Though seems impossible, having an Apple watch band made from real wood is actually possible; flexible, good looking and wraps around your wrists comfortably. And yes, made from real authentic wood.
A Philadelphia-based designer by the name Lorenzo Buffa has been in the business of using patent techniques to to develop and create bands for analogue wristwatches. Museums like MoMA, Guggenheim and the likes have his stuff displayed. Now he has designs for the Apple watch.
Buffa pitches Bandly (Bandly the wooden wristband product name) as a way to have a bit of nature in our lives throughout the day, and help the environment at the same time.
Looking at the Bandly product, you will find it difficult to believe it was actually made out of wood. Its flexible nature similar to a typical leather band, thin layer of wood and the finish; one can see its actual grain from wood.
You get to choose from variants like Light Teak, Dark Teak, Maple, and Rosewood. Personally, I like the Light Teak model.
The process blends a real wood finish with polyurethane backing and a transparent water-resistant coating. The result, says Buffa, is something that is durable and tough. The bands have been tested with 10,000 bends, 500 stabs with a steel sheet and 1,000 smashes.
Developing it requires a process that blends real wood finish with polyurethane backing and transparent water-resistant coat. At finish, you get something durable and quite tough. When tested, it survived 9,000 bends, stabs of over 400 and 900 smashes.
It’s a start, so yes you will need to be a bit careful with how you use it. Producing the bands is a done deal, though the company has been around for a couple of years. It’s using this platform for marketing purposes basically.
The band is set at $39, which is pretty good for the quality. Personally, I would start at around $80-$100.
Bandly is on Kickstarter and is fully-funded.