This is my full review of the Sandmarc Titanium Apple Watch band. For the past two years I’ve been using multiple watch bands on my Apple Watch Ultra, but most of the time I’ve used the Nomad Goods Titanium Watch Band for Apple Watch Ultra. You can read my review of that band over here. The Nomad Goods band has very comfortable and durable. Even after using it a lot and not going easy on it, it still looks like new because of the titanium and DLC coating on it.
A few weeks back Sandmarc contacted me and asked me if I was interested in trying their Titanium Apple Watch Ultra band. They recon it is at least as good as the Nomad Goods band and sent me one to test. In this review I’ll tell you about my experience and how it compares to the Nomad Goods band.
Sandmarc
Sandmarc is a San Diego based company that offers high end accessories for Apple devices. Their lineup ranges from iPhone cases to AirTag key rings and from Macbook cases to Apple Watch bands. What all their products have in common is the high quality materials and sleek (and in my opinion beautiful) designs. This also shows in their Apple Watch bands. Sandmarc offers different bands for Apple Watch and Apple Watch Ultra in stainless steel, leather or Titanium.
Sandmarc Titanium Apple Watch Ultra band
The Sandmarc Titanium Apple Watch bands are available in two versions, one for Apple Watch Ultra and one for the regular Apple Watch in smaller sizes. The Apple Watch Ultra band has a wider design to match the look of the Ultra better. The band are available in both black and natural titanium colour. There is also a gold version that is made for the smaller 42mm Apple Watches. The black version is a great match for the new Apple Watch Ultra 2 in black.
For this review I’ve received the band in natural Titanium colour which matches very well with my Ultra 2 in silver/ natural titanium.
Grade 2 – 4 – 5?
The Sandmarc Apple Watch band titanium is available in 3 different versions, offering grade 2, 4 or 5 Titanium. The Grade 2 version costs 199 dollar, the grade 4 is 299 and the grade 5 I’ve got for this review is 349 dollar. The grade 2 version comes with a simpler clasp compared to the high end butterfly clasp on the grade 4 and 5 bands. While the grades might not mean a lot to you it is good idea to decide which version suits you best.
Grade 2 is (commercial) pure titanium that is strong and corrosion resistant. Titanium Grade 4 offers the same corrosion resistance as grade 2 but is stronger and harder. Grade 5 is a Titanium Alloy with 6% aluminum and 4% vanadium. This makes Grade 5 Titanium as strong as great 4 but even more resistant to corrosion than Grade 2 and 4.
Long story short: grade 2 is perfect for normal day to day use and offers an attractive price. Grade 4 is perfect if you are rough on your watch and the band and just want a bit of extra durability. And Grade 5 is the way to go if you don’t hold back in any way and you need your band to withstand anything you can throw at it.
Sizing of the Sandmarc Titanium Apple Watch band
It’s good to know that the Sandmarc band in grade 2 titanium is longer than the grade 4 and 5 bands. The grade 2 is 190mm long, while the grade 4 and 5 are 176mm long. The grade 5 band fits my almost 20cm (about 7.8 inch) wrist very well out of the box – without resizing. But if you have bigger wrists you might want to go for the grade 2 version to make sure the band is long enough.
Diamond Like Coating – DLC
No matter which band you choose, all of the Sandmarc band offer DLC. This is an extra coating on the Titanium that is extremely scratch resistant. This will help in keeping your band looking like new. I was sceptical about DLC in the beginning, but after seeing how well the Nomad Goods band with DLC looks after 2 years of intensive use I’m sure this is worth it!
Sandmarc Titanium Apple Watch band
So, we’ve got the technical stuff out of the way; let’s look at the design. I really like the look of the Sandmarc Apple Watch band. It looks like a high end watchband with a subtle H-shaped link design. The links are solid and feel very well machines. There are no sharp edges and there is little play in the band. Because of that here is also no hair pulling what so ever. That is a big plus, especially with cheaper made bands with more play you will be epilated throughout the day. Something I don’t care for very much.
The bands pure titanium looks and feels really nice and is a little more polished than the Nomad Goods band. The band matches the look of the Apple Watch very well, but it is a little more shiny than the watch itself. The color is very much alike.
The clasp