Our favorite materials and colours
On hot summer days, a watch can quickly cause irritation. You can of course take it off, but you would prefer not to walk without an Apple Watch and therefore break your streak of your Activity rings. With a suitable Apple Watch strap for warm summers, you can still wear your Apple Watch comfortably. Everything you want to know about the best Apple Watch bands in warm weather.
- Materials
- To colour
- Beach
- Swimming
Summer Apple Watch Band Materials
Straps for the Apple Watch come in all kinds of materials and models. But some straps can irritate in hot weather. Here are our favorites for summer Apple Watch band materials:
- Woven sport strap (nylon)
- Regular Sport Band (fluoroelastomer)
- Woven classic nylon strap
- Stainless steel
Did your strap get dirty? Then we also have an article on how to clean your Apple Watch strap.
#1 Woven Nylon Sport Band
Our favorite for warm summer days is the woven nylon sport strap. The fabric is light in weight and also breathes well, so you are less bothered by a sweaty wrist. The big advantage of this strap is that you can easily tighten or loosen it. Because there are no pre-punched holes, you can easily loosen it if your wrist has become slightly thicker due to warm weather. This strap therefore gives us the most comfort. Moreover, it is available in a wide range of colours.
Check out Apple’s woven sport bands
#2 Regular fluoroelastomer sport band
Another favorite is the regular fluoroelastomer sport band, a type of silicone. Although this can get a bit sticky on really hot days, the band is easy to clean. Moreover, it is also light in weight and therefore more pleasant in warm weather. If you want even more comfort, you can also opt for the Nike version. The advantage of the Nike sports band is that it has holes in it, making it lighter. It also makes it easier to adjust. Be careful not to stay in the sun for too long with this strap, otherwise the holes will remain on your skin.
View at Apple:
- Ordinary sports bands
- Nike Sport Bands
#3 Woven nylon straps
Unfortunately, the woven nylon straps are no longer part of Apple’s range, making them a bit more difficult to obtain. The straps are soft and breathable, but keep in mind that they get a bit grubby with a lot of perspiration. Still, we like this band quite a bit, although it is not our absolute preference.
View the woven nylon straps at Amac
#4 Stainless steel
Stainless steel is another option to consider in the summer. We prefer the Milanese strap, because it is more flexible than the link bracelet. The Milanese strap also allows some air to pass through thanks to all the small holes. A disadvantage is that these straps are a bit on the heavy side and can therefore irritate more quickly.
Check out the stainless steel Milanese strap at Apple
Least suitable: leather
Without a doubt, we find the leather straps the least suitable. Leather quickly sweats and becomes sticky and can also discolour ugly if you perspire a lot. This applies to both the classic leather strap (no longer available from Apple) and the straps with modern buckle and the track-like model. If you still want to wear leather, the latter is the best choice because you can adjust it much more precisely to your wrist thickness.
Also not so suitable: solo band
Apple also has the regular solo strap in its range, made of silicone rubber. At first glance, this band looks very similar to Apple’s regular sports band, but there is indeed a difference in material. And the biggest drawback is that this strap is not adjustable in size. If your wrist has become thicker due to warm weather, this strap is considerably less comfortable. We also think that this strap can get a bit sweaty, especially if it is just too tight.
If you still want to wear a solo strap on a hot summer day, we recommend the braided solo strap. A disadvantage is that it is a lot more expensive (€ 99 and only with Apple). But this strap stretches much better and breathes much more due to the use of recycled polyester yarn. Cleaning is a bit more difficult, so keep that in mind if you sweat a lot.
Best colors for summer
Apple releases a new line of Apple Watch bands in different colors almost every June. The bright and light-colored straps are therefore a favorite for the summer. Colors such as soft green, light blue, or subtle orange or pink always work well. In addition, a light color also absorbs less heat. A black strap retains much more heat than a white strap.
We also find the Apple Watch Pride straps very suitable for the summer. They are colorful, cheerful and also made of materials that are suitable for summer. Moreover, there is Pride week every year in the summer, so you kill two birds with one stone.
Check out these summer colors of Apple Watch bands:
- Bright green
- Lemon zest
- Mist blue
- Starlight
- Lavender grey/soft lilac woven
- Nectarine/peony pink woven
- Camel woven
- Pride band woven
- Platinum/Black Nike
- Summit White Nike
Of course, dark-colored straps do not look out of place in the summer. So choose one that matches your outfit. Tip: you can also combine parts of straps with each other, for example with the sport strap. For example, you can choose soft yellow at the top and light blue at the bottom.
Apple Watch bands for the beach
If you go to the beach for a day in the summer (or in the warm spring), you can of course leave your Apple Watch at home. But if you want to swim with it or keep track of how many calories you’ve burned with a game of beach volleyball, you naturally want to keep your Apple Watch on. Without a doubt, we think the sports band is best suited for this. Because this strap is easy to clean, it just looks like new after a day at the beach. Grains of sand do not remain in the strap, which happens with the woven sports strap, for example. Plus, you can dive into the water without hesitation (provided you have an Apple Watch Series 2 or newer). You could also consider the normal solo strap, but the silicone rubber is a bit stickier and therefore sand is more difficult to rinse away.
Swimming with the Apple Watch
Speaking of swimming: there are all kinds of options for swimming with your Apple Watch. You can start a workout to keep track of your laps in the pool, but you can also swim freely in open water. Prefer without a workout? Then you just turn on your water lock. But before you take a dip, it is wise to take a look at your wrist to see which strap you are wearing.
The sport band (including the Nike version with holes) is best suited, because the material is hardly affected by the water and salt when you dive into the sea. The woven nylon sports strap is also suitable for swimming, but takes much longer to dry. So preferably use the fluoroelastomer sports band. The leather and stainless steel strap are absolute not suitable for swimming.
Read more about swimming with the Apple Watch in our tip.
