Tag: loop

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Titanium Milanese Loop (Black Titanium, 49 mm, 2024)

On September 9, 2024, Apple announced they updated the Apple Watch Ultra 2 line by adding a black titanium version. At the same time, a new set of Titanium Milanese Loop bands were introduced. According to Apple’s press release:

“The new Titanium Milanese Loop is the first metal band for Apple Watch Ultra, inspired by mesh historically used by divers and stylish enough for any occasion. Woven from the same aerospace-grade titanium as the case, the band is lightweight and corrosion-resistant. A custom process of weaving, flattening, laser-welding, grinding, and finely polishing the titanium wire results in precise, interlinking lozenge shapes that provide a luxurious drape, complete with a dual-button, parachute-style buckle secure enough for all water sports. The Titanium Milanese Loop will be available in both natural and black titanium.”

The original Milanese Loop was described by Apple as “a flexible magnetic stainless steel mesh” and was introduced as one of the original Apple Watch band styles in 2018 when the original Apple Watch was unveiled. The original Milanese Loop, offered only in a (silver) stainless steel color, has a considerably finer mesh than this Titanium version. Further, the Titanium version costs US$199, while the original Milanese Loop is US$99.

The Titanium Milanese Loop is offered in three sizes: Small (130–160 mm), Medium (155–185 mm), and Large (180–210 mm); while the original Milanese Loop (46 mm) is available in just 2 sizes: S/M (130–180 mm) and M/L (150–200 mm).

Sources: Apple (Newsroom: Black Ultra 2, Original Apple Watch; Product: Titanium Milanese Loop, Milanese Loop)

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Trail Loop (Blue, Black Titanium, L, 49 mm, 2024)

The Apple Watch Trail Loop was released along with the Apple Watch Ultra on September 7, 2022. Apple reported that the Apple Watch Ultra “brings a new bold design and a wide range of features built for endurance, exploration, and adventure.”

In the original press release, Apple described the Trail Loop as one of its “New Bands Designed for the Great Outdoors.” Apple added:

“Designed specifically for endurance athletes and runners, the Trail Loop band is the thinnest Apple Watch band to date. The lightweight woven textile is both soft and flexible, allowing it to cinch to the optimal fit, and the convenient tab is designed for quick and easy adjustment.”

Apple’s product page described the Trail Loop:

“The thin, lightweight Trail Loop is made from a nylon weave creating a soft band with increased elasticity for a comfortable fit. The band is infinitely adjustable with a convenient pull tab for quick adjustments on the go.”

This Trail Loop is Blue. The band is primarily dark blue with a dark blue pull-tab. The inside of the band uses accent thread colors in dark blue, magenta, and dark green. With the announcement of the black Apple Watch Ultra 2 in September 2024, Apple began offering Alpine Loop bands with black titanium connector hardware to match the black titanium finish of the Black Titanium Apple Watch Ultra 2. A press release explained:

“To complement the new black finish, the popular Trail Loop, Alpine Loop, and Ocean Band have all been updated to offer a black hardware option in addition to natural titanium. Both black and natural finishes of Apple Watch Ultra 2 are made from 95 percent recycled titanium, and are carbon neutral with any Titanium Milanese Loop, Trail Loop, or Alpine Loop.”

All Apple Watch Ultra models fit the single-size 49mm case. The Trail Loop is made primarily of nylon.

Source: Apple (Product, Newsroom, Titanium black option)

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Trail Loop (Black, L, Black Titanium Finish, Fall 2024)

The Apple Watch Trail Loop was released along with the Apple Watch Ultra on September 7, 2022. The Apple Watch Ultra “brings a new bold design and a wide range of features built for endurance, exploration, and adventure.”

In the original press release, Apple described the Trail Loop as one of its “New Bands Designed for the Great Outdoors.” Apple added:

“Designed specifically for endurance athletes and runners, the Trail Loop band is the thinnest Apple Watch band to date. The lightweight woven textile is both soft and flexible, allowing it to cinch to the optimal fit, and the convenient tab is designed for quick and easy adjustment.”

