[larelli]

The article goes to great lengths to describe the difficulties in manufacturing and assembling the mechanism in the band itself but then also mentions that there a large ecosystem of third-party bands available. How do all those get made? Does every manufacturer have to use the same high-precision machines?

[elzbardico]

I've got two third-party straps. Basically, only the middle button in the strap works and attaches to the middle notch. Most of the time this is enough to keep the strap in place. But it is not as nearly as secure as it is with the original Apple strap. I use the original one when doing stuff like playing tennis or squash.

[interpol_p]

I had no idea that third party straps connected differently! Thanks for the info.

I have had two third party straps tear off, once during boxing and once while playing with my kids. The (much pricier) Apple ones never have, and so I only use those for sport as well.

[kreetx]

Surprised that you don't take the watch off during boxing, is that supported? (Not saying you can't do whatever you want with it, just that are they really that durable?)

[interpol_p]

There's a "boxing" workout, but yeah it tore apart the third-party band I was using. Since then I have used my older Apple bands for boxing workouts and it survives. The watch itself is totally fine

[elzbardico]

Once I had a third-party strap tearing off while I was cycling. I was lucky it happened during a break. Since then, I only use original apple straps for any sport.

[microtherion]

The strap side of the mechanism is much simpler than the watch side, and I suspect that for some styles of bands, you can even obtain fasteners from some wholesale manufacturer and attach them to your band, instead of fiddling with the dimensions yourself.