Pad & Quill has expanded its lineup of gorgeous Apple Watch bands this year a few times, most recently with the Leather Apple Watch Bomber Strap and the new Adventure Ultra Leather Band on display here today. The latter of which moves away from the usual military-inspired designs the brand has become known for while still delivering on a classy handmade leather treatment that fits right in with the existing lineup. We have had a chance to give the Ultra Strap a go over the last couple weeks and are now ready to leave you with our impressions (spoiler alert, I really loved it) as part of our Tested with gadgetnewsonline series.
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Hands-on with Pad & Quill’s latest Adventure Series Apple Watch Ultra Leather Band
Made of the usual full-grain leather with UV-resistant marine-grade stitching we have come to love from Pad & Quill, the Adventure Series is available in two styles; the Bradley Cuff and the more traditional Adventure Series Ultra Leather Band we had a chance to test out.
Compatible with all Apple Watch models in the 42, 44, 45, and 49mm sizes, you’ll find 316L stainless steel with a finish made to match the Apple Watch Ultra as well as the brand’s usual 25-year leather warranty and 30-day money-back promise alongside some new colorways including Mountain Forest Green, Deep Sea Blue, and Launch Pad Amber.
The new Pad & Quill Adventure Series Ultra Leather Band carries a $99.99 MSRP with free shipping, but you can use code AW30 at checkout to knock a solid 30% off your total and drop all three colorways down to $69.96 each. While they are still technically in the pre-order phase, orders will be shipping in “late May.”
Here’s a closer look at the spec sheet:
- Designed For Apple Watch Ultra and Apple Watch (49, 45, 44, and 42mm)
- NEW 316L Stainless Steel solid-bar unbreakable hardware
- Free domestic and international shipping
- Sizing- 125-215mm wrists
- Luxuriously strong full-grain leather top
- Durably soft leather lining
- Ultra comfort leather lining
- Precision UV-resistant marine-grade stitching (used in parachutes, sails, and more)
- Brushed hardware to match Apple Watch Ultra
- Signed by artisan discreetly under the strap
- 25-year leather warranty & 30-day money-back promise
gadgetnewsonline’ Take
To put it bluntly, this is a gorgeous leather Apple Watch band with one of the softest leather treatments I have personally ever touched and something I would recommend to just about anyone. Despite the slight shift in design inspiration, the new Adventure Series bands still features the handmade craftsmanship the brand cut its teeth on (and continues to master year after year).
The packaging here is nothing overly special but does deliver on a more elevated approach than your typical budget plastic from Amazon – as it should for this price. Falling in line with the rest of the handmade artisanship here, you’re looking at a nice rectangular black box with Pad & Quill’s 3D wax stamp of approval on top. It’s pretty, classic, and a nice little touch.
The second you open it up and get the Adventure Ultra Leather Band in your hands a few things will become immediately evident – its a soft and sumptuous leather, feels like a $100+ band, and looks like something you find wrapped around a far more expensive mechanical pilot or field watch. This is clearly a genuine leather strap and a beautiful example of it – it looks, feels, and smells like a really beautiful piece of leather and is easily among the nicest options I have got my hands on. Its far less tough and stiff than most of the more pricey models I have tested out (and even the leather straps I have for traditional watches) without feeling cheap or like it’s going to fall apart. Its almost like it comes pre-worked in, like you have been wearing it for years, but without all the dings, dents, scratches, and color fading.
The outside of the Adventure Ultra Leather Band, or the surface seen when you’re wearing it, has a sort of matte-like finish to the leather with a visible stitching treatment that carries through to the tabs that attach it to the Apple Watch lug connectors, further adding to the handmade aesthetic. You’ll also find this approach on the loop (that secures the excess band when you put it on). That little hit of orange stitching you see on it might not be visible when the band is strapped to your wrist, but, at least for me, is a nice little design cue – the kind of attention to detail I expect from both bands in this price range and an all-American artisanal leather accessory brand like Pad & Quill.
As for the hardware side of things – the lug connectors and buckle – the quality continues. They don’t feel any more rugged and robust than something you’ll found elsewhere to me, but they look great and are made from 316L stainless steel “solid-bar unbreakable hardware,” according to Pad & Quill. Complete with a matte, almost brushed satin-finish treatment, they also feature an extremely subtle yellowish undertone to my eyes that matches wonderfully with Apple Watch Ultra without being all that out of place on other models. The connectors are definitely too large for the smaller 41mm Apple wearables, and I might suggest they are slightly too large-looking on the 42mm (I don’t have one of those to test it with), but it will work on other Apple Watch models in the 44mm and up range, despite being being geared towards the flagship Ultra in some ways.
After many years of reviewing its work and covering the launch of its new products, Pad & Quill’s all-American craftsmanship has essentially never let me down, and the new Adventure Series Ultra Leather Band doesn’t, either. It is a gorgeous execution through and through, the softest and most supple genuine leather band I have ever touched, and something I would reccomend to anyone who likes what they hear here. It is also a nice change of pace for the brand without eschewing any of the design and construction philosophies that has put it on the map over the years – new colorways and a slightly less tool/military-oriented design approach with the same human touch straight from the workbench in its historic building sat on the banks of the Mississippi in Minneapolis. Pad & Quill has been one of the best artisan Apple gear accessory makers for over 10 years now and its latest Apple Watch bands continue that tradition.
Buy the Pad & Quill Adventure Series Apple Watch Ultra Leather Band
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