Apple Titanium Milanese Loop review: The new band style looks great on Apple Watch Ultra and Apple Watch Series 10. The new Apple Titanium Milanese Loop's high price seemingly hasn't put off Apple Watch Ultra owners. We've been testing it out for a few months now that Apple finally managed to get them in stock. In the absence of a true Apple Watch Ultra 3, Apple looked to spur sales of its high-end wearable with a new color and new bands, including a revised Milanese Loop. A rugged alternative to the existing model.
It's available in both black and natural silver and can be picked up on its own or paired with a new Apple Watch Ultra. After weeks of trying, we got our hands on a silver one to test out. The general idea of a "Milanese Loop" strap is consistent with Apple's stainless steel band. It's made from what Apple describes as "aerospace-grade titanium mesh.". It's very flexible, almost fabric-like in its feel. The outside is filed flat, similar to a chain bracelet or necklace.
There is a flat, adjustable buckle on the underside that snaps together. Scuba divers may be familiar with the parachute-style buckle that's often used on BCD to connect gear. The natural silver color is perfectly matched with the natural Apple Watch Ultra and Apple Watch Ultra 2. Even though Apple lists it as 49mm band, it technically fits any of the larger Apple Watch models. That includes the 42mm, 44mm, 45mm, or the new 46mm Series 10. Apple's specificity to the Ultra line is likely due to the finish.
Apple Watch Ultra has a matte finish while others, like the titanium Series 10, have a polished finish. And the Aluminum models may be matte, but come in pure silver instead of natural silver. This means even though the band fits, it won't match perfectly. It's not necessarily a big deal though. We've been pairing the natural silver band with our titanium Apple Watch Series 10 and find the mild contrast is largely inconspicuous. Only an eagle-eyed person would notice the small variation in tone.
That said, if you have the the Series 10 titanium and want a perfect match, Apple has the other Milanese Loop for that. We'll compare against that model in a moment. This strap comes in three sizes — small, medium, and large. Those equate to 130-160mm, 155-185mm, and 180-210mm wrists. We chose the medium, but this seemed to be on the large size for us. We'd have been just fine with the small on our averages-sized wrists.
The band is easy to adjust, though a little tedious if trying to wear it at the same time. We never go the knack of trying to slide the buckle while also wearing the watch. We found better luck adjusting it, putting it on, then removing it and adjusting again as necessary. To adjust, you just lift the lock on the back of the buckle and then press it down to secure it. In our time with the watch, we've only had one time when the latch was accidentally lifted, causing the band to go slack. It was on our toddler as he was climbing on us so no harm and the watch itself didn't come off.
This band has overwhelmingly been extremely comfortable and didn't pinch our hair like other similar bands. It was a little shocking how light it was though. The woven titanium is so light, the band by itself almost feels cheap. Of course, it's not but our intrinsic instinct to gauge something heavy as premium is hard to overcome. The quality is incredible and the weight does help when wearing for long hours or working out.
There are countless bands to compare this to — both from Apple as well as third parties. We felt it most apt to compare to Apple's own stainless steel Milanese Loop. The stainless steel version was just updated at the same time that the titanium version was released. The stainless steel comes in natural, slate, and gold. Comparably, the stainless steel version is slightly smaller. It's thinner and narrower by just a hair.
Since it's designed to accompany the titanium Apple Watch Series 10, the lugs on the steel one are polished, creating a perfect match. It's also notably heavier due to steel's inherent properties. The biggest difference is in the clasp. We've already talked about the parachute-style buckle on the titanium while the stainless steel still uses magnets. The end of the stainless steel has embedded magnets and a silicone ring. The magnet holds strong and the silicone stops it from sliding.
After wearing out stainless steel one for years, it definitely can slide and loosen. Whether it's when you're working out or wearing it to bed. There are knockoff versions of many of Apple's bands. You can find knockoff sports bands in multi-packs on Amazon for about $20. The high-end bands are a big more difficult though. They use custom pieces that are harder to replicate than just a mold. That said, now that we're several months removed from the announcement, third-party ones are starting to crop up. It makes it harder for users to justify spending the month on the real McCoy.