Apple’s product page described the Trail Loop:

“The thin, lightweight Trail Loop is made from a nylon weave creating a soft band with increased elasticity for a comfortable fit. The band is infinitely adjustable with a convenient pull tab for quick adjustments on the go.”

This Trail Loop is Black. The band is primarily black, while the inside of the band uses accent thread colors in royal blue, purple, and orange. With the announcement of the black Apple Watch Ultra 2 in September 2024, Apple began offering Alpine Loop bands with black titanium connector hardware to match the titanium finish of the Apple Watch. A press release explains:

“To complement the new black finish, the popular Trail Loop, Alpine Loop, and Ocean Band have all been updated to offer a black hardware option in addition to natural titanium. Both black and natural finishes of Apple Watch Ultra 2 are made from 95 percent recycled titanium, and are carbon neutral with any Titanium Milanese Loop, Trail Loop, or Alpine Loop.”

All Apple Watch Ultra models fit the single-size 49mm case. The Trail Loop is made primarily of nylon.

Source: Apple (Product, Newsroom, Newsroom black option)

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Apple Watch Ultra 2 (Black Titanium, 49 mm, with Black Trail Loop with Black Titanium finish, 2024)

On September 12, 2023, Apple released an updated Apple Watch Ultra model, the Apple Watch Ultra 2. Apple described the upgrade:

“Apple’s most rugged and capable watch is now even better with performance updates, a new double tap gesture, and carbon neutral options.”

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 was similar to the original Apple Watch Ultra, but added a “powerful new S9 SiP” processor (64 GB capacity), a brighter display (3000 nits), and other enhancements including “expanded altitude range, on-device Siri, Precision Finding for iPhone, and advanced capabilities for water adventures.” It also included a 4-core Neural Engine that could “process machine learning tasks up to twice as fast as the original Apple Watch Ultra.”

One year after the release of the Apple Watch Ultra 2, Apple introduced a black titanium option. The new color was released along with watchOS 11 on September 9, 2024:

“Apple today introduced Apple Watch Ultra 2 in a striking new black titanium finish, enhanced with features in watchOS 11 that make the most rugged and capable Apple Watch even better.”

Apple described the color and manufacturing process:

“The new black titanium finish for Apple Watch Ultra 2 is achieved with a custom blasting process, and the diamond-like carbon physical vapor deposition coating over the grade 5 titanium makes it scratch-resistant and durable. The back crystal is made from a matching, dark zirconia.”

The new black color was also made available on the titanium hardware and other band materials:

“To complement the new black finish, the popular Trail Loop, Alpine Loop, and Ocean Band have all been updated to offer a black hardware option in addition to natural titanium. Both black and natural finishes of Apple Watch Ultra 2 are made from 95 percent recycled titanium, and are carbon neutral with any Titanium Milanese Loop, Trail Loop, or Alpine Loop.”

This Apple Watch Ultra 2 shipped with the new Black Trail Loop with black titanium hardware that matched the black titanium case of the watch.

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 was 49 mm high, 44 mm wide, and 14.4 mm deep. The display was 410 x 502 pixels (326 pixels per inch) with an always-on Retina LTPO2 OLED display in a flat sapphire crystal. The natural titanium version weighed 61.4 grams, and the black titanium version weighed 61.8 grams. The Apple Watch Ultra 2 contained 10 sensors, including an electrical heart sensor, optical heart sensor, temperature sensor, depth gauge (±1m accuracy), water temperature sensor, compass, always-on altimeter, high-G accelerometer, high dynamic range gyroscope, and an ambient light sensor.

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 also advanced Apple’s carbon neutral initiative “to be carbon neutral across its entire business, manufacturing supply chain, and product life cycle by 2030.”

Sources: Apple Newsroom (2023, 2024), Specs

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Alpine Loop (Indigo, Large, Fall 2023)

The Apple Watch Alpine Loop band design was released along with the Apple Watch Ultra on September 7, 2022. The Apple Watch Ultra “brings a new bold design and a wide range of features built for endurance, exploration, and adventure.”

