead.