The new Apple Watch band is the Black Unity Braided Solo Loop, launched as a special edition as part of Apple’s celebration of Black History Month. Here’s a hands-on, wrist-on perhaps, review of the new item.
It’s a sumptuously different braided band. The Braided Solo Loop is one of Apple’s best creations, made from recycled yarn interwoven with silicone threads. It’s a soft matte-finish stretchy band in one piece, making it especially comfy because there are not clasps or buckles attached. It comes in 10 colors and two special editions, this one and the beautiful Pride Edition band.
The special versions aren’t just one color, they have multi-colored patterns in the case of the new Black Unity version is black with flecks of red and green. It’s a subtle and appealing design. In situations with lower light, it looks like it’s almost black, with the tiniest hints of color. In bright light, it looks much livelier.
It's a subtle look that works for evening wear as effectively as daytime, as good for a dinner party as going swimming (it’s water-resistant).
Of course, this being Apple, there’s more detail than that. Black Unity is written (laser-etched, Apple says) on the metal connectors that fit the strap to the Watch. Apple describes it as inspired by Afrofuturism, and is to do with the need for a “more equitable” world.
And it’s accompanied by a cool new Watch face, called Unity Lights. It’s a pleasingly simple design, just the hour, minute and second hands. The word lights refers to the way they glow on one side, lighting the watch face in red and green (the colors of the Pan-African flag) and the lighting works in such a way that it glows yellow in the center.
It’s a subtle and deeply attractive face. Very simple, and the only addition you can make in the full-screen view is to add hour markers.
Choose the circular version and you can add complications in the corners, a less pure but more informative face.
In short, the combination of the Braided Loop and the new Watch face are a triumph.
And, like all Apple’s special edition bands, this one is the same price, $99, £99 in the U.K., as the regular band.