In the original press release, Apple described the Alpine Loop as one of its “New Bands Designed for the Great Outdoors.” Apple adds:

“With explorers in mind, the Alpine Loop band features two integrated layers made from one continuous weaving process that eliminates the need for stitching. The top loops, interspersed with high-strength yarn, provide adjustability and a secure attachment for the titanium G-hook fastener.”

Apple’s product page described the Alpine Loop:

“The rugged Alpine Loop is made from two textile layers woven together into one continuous piece without stitching. High-strength yarns reinforce the top loops, and the corrosion-resistant titanium G-hook slides easily into the loops for secure fit.”

This Alpine Loop is Indigo, and the design uses two main colors. The flat textile layer is a mixture of purple and indigo (dark blue-violet) thread, while the looped layer is chocolate brown. The product code for this band is MT5R3AM/A.

The connectors and the “G-hook” closure are made of the same color titanium as the silver Apple Watch Ultra. Although splitting hairs, a more apt name for the hook would be a “g-hook” since it matches the shape of a lowercase—not uppercase—“g.”

All Apple Watch Ultra models fit the single-size 49mm case. The Alpine Loop is made primarily of polyester.

Source: Apple (Product, Newsroom), Bandbreite app

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Apple Watch Braided Solo Loop (45mm, Size 12, Abyss Blue, Fall 2021)

The Braided Solo Loop Apple Watch band was released in 2020 along with the Apple Watch Series 6. The packaging describes this product as a “Textile Fitted Band.” According to Apple’s website:

“Each Braided Solo Loop features a unique, stretchable design that’s ultracomfortable and easy to slip on and off your wrist. Made from 100 percent recycled materials, the 16,000 polyester yarn filaments in each band are interwoven with thin silicone threads using advanced braiding machinery then laser cut to an exact length. The 300D construction offers a soft, textured feel and is both sweat-resistant and water-resistant.”

The color of this band is Abyss Blue, a shade of dark blue. It was available in 41mm and 45mm widths. The 41mm Braided Solo Loop was sold in wrist sizes 1–9, and the 45mm Braided Solo Loop was sold in wrist sizes 4–12.

According to Apple’s website, “This band comes in custom sizes because it’s designed for an ultracomfortable fit. An accurate measurement will help you get the size that’s right for you.” The website allowed buyers to download a PDF and cut out a “tool” that wrapped around the wrist to designate the band size needed.

Source: Apple, Bandbreit app

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Milanese Loop (Generation 1, Gold Stainless Steel, 44mm, Fall 2018)

The Milanese Loop was among Apple’s original Apple Watch band designs. In the press release in September 2014 announcing the original Apple Watch, Apple wrote: “Apple also created an entire range of watch straps [including] the Milanese Loop in a flexible magnetic stainless steel mesh.” The original Milanese Loop was available only in silver, but has been offered in a total of five colors: Silver (Spring 2015), Space Black (Spring 2016), Graphite (Fall 2020), and two shades of Gold (Fall 2018, Fall 2020).

This example is the Generation 1 version of the Gold Stainless Steel Milanese Loop. (The Generation 2 version released in Fall 2020 had a slightly less red tone.)

Apple describes the Milanese Loop:

“A modern interpretation of a design developed in Milan at the end of the 19th century. Woven on specialized Italian machines, the smooth stainless steel mesh wraps fluidly around your wrist. And because it’s fully magnetic, the Milanese Loop is infinitely adjustable, ensuring a perfect fit.”

Apple specifies that the Milanese Loop is not water resistant and cautions that the band contains magnets that may cause interference with the Compass on the watch.

The 38/40/41mm version of the band band fit 130–180mm wrists, while the 42/44/45/49mm version fit 150–200mm wrists. Although this design and color was released in 2015, this Milanese Loop is dated 2019 on the packaging, and the product was still available on the Apple website as of March 2023 (for $99).

