Last year, when I first saw the Apple Watch S7, several friends and I were shocked by the large screen; the size hadn’t changed, but it housed a larger display.After a brief moment of surprise, an uncontrollable thought emerged: has the industrial design of smartwatches taken the same old path as smartphones—higher screen-to-body ratios and increasingly similar appearances across brands?Apple Watch 6 and Apple Watch 7 have larger screens.Moreover, the characteristics of watches as wearable devices impose more limitations; they must fit closely to the wrist and emphasize comfort. This leaves manufacturers with limited design choices, likely only whether the dial is square or round.In contrast, the design of smartwatch straps is much more diverse. Whether in design innovation or user experience, they not only establish a difference from traditional watches but also avoid falling into the trend of ‘optimal design’.Today, let’s talk about smartwatch straps.Rooted in Tradition, New from TraditionBefore smartwatches like the Apple Watch, the traditional watchmaking industry had already perfected design and experience, with leather straps sourced from nature, meticulously crafted metal straps, and even diamonds and other precious materials, achieving great quality and wearing comfort.For smartwatches, the traditional watchmaking industry is like a mature father, rich in skills and resources for the younger generation to learn from.Of course, smartwatches do not fully accept these gifts; they follow a different path from traditional watchmaking. The two have been at odds from the beginning—choosing between a smartwatch and a traditional watch is usually an either-or question.Distinguishing itself from the traditional watchmaking experience is the core of smartwatches. On the Apple Watch, this experience is reflected not only in the functions of the watch but also in the straps, such as reducing seams to pursue unity, even eliminating buckles to enhance comfort and fit.In products like the iPad and Mac, Apple uses magnets to provide adhesion, ensuring product design unity as much as possible, and the Apple Watch is no exception. The Milanese stainless steel strap and leather loop strap both use magnets; the former has a magnetic clasp, while the latter has none at all.Apple Watch leather loop strap. Image from: AppleinsiderThe leather loop strap features handcrafted leather on the surface, with multiple flexible magnets embedded inside. Just a gentle touch causes the strap to automatically adhere, making it much simpler than aligning, inserting, and buckling with a traditional clasp.The strap that maximizes unity is the single-loop strap, especially the single-loop woven strap, which completely eliminates buckles, leaving no seams visible on the strap body, maintaining continuity with the Apple Watch body for a better visual experience.Without a buckle, the usability of the watch is also improved. The single-loop woven strap has good elasticity and can be worn easily with a simple pull.Apple Watch single-loop woven strapThis is clearly the result of countless human studies and craftsmanship adjustments. To fit different wrist sizes, it cannot be too tight, and the elasticity cannot be too great; otherwise, if it is too loose, it may fall off. Apple’s VP of Product Marketing, Stan Ng, has previously introduced the manufacturing process of this strap.Using 16,000 recycled polyester threads woven around fine silicone threads, then laser-cut to ensure precise lengths for custom fitting.One of Apple’s biggest competitors, Samsung, is also skilled in this area. The Galaxy Watch employs a design that is entirely different from the Apple Watch—a round dial.On the Galaxy Watch 4, Samsung adjusted the design of the watch body and strap, calling it the H-Wing design, where the strap is closely connected to the screen, resembling a continuous curve. The promotional video for Galaxy Watch 4 vividly showcases the beauty of this curve continuity.Galaxy Watch 4. Image from: SamsungApart from aesthetics, the Galaxy Watch 4 strap also offers good practicality. Its hybrid leather strap features a double-layer design, with the inner side made of sweat-proof fluororubber (FKM) material, and the outer layer made of leather.The inner and outer sides use consistent colors, maximizing visual unity while ensuring a high-quality feel, with the inner KFM material effectively resisting sweat.Image from: SamsungInterestingly, although Samsung and Apple are competitors, both have independently chosen to use environmentally recycled materials for their straps. Apple has eco-friendly woven straps, while Samsung has launched colorful eco-friendly straps for the Galaxy Watch 4 in collaboration with designer Sami Miró.Galaxy Watch 4 sustainable strap made from recycled materials from the fruit industryThrough material and craftsmanship innovations, smartwatches provide an experience that differs from traditional watchmaking, paving a new path. These innovations also support the core functions of smartwatches—sports and health.Good design should serve functionalityUnlike traditional watch straps, smartwatches have high requirements for strap stability during