Apple refreshed its Apple Watch band lineup alongside the Series 12 today, with four new Sport Band colors, four new Sport Loop colors, two new Milanese Loop finishes and a Modern Buckle made from a new woven material. The new bands go on sale with the watch, which starts at $399 and reaches stores on Friday, September 18.
The color story tracks the new cases. Series 12 comes in dark bronze, black, light gold and space gray aluminum, radiant gold and natural titanium, and pearl white and night blue ceramic, and several of the band colors are picked to sit next to those finishes. Our Series 12 preview has the pre-event expectations, and our event recap covers the rest of the day.
Every new Apple Watch band color for Series 12
Apple’s press release lists the following new colors and materials. It does not say which older colors are being discontinued.
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| Band | New colors and materials |
|---|---|
| Sport Band | Olive, burgundy, wildflower blue, pale succulent |
| Sport Loop | Chambray blue, magenta, burgundy plaid, light umber plaid |
| Milanese Loop | Radiant gold, dark bronze |
| Modern Buckle | New woven material, with a gold hardware option |
Burgundy appears twice, once as a plain Sport Band and once as a Sport Loop plaid, and it lines up with the burgundy Trail Loop and Alpine Loop Apple introduced for the Ultra 4 on the same day. The dark bronze Milanese Loop is a direct match for the new dark bronze aluminum case.
What is new about the Sport Loop and Modern Buckle
The two plaid Sport Loops, burgundy plaid and light umber plaid, use a new inkjet printing process, according to Apple. That is how Apple is putting a pattern on the woven nylon rather than relying on a solid color or a two-tone weave.
The Modern Buckle switches to a new woven material this year, and Apple offers it with a gold hardware option that pairs with the light gold aluminum and radiant gold titanium cases. Apple has not published the sizes, the full list of hardware finishes or whether the leather version continues.
Prices, sizes and what Apple has not said
Apple has not published prices for any of the new bands in its Series 12 release, and it has not listed the case sizes each band is sold for. The Series 12 itself comes in 42mm and 46mm, so expect bands to follow those two fits as before, but that is not something Apple has confirmed today.
- Band prices: not published
- Band sizes and which cases they fit: not published
- Which existing colors are discontinued: not published
- Hermès bands: covered separately, with a Noir satin Clou de Selle and a new Rocabar Club band
The bands are available to order from today, September 9, alongside Series 12 pre-orders, with in-store availability on Friday, September 18. If you are buying the watch itself, our note on the Apple Watch SE 3 going unavailable explains why the entry-level watch was pulled ahead of the event, and Apple did not announce a replacement today.
