I think I was wrong in my last review of an Infinity Loops Apple Watch band. I clearly stated there was no real Watch band that could do it all — everyday wear, fitness, water, formal wear, and more. If one exists, I thought it was a unicorn.
Some of my assumptions have been tested since. After testing out an Infinity Loops Titanium Link Bracelet for a few months, I think I found the closest thing to a true “everything, everywhere” Apple Watch band.
I’ve used the Titanium Link Bracelet from Infinity Loops in every scenario mentioned above and I’ve come away impressed.
The Link Bracelet can certainly be worn in a more formal setting (though I think wisdom would dictate a real mechanical watch in the most formal settings), but can also be worn in the hot tub, on the bike, on the golf course, or with shorts, a t-shirt, and boat shoes. I’m genuinely impressed with the versatility of this band.
The Band’s quality is equally impressive, though I don’t have any other direct comparisons. The band feels great, is reasonably easy to resize, and is durable enough to take a beating.
All in all, the Titanium Link Bracelet from Infinity Loops hits far above its weight, especially given the price tag.
Let’s dive in a little further.
Quality and Materials
I’ve been quite happy with the way Link Bracelet complements the Apple Watch Ultra. The titanium band connectors ensure material continuity from the face of the Watch through to the clasp, which also gives the Watch that more formal appeal.
The continuity appears to be mostly there in actual quality as well. To the touch, the Link Bracelet finish feels a lot like the Ultra Watch itself. Both feel durable with a slight grainy friction when you run your finger along the metal.
I’d say the Link Bracelet is a slightly cooler silver colour than the Watch Ultra — there’s just a tinge of brown to the Watch Ultra Titanium, though I don’t think it’s noticeable to the point someone would comment on it.
The Link Bracelet is made of individual link pieces that attach to one another. The clasp brings everything together at the bottom and is held together with the tiniest metal screws. It all looks and feels great.
There has to be some flexibility in the band to be comfortable to wear, though. Each link has enough tolerance to ensure the band can bend and breathe. The links don’t extend or compress north-south very well (eliminating the band’s ability to expand or contract based on the size of your wrist on a hot or cold day), but they do snake east-west well enough.
The one area of concern for me is the addition or removal of the band to the Watch Ultra itself. To put the band in place, you first need to disconnect one of the links from its partner and then slide the band connector into the Watch. Then you have to reconnect the links together to form the completed band. I didn’t do this the first time, instead trying to blunt force the band into the Watch Ultra by bending it beyond the tolerances intended. The result is a clasp that is ever so slightly off-kilter, and one which I need to meaningfully close rather than one that closes smoothly like most do out of the factory.
Overall, the fit and finish of the Titanium Link Bracelet is worthy of being put into the Watch Ultra. The band won’t bend or break on you, though you have to ensure you learn the proper technique for adding or removing it from your Watch Ultra.
Use Cases
The ability to use the Titanium Link Bracelet in nearly every facet of life is perhaps the band’s biggest selling point. The Link Bracelet can be used in both everyday and formal settings, in the cold and in the heat, in the water or in the sun, on the bike or in the gym, and more. This is perhaps the band I’ve switched out the least over the last few months.
But there’s also something about being a jack-of-all-trades. We know this. This band lives up to the moniker here — if you’re looking for a specific fitness band, the Link Bracelet is certainly not going to be your first choice. If you’re going deep sea diving, you’re not going to pick the Link Bracelet over the included Ocean band.
The benefit of the Link Bracelet then becomes its usability in a variety of circumstances when you don’t have any other band with you or the time to switch it out. This is the only band I have that I’ve used when riding the Peloton and when jumping in the hot tub an hour later. I misplaced my Ocean band for the day and the Link Bracelet nicely fit both use cases in a pinch. Now that I’ve found the Ocean band though, I most certainly switch out the bands when I jump on the bike or jump in the hot tub.
And lastly, while I do think you can wear the Link Bracelet in a more formal setting — I don’t think anyone should be concerned about this band fitting in all but the most formal wedding or ball-type settings. I still think there’s a line to be drawn in the sand where you should wear a real watch in formal settings. If it’s your wedding day, a real mechanical watch is still the way to go. The Link Bracelet doesn’t suddenly change the watch game for formal settings.
If you have no other watch choice though, the Titanium Link Bracelet and a Watch Ultra are going to look great in more formal settings.
Wrap Up
I’ve always had two or three concerns about wearing metallic watches bands:
- The fear of the links in the band grabbing and tearing my arm hair out at the worst possible times. The metal pieces coming together are notorious for the occasional pinch and can also cause damage if knocked against other things.
- The fear of a watch band that doesn’t expand or contract in the hot or cold — or worse, is extra-cold in the coldest settings.
- The fear of how frankly “over-dressed” nearly all metallic watches bands look, no matter the type of watch.
By and large, most of my fears have not been realized. The metal links do grab some arm hair on occasion, but this is far from the norm. The ability to remove links and customize to your wrist size works well — and is actually the mechanism in which you have to remove the band itself. And the band works well in so many different circumstances.
Overall, the Infinity Loops Titanium Watch Band is a fantastic second Watch band to buy. It’s the band that can do everything pretty well. If you’re in need of a specialized band, then consider a specialized band. It’s that easy.
Infinity Loops sent me this Apple Watch band free of charge for purposes of review. I’ve worked as hard as I can to ensure I provide an honest review.
