Nomad is debuting one of its most exciting new products of the year today, if you ask me. The new Stratos hybrid Apple Watch band combines its wonderful titanium link-style bracelet with a rubberized interior for extra comfort and a sort of ready for anything design approach. After testing it out myself for a few days now, the new Nomad Stratos has become a clear contender for the best new Apple Watch band of the year already.
Introducing Nomad Stratos – grade 4 titanium meets FKM
Nomad is already well known for leather, titanium, steel, and rubberized sporty straps. Anyone who has followed our Apple Watch band coverage will already know how much we love its bands, and you can definitely add the new Nomad Stratos band to the list.
This new release from Nomad delivers a sort of modern-meets-retro take on the timeless link-style metal bracelet strap category. It trades out the standard links we see from a million different brands out there for an ultra-clean and smooth approach that screams both traditional elegance and modernity for me.
Available in both black or natural titanium, both finishes can also be configured with different color rubberized interiors. Not only is this a more comfortable approach than the usual metal on skin vibe, but it adds to the visual design of the watch band – the interior color subtle pops through the outer titanium links to offer up a unique approach to the usual link bracelet.
Each link is metal injection molded from Grade 4 titanium, a process that “transforms powdered titanium into solid form using extreme heat and pressure.” That contrasts nicely with the FKM rubberized interior that “delivers durability, water resistance, and the right amount of flex.”
Nomad Stratos Apple Watch band features at a glance:
- Color options:
- Titanium options: Silver or Carbide
- FKM: Black, Volt, or Ultra Orange
- Flexible design contours around your wrist
- Custom magnetic clasp
- Tool included to adjust length
- Designed for Apple Watch Ultra 1-3
- Works with Apple Watch 1-11 and SE
My immediate hands-on impressions have already been made quite apparent in this post – I love this thing. I do tend to prefer the more traditional metal bracelet designs, but there’s just something about this one that has just enough 1970s’ mixed with something from the future that really appeals to me. It’s also more comfortable after a long day than some of the other high-end titanium bands I have tested out that rest the metal directly on your skin.
While the brighter interior colors aren’t really to my taste when they are popping through as the band flexes on my wrist, I can clearly see that some folks love it – some of the friends and family I have shown the bands to really loved the bright orange and volt treatments.
Another highlight for me here is the clasp. Super clean in design and implementation, it is also two fold with the must-have dual button clasp to prevent mishaps and a magnetic attachment as a backup – again, It totally love this and will report back after I have had a chance to beat this thing up a bit for a few weeks.
The New Nomad Stratos Apple Watch band is now available for purchase on the official Nomad site for $179. That’s not cheap, but it is relatively on par with what we expect from a proper Grade 4 titanium Apple Watch strap, and this one manages to elevate itself from the pack almost flawlessly if you ask me.
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