I’ve always been a wannabe watch person. I see ads for luxury analog watches and admire their design and the precision engineering behind them, but my yearning never compelled me to drop several thousand dollars for a timepiece.
The Apple Watch has enough style to partially satisfy that desire in a budget ($400 to $800) I can afford. But aside from choosing different case materials — aluminum, stainless steel and titanium in the current lineup — its design has remained stuck in time. So if you want your Apple Watch to stand out, you do it with the watch band.
That’s created a wild third-party market that includes everything from multiple Apple styles to cheap knockoffs and — if you’re willing to spend big — Hermès bands that I’m sure are fine but mostly notable for being Hermès.
And somewhere in the middle there are bands such as Withit’s Titanium Band for Apple Watch that look great, are built well and are still affordable.
The Withit Titanium Band for Apple Watch on my wrist.
Jeff Carlson/CNETMoving up to a metal link-style band
Last year, I finally broke away from my long history of aluminum-bodied Apple Watches and bought an Ultra 3 in black titanium, paired with the textile terracotta alpine loop.The Ultra isn’t sold with a metal link-style band, but since Apple Watch bands fit most Apple Watch models, you can buy Apple’s stainless steel link bracelet for $349 — almost half the cost of the watch itself.
Withit’s titanium band is much more affordable; the retail price is $145, but it sells on Amazon for $99.
I’ve never owned a link-style band, so the lightness of the titanium was a surprise at first. Like the Ultra 3 itself, I came to it expecting it to be bulky or heavy, and neither was true once I’d worn it for a few minutes.
The Withit Titanium Band for Apple Watch has proved to be resilient.
Jeff Carlson/CNET
The titanium is grade 2, which means it’s stronger than commercially pure titanium. The metal Apple uses for the watch bodies on the Ultra line and the titanium Series 11 is grade 5, or “aerospace grade,” which is tougher still (and 100% recycled).
The Ultra 3 and titanium Series 11 cases are also noteworthy because they’re 3D printed, not hewn from blocks of the metal. In fact, Apple starts with grade 23 titanium, refined to a fine powder, which includes less oxygen than the more common grades. Why less O2? Because normal powdered titanium is highly explosive when exposed to the lasers used in the 3D printing process! The full production process introduces enough oxygen to make it grade 5 by the time it’s manufactured.
After wearing it for a couple of months, the Withit band hasn’t shown any scratches or signs of wear in my day-to-day use. I’m not bashing it against rocks on high-altitude runs, but my routine involves a bit more bumping around than just typing on a computer — like the occasional knock against a doorframe. Withit says the band also has a “diamond-like carbon coating.”
To get the watch on and off, the band uses a two-button foldover clasp that, in my experience, has been secure and easy to manipulate.
The two-button foldover clasp is easy to work and stays secure when closed.
Jeff Carlson/CNET
This top-down view shows the clasp closed.
Jeff Carlson/CNET
And getting back to style, the black titanium of the Withit band matches perfectly with the black titanium Ultra 3 case. I’m so accustomed to mismatched or deliberately colored watch band connectors that it’s nice to see the colors blend seamlessly in this combination. It also looks good on my former jet black Apple Watch Series 10, which was replaced by the Ultra 3.
The Withit Titanium Band for Apple Watch looks good on this jet-black Series 10.
Jeff Carlson/CNETAdjusting the fit
I have skinny, 17 cm (6.7 inch) wrists, so out of the box the band was too large. This is where the Withit band shines, because you don’t need a set of jeweler’s tools and a magnifying lens to adjust the links as you would with the metal band on a typical watch.
Instead, each one is held together with a spring mechanism. You slide the right section of a link outward and rotate it so it clears the post that holds it to the next link. Then, slide the link in the direction of a pre-etched arrow under the rotated section. Do the same with the next link down and remove the entire link piece.
Removing the links requires no extra tools. You manipulate a spring-loaded fastener and pull the link out from the next link.
Jeff Carlson/CNET
I ended up pulling out five links through trial and error to find the length that works for me.
I’ve never had a fixed-length watch band, which is why it’s one of only two things that occasionally annoys me. As my wrist changes diameter throughout the day with normal fluctuations like when you wear a ring, the watch can be a little loose or a little tight; I can’t just slip the catch to a different hook like with the alpine loop band. I’m guessing this is just a feature of all fixed-length bands, even ones that cost thousands of dollars.
Style matters
My only real complaint is the bright white Withit logo stamped on the clasp. Even though most of the time it’s out of sight on the underside of my wrist, the contrast between the white and the dark grey makes it noticeable and distracting when I turn my arm. (People who wear watches on the inside of the wrist will have to look at the logo most of the time.)
Oh look, it’s a company logo. And a watch band.
Jeff Carlson/CNET
Stamping the logo onto the underside of the clasp would be preferable. Or the company could print it in black or dark gray, or just etch it into the metal. Branding has its place, but branding that distracts from the look of an object meant to be a design statement cheapens the overall appearance.
The Withit logo stands out, especially on the black titanium band.
Jeff Carlson/CNET
That complaint aside, I’ve liked having a watch band that elevates the look of the Apple Watch. It’s been durable enough for everyday use, and when I dress up, it feels like it upgrades my look a bit. Maybe not as much as a Patek Philippe or an IWC Schaffhausen, but that’s better for my bank account.
Watch this: Apple Watch Ultra 3 Review: Is it Worthy of the Name and the $800 Price Tag?
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