Source: Apple (Newsroom, product)

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Trail Loop (Yellow/Beige, M/L, Fall 2022)

The Apple Watch Trail Loop was released along with the Apple Watch Ultra on September 7, 2022. The Apple Watch Ultra “brings a new bold design and a wide range of features built for endurance, exploration, and adventure.”

In the original press release, Apple described the Trail Loop as one of its “New Bands Designed for the Great Outdoors.” Apple added:

“Designed specifically for endurance athletes and runners, the Trail Loop band is the thinnest Apple Watch band to date. The lightweight woven textile is both soft and flexible, allowing it to cinch to the optimal fit, and the convenient tab is designed for quick and easy adjustment.”

Apple’s product page described the Trail Loop:

“The thin, lightweight Trail Loop is made from a nylon weave creating a soft band with increased elasticity for a comfortable fit. The band is infinitely adjustable with a convenient pull tab for quick adjustments on the go.”

This Trail Loop is Yellow/Beige. The main inner field of the band is beige. One edge of the band is light gray and the other edge is yellow. The connectors are made of the same color titanium as the Apple Watch Ultra. The band has a beige closure tab that is stitched to the main band with yellow thread.

All Apple Watch Ultra models fit the single-size 49mm case. The Trail Loop is made primarily of nylon.

Source: Apple (Product, Newsroom)

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Alpine Loop (Starlight, Large, Fall 2022)

The Apple Watch Alpine Loop was released along with the Apple Watch Ultra on September 7, 2022. The Apple Watch Ultra “brings a new bold design and a wide range of features built for endurance, exploration, and adventure.”

In the original press release, Apple described the Alpine Loop as one of its “New Bands Designed for the Great Outdoors.” Apple adds:

“With explorers in mind, the Alpine Loop band features two integrated layers made from one continuous weaving process that eliminates the need for stitching. The top loops, interspersed with high-strength yarn, provide adjustability and a secure attachment for the titanium G-hook fastener.”

Apple’s product page described the Alpine Loop:

“The rugged Alpine Loop is made from two textile layers woven together into one continuous piece without stitching. High-strength yarns reinforce the top loops, and the corrosion-resistant titanium G-hook slides easily into the loops for secure fit.”

This Alpine Loop is Starlight, a shade of off-white. The connectors and the “G-hook” closure are made of the same color titanium as the Apple Watch Ultra. Although splitting hairs, a more apt name for the hook would be a “g-hook” since it matches the shape of a lowercase—not uppercase—“g.”

All Apple Watch Ultra models fit the single-size 49mm case. The Alpine Loop is made primarily of polyester.

Source: Apple (Product, Newsroom), Bandbreite app

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Alpine Loop (Green, Large, Fall 2022)

The Apple Watch Alpine Loop was released along with the Apple Watch Ultra on September 7, 2022. The Apple Watch Ultra “brings a new bold design and a wide range of features built for endurance, exploration, and adventure.”

In the original press release, Apple described the Alpine Loop as one of its “New Bands Designed for the Great Outdoors.” Apple adds:

“With explorers in mind, the Alpine Loop band features two integrated layers made from one continuous weaving process that eliminates the need for stitching. The top loops, interspersed with high-strength yarn, provide adjustability and a secure attachment for the titanium G-hook fastener.”

Apple’s product page described the Alpine Loop:

“The rugged Alpine Loop is made from two textile layers woven together into one continuous piece without stitching. High-strength yarns reinforce the top loops, and the corrosion-resistant titanium G-hook slides easily into the loops for secure fit.”

This Alpine Loop is Green, in a shade that could be described as Army Green. The connectors and the “G-hook” closure are made of the same color titanium as the Apple Watch Ultra. Although splitting hairs, a more apt name for the hook would be a “g-hook” since it matches the shape of a lowercase—not uppercase—“g.”

All Apple Watch Ultra models fit the single-size 49mm case. The Alpine Loop is made primarily of polyester.

Source: Apple (Product, Newsroom), Bandbreite app