[DUAL REVIEW] Clockwork Synergy Apple Watch Bands

metllicamilitia

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Dec 25, 2011
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Overview

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Clockwork Synergy makes reasonably priced quality watch bands for watches, be they non-smart watches, Pebble, Android Wear, or Apple Watch. I have the brown lizard leather and the worn saddle brown leather straps. On the underside of both straps, there is a stamp that says genuine leather so you know they are made with real leather. They both also have classic watch band buckles and loops. I have been wearing these bands on and off for about a day at this point., just switching between the two so I could get a feel for both bands. One other similarity both these bands have is that they are incredibly stiff out of the box, so I manually broke them in a bit by working them with my hands. Even before breaking them in a bit, they are both really comfortable bands. So let's take a look at both of them in a little more depth.

Brown Lizard Leather Strap
The first things I noticed about the brown lizard leather band was that the band was both darker and thinner than I expected. This is not bad mind you, just not what I expected. As far as overall thickness of the band, it's similar to most Apple watch bands. This narrow and thin watch band allows it to sit quite comfortably against your wrist. While it is very stiff out of the box, it loosens up with around ten minutes of working the band. That is assuming you want to loosen the band up before use. Before loosening up the leather though, the band is quite rigid and is a little difficult to pull through the buckle to secure it. It can be done, it just takes a little longer. Even after loosening the leather, it still seems to catch a little while pulling it through the buckle, however, it's not as bad as it is right out of the box. The stitching on the band is very well done and looks fantastic. Overall, it's a superb watch band and I'm enjoying it very much. I don't even really feel it on my wrist.

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The Good
  • [*]Affordable
    [*]Comfortable
    [*]Great build quality

The Bad
  • [*]Very stiff out of the box
    [*]Catches a little on the buckle
    [*]May not fit really small wrists

Gentleman's Worn Saddle Brown Leather Strap
The gentleman's worn saddle brown leather strap was also not quite what I expected when I opened it up. It is actually quite a thick band. Which, again, is not really a bad thing. It takes a little longer to work the band to loosen it due to its thickness, I would recommend around twenty minutes. This band is a little tougher to fit through the first loop because it is always trying to pull away so it bends the loop a little. All you need to do is hold the strap down while pushing it through the loop. One difference here between this band and the lizard leather band is that the thickness of the band is quite noticeable at the buckle. The band is nearly twice as thick as any Apple band so it does get quite thick at the buckle. The stitching on this band is also fantastic and done very well. As the band breaks in, you get a very nice worn patina on the band. As long as the thickness doesn't bother you, this is another superb watch band. Despite its thickness, I also don't really notice it on my wrist.

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The Good
  • [*]Affordable
    [*]Comfortable
    [*]Great build quality

The Bad
  • [*]Very stiff out of the box
    [*]Quite a thick band
    [*]May not fit really small wrists

Conclusion
While I only have a couple different leather bands to try, I would comfortably say you can't go wrong with a Clockwork Synergy watch band. They are quite amazing and only around the cost of an Apple silicone watch band. That gets you genuine leather and fantastic build quality. I also have fairly small wrists and I'm almost on the last hole on the bands, so if you have really small wrists you may need to punch your own hole in the band to make it fit. These bands are some of the best bands I've ever worn for any watch, fitness tracker, or anything that goes on my wrist. I would recommend you at least check out the bands even if you don't end up buying one. They have more than leather bands, they also have silicone and NATO bands. So check them out here on Clockwork Synergy's site.
 
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camaroz1985

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Thanks for the review. I have been debating getting a worn saddle band. I think they look great with a black buckle on the space grey watches. Also good to note is that Clockwork Synergy sells adapters that match the watch finishes. Some of the really cheap bands are off just enough to really bother me.
 

tcuprof

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Aug 21, 2015
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Good review and I agree with your assessments. Although they are high quality bands, they didn't work for me because of wrist size. Most third party bands are too big for me unless they offer two sizes.
 

rangerdeyo

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As an owner of several different bands from Clockwork Synergy I can honestly say they are the best overall bands I have. My favorite is the Double Perlon band. And there are no adjustment holes to worry about, always a perfect fit.
 

Rob Phillips

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Not bad. The brown is nice but the black one looks fake to me. It’s too shiny for my taste.