REVIEW – With a wedding coming up, and the opportunity to review the latest Apple Watch band from Nomad Goods, the Stratos Band, I couldn’t help but marry these two situations (almost as I couldn’t help make that terrible pun)! Seriously, though, there were a couple of interesting design features of the Stratos Band that intrigued me and I wanted to test out. Take a read and find out if these features are worth your attention.
⬇︎ Jump to summary (pros/cons)
Price: $179
Where to buy: Nomad Goods
What is it?
The Nomad Goods Stratos Band takes a twist on the traditional metal Apple Watch band, but lining the interior with FKM (high-performance fluoroelastomer) that is “antimicrobial and can be easily sanitized with soap and water”. And the clasp is magnetic rather than the usual buckle or folding clasp.
What’s included?
- Stratos Band
- Adjustment tool
Tech specs
- Grade 4 titanium hardware
- Scratch-resistant DLC coating
- FKM interior links
- Custom magnetic clasp
- Water resistant
- Lug width: 35mm
- Link width: 23.6mm
- Weight: 52g
- Length (Pin side): 95mm
- Length (Adjustment side): 135mm
- Sizing: one size fits most (130mm to 200mm)
- Compatibility: Apple Watch (49mm, 46mm, 45mm, 44mm, 42mm) (Ultra 1-3, Series 1-11, and SE)
Design and features
The Nomad Goods Stratos Band for Apple Watch is great-looking. The band itself is made from “grade 4 titanium hardware”. I looked up what “grade 4” is and came away with this:
Grade 4 is the strongest of the commercially pure titanium grades, with excellent corrosion resistance but lower ductility. – AEM Metal
One of the things that sets the Nomad Goods Stratos Band for Apple Watch apart from other metal bands is that it’s lined the Nomad’s FKM rubber. I have a few of Nomad’s FKM bands and can attest to the comfort of ease of cleaning of the material. Lining the metal band is a nice touch and allows for more flexibility of the band itself.
My left wrist is usually in-between link sizes; either the band is slightly too loose, or after removing a single link, it’s slightly too tight. There is a small amount of flex that allows the Nomad Goods Stratos Band for Apple Watch to expand to accommodate these tiny changes. To be clear, though, there isn’t enough “stretch” to slip on or off the band without unclasping.
Speaking of the clasp, this is another feature I was interested in reviewing. I have another metal band that has the traditional folding clasp, but the Nomad Goods Stratos Band for Apple Watch has a magnetic closure. The clasp uses N52 magnets and requires the side buttons to be pushed before the magnets can be detached. I felt that while closed, the band wouldn’t open because of the locking mechanism. The magnets do a great job of aligning and attaching the ends of each band.
The Nomad Goods Stratos Band for Apple Watch comes in two hardware colors to match the latest Apple Watch Ultra finishes: Natural (titanium) or Black. Then there are three options for the interior lining: Black, Ultra Orange, or Volt. My review unit is the Titanium with the Black interior. I have the Apple Watch Ultra 2, and the color is almost a near match, but it’s hard to tell sometimes, due to lighting. For those who order either the Ultra Orange or Volt interior colors, they will be visible and noticeable, especially along the sharper curves of your wrist.
Assembly, Installation, Setup
For my wrist, I needed to remove one link. This is the first watch band that I have that has full-size links, but also mini links that are thinner. I am confident that between the option of using these “mini-links” and the FKM interior lining design, the Nomad Goods Stratos Band for Apple Watch can be comfortable for anyone (with wrist sizes between 130mm and 200 mm).
Final thoughts
The Nomad Goods Stratos Band for Apple Watch surprised me. I wasn’t exactly sure what kind of difference having their FKM interior lining would make and how well the magnetic clasp would hold up. I’m happy to say that in both cases, it was pretty great!
With the latest Apple Watch OS, I’ve been wearing my watch to track my sleep and to wake up earlier without disturbing my wife (too much). With the Nomad Goods Stratos Band for Apple Watch, I had no issues wearing it overnight. I did not experience any pinching or other discomfort.
And the magnetic clasp made attaching the watch easy, and with the locking mechanism, I had no fear of the band coming undone.
The wedding I attended was not local, and I only packed the Nomad Goods Stratos Band for Apple Watch. I wore it the whole trip and didn’t need another band for comfort or convenience. I recommend it!
What I like about the Nomad Stratos band
- It’s comfortable
- It’s durable
- It looks good!
What needs to be improved?
- nothing
Price: $179
Where to buy: Nomad Goods
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by Nomad Goods. Nomad Goods did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.
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