wear, stemming from the strict demands of various sports and health monitoring functions.Apple’s VP of Product Marketing, Stan Ng, stated that until the Apple Watch 7, all strap innovations had to support the various functions of the watch.In previous articles, we detailed various metrics in Apple’s Health feature, such as aerobic fitness detection; for accurate data detection, the strap must be tightened to ensure the optical sensors on the back of the watch closely contact the skin.Whether it’s ECG or regular blood oxygen monitoring, these functions rely on various sensors in the watch to emit signals to the arm. Therefore, most sports health monitoring functions require users to maintain a stable posture and wear the watch tightly to ensure data accuracy.In the single-loop strap, Apple offers up to 9 wearing sizes and a complete set of measurement methods to ensure comfort while keeping the strap sufficiently ‘tight’ to support all monitoring functions of the Apple Watch.Apple provides a method to measure wrist circumference using printing paper, suitable for the single-loop strap.This immediately increases the SKU count to 9, with different strap sizes for varying case sizes, resulting in a style explosion that showcases the company’s control over supply chain and inventory management.Amazon’s Halo smartwatch has taken this to the extreme by completely abandoning the smartwatch screen, transferring all related content support to the phone.By reducing screen content distractions, the watch body design can be more ‘casual’, fitting closely with the strap and wrist, providing better stability, fully dedicated to sports and health monitoring functions.Amazon Halo. Image from: wareableAnother company that has shown innovation in strap design is Huawei, which recently launched a smartwatch called Watch D, with one of its key features being blood pressure monitoring, largely relying on an embedded airbag in the strap.To ensure data accuracy, blood pressure monitoring has certain posture requirements. When monitoring begins, a micro pump inside the watch inflates the embedded airbag in the strap, tightening it around the wrist until the measurement is complete.Huawei Watch D strap with airbagDoes this sound familiar? There have long been similar wrist blood pressure monitor products on the market, which you may have encountered during health check-ups; Huawei has cleverly integrated this into the watch strap. Of course, the trade-off is the overall weight of the watch; according to official information, the watch weighs 40.9 grams without the strap.New materials, new processes, new designs; innovative design brings not only better aesthetics but also serves as a foundational basis for new functions and good products.1000 ChoicesCompanies like Samsung and Apple invest heavily in strap design, which not only builds the foundation for various smartwatch functions but also establishes design consistency across products, from the watch body to the strap, all crafted to the same standards.The strap customization feature on Apple’s official website effectively showcases product design consistency. As you hover over the mouse, the strap changes continuously; regardless of how the strap style and design are adjusted, the Apple Watch fits seamlessly with it, closely resembling the actual product appearance.Apple official website Apple Watch customization selecting strapYears of design consistency helps establish a unified product image in people’s minds, even a sense of identity. The design and functional innovation of the Apple Watch have made it synonymous with ‘new cool’, allowing the product to become a symbol of public recognition.Just like Andy Warhol’s ‘Marilyn Monroe’ series of screen prints, the popularity of industrial consumer culture allows companies to mass-produce products, building a unified consumption cognition while providing uniqueness through different ‘codes’—colors, materials, etc., to meet personalized consumption needs.Over 1000 combinations.Both Samsung and Apple emphasize the richness of their product pairings, offering various watch sizes, materials, and diverse straps, providing ample choices for consumers. It’s not uncommon for customers to purchase straps in different colors and styles of the same material.Unintentionally, companies like Samsung and Apple have pushed for strap innovation, squeezing the survival space of third-party accessory makers. The price of the Apple Watch single-loop woven strap has reached 779 yuan, more expensive than the HomePod mini (749 yuan).Colorful HomePod mini speakerThis pricing largely stems from material and craftsmanship innovations, but even if third-party accessory makers offer similar quality, selling a strap for nearly 800 yuan is still a challenge.The smartwatch strap might be the most overlooked part, but the innovative designs from various companies in this area are actually quite rich, providing better aesthetics and a more convenient, practical experience to meet consumer and usage demands.As a result, smartwatches have carved out a new path in the face of the traditional watchmaking industry’s benchmark achievements.Click ‘View’ is our greatest motivation
