There are some products that can only be described as “for the Apple fan who has everything” – and the Bandwerk Milano Apple Watch band is one of two seen this week.
The first was the Nomad Leather Cover for MagSafe Charger, tested by our sister site 9to5Toys …
I’d like to poke fun at it; really I would. A leather cover for a charging puck? Who needs such a thing? But I found myself forced to agree with Blair Altland that it does look stylish when used with an iPhone 12 with a leather cover, and I now have one on the charger that lives in my travel bag.
In what is effectively a case for your MagSafe Charger, the new accessory from Nomad is comprised of geniune leather to bring a more stylish look to your iPhone 12 when its time to refuel. The small puck is designed to fit right over the official magnetic charger and has a cutout at the bottom for the cord to route through. Then on the inside there’s a soft microfiber lining to keep things safe from scratches and the like.
The second is one of Bandwerk’s special-edition Apple Watch bands, made using leather taken from vintage cars. In the case of the Bandwerk Milano, it uses leather from the interior of a 1974 Alfa Romeo Spider.
As a reformed petrolhead who doesn’t even own a car any more, the automobile heritage doesn’t necessarily sell it to me, but it’s an attractive band in its own right, the holes making the design somewhat reminiscent of Nike bands.
Hardly any other vehicle can radiate as much Italian charm as the Alfa Romeo Spider. However, this fact is hardly surprising, after all, the almost 50-year-old classic car not only has Milanese genes, but also comes from the pen of the world-famous design studio Pininfarina, which is also responsible for the design of the notorious super sports car Enzo Ferrari.
With the special edition “Milano”, BandWerk is using the interior leather of an Alfa Romeo for the first time.The beautiful, soft interior leather of the 1974 Spider was ideal for the production of a watch band with a sporty rally character, which is given expression by the fine perforation of the strap.
The red contrasting seams in vintage style are reminiscent of the traditional red paintwork of many Milanese automobiles.
The band is a limited edition of 139 pieces, and costs $179. All previous Bandwerk Special Edition bands are sold out, so if you want one of these, you probably don’t want to hang about when they go on sale at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 11.
