One of the most impressive things Apple did when it originally released the Apple Watch in 2014 was to create an entirely new steel bracelet meant to pair with the company’s smartwatch (as an optional purchase). Apple simply called it the “Link Bracelet,” and the original was seemingly only produced for a few years before it was retired. What was so impressive about the Apple Link Bracelet? In short, Apple was inspired by traditional steel metal watch bracelets and engineered something entirely new and modern at a relatively fair price. The idea was to take the classic idea of a steel watch bracelet and make something fresh for the smartwatch generation. A good example to demonstrate that Apple is thinking about the traditional watch industry is its use of the “316L Stainless Steel” label on the inside of the opening clasp. 316L is a popular high-grade form of stainless steel used in watches and is otherwise an extremely obscure term. This should be a signal that the people at Apple who design the Apple Watch are also major fans of the world of traditional timekeeping and its best practices.
The original Apple Link Bracelet featured such innovations as an entirely flush butterfly-style deployant clasp and links that can be removed without tools (thus allowing anyone to size the bracelet easily). The Apple Watch Link Bracelet was so influential that it more or less inspired Cartier’s redesign of the Santos Bracelet (which also boasted links that could be removed without tools). But I don’t think Apple got nearly enough credit for the time-consuming task of engineering the Link Bracelet the first time circa 2014.
I am not entirely sure why Apple discontinued the original Apple Watch Link Bracelet, but as I said, I suspect too few people truly understood it and its comparatively high cost (when compared with other Apple Watch bands) was off-putting. One of the most popular types of aftermarket Apple Watch bands were steel bracelets (of various styles) that all came in at a price less than what Apple originally charged for the Link Bracelet. Apple is excellent at informing large groups of consumers with basic messages, but the communication style of the company today is less effective at deeper forms of storytelling. Apple knows this and is smart to work with media (including aBlogtoWatch, of course) to help tell its more nuanced product stories. Suffice it to say that the impressive nature of the Link Bracelet was lost on most mainstream consumers who had little experience with high-end traditional timepiece bracelets. The people who could easily understand the original Link Bracelet circa 2014 were also some of the people least likely to remove their traditional watches in favor of a smartwatch (though much has changed in that department over the last decade). So, it probably made sense for Apple to discontinue its lovely steel Link Bracelet back then.
In 2024, Apple not only returned the Link Bracelet for use on the Apple Watch Series 10 but added new finishing styles, while also reducing its price. The original price for the Link Bracelet in 2014 was $449 USD. The 2024 price for the Apple Watch Link Bracelet is a full $100 less. The bracelet now has slightly different polishing and is available in natural steel, dark gray/slate (black), and a gold-tone finish. Each is supposed to match one of the new versions of the Apple Watch Series 10 with its thinner case, in both the 42 and 46mm-long case size variants. Apple doesn’t seem to discuss much about the Link Bracelet’s complicated merits on its website. It has only skeletal information about the new Link Bracelet, no discussion of the history or engineering, and only a few details designed to get people excited about it. The most important statement about the Link Bracelet on the Apple website is somewhat hidden and simply says, “Crafted from 316L stainless steel alloy, the Link Bracelet has more than 100 components. The machining process is so precise, it takes nearly nine hours to cut the links for a single band.” Without more context, I don’t think that most consumers would be able to understand how big a deal it is for a smartwatch bracelet to have individually milled metal components. My point is that Apple can make a lot of iPhones in nine hours.
One of the possible reasons Apple did not make a bigger deal of the Link Bracelet in 2024 is because the material does not fit in with Apple’s larger conversation about metal. 2024 sees aluminum and (mainly) titanium as the metals of choice for the Apple Watch. The Apple Watch Series 10 in polished titanium actually looks like steel. It is intended to look that way, so the bracelet matches well with it. However, it is a bit odd that the bracelet and watch case are made from different materials. I just think Apple could not come up with efficient ways of incorporating the steel Link Bracelet as part of their larger conversation about the benefit of titanium for the Apple Watch Series 10. That should not overshadow the impressive nature of what they are able to do in steel with this bracelet. A small difference in the new Link Bracelet is that the sides of the bracelet are now polished to match the polished nature of the titanium case. The links are still mainly given an attractive and uniform brushed finishing.
The single horizontal-link style of the Link Bracelet remains unchanged, and it creates a nice balance between aesthetics and wearing comfort. I nearly forgot how pleasantly thin the original Link Bracelet was, initially thinking that the new Link Bracelets were thinner. Apple did a great job in making them as thin as possible, which is further emphasized by the slimmer form of the latest Apple Watch. It can be a bit difficult to adjust/remove the links with shorter fingernails but it works well enough considering the very small nature of the parts and the extremely small tolerances that Apple is working with. Again, as merely an example of modern industrial design and engineering, the Apple Watch Link Bracelet is really impressive in what Apple has been able to do via mass production (as opposed to small-batch luxury watch production) techniques.
I still prefer bands over bracelets for use on my Apple Watch when doing sport activities and fitness tracking. The straps do a better job of holding the case tight to your wrist where the heart rate monitor can do its job most effectively. More so, it isn’t always great to sweat with metal bracelets. That’s OK, but nowadays, people want to wear their Apple Watch and other smartwatches in more instances than just to the gym. The Link Bracelet exists for when people want to “dress up” their Apple Watch for use in more elegant or social settings. Even Apple does not recommend the Link Bracelet for water activities, but it certainly goes better with a suit than a standard black sports strap. This isn’t even the only steel or metal bracelet that Apple makes available for this Series 10 and other Apple Watch models. For example, I recently wrote an entire article about the new Milanese bracelet available in natural or DLC black titanium for the Apple Watch Ultra 2. Apple clearly knows what it is doing in the bracelet department, even if it takes a serious enthusiast to appreciate the substance in addition to the style.
As mentioned above, Apple makes the Link Bracelet in three colors, all at the same price point. In addition to natural steel, the Link Bracelet is also available in black (“slate”) and a gold tone. These are meant to go with the corresponding available Apple Watch case colors. People who routinely wear their Apple Watch but feel that it doesn’t add enough sophistication to their style should strongly consider a Link Bracelet. If you are an active person, it will not be the only strap choice for your smartwatch, but it is an excellent accessory that upgrades the look of the world’s most popular wristwatch today. None of the third-party Apple Watch bracelets I’ve seen at a lower price offer as much detail or precision as the one offered by Apple. Price for the Apple Watch Link Bracelet (which requires an Apple Watch, which is sold separately) in steel is $349 USD. Learn more at the Apple Watch website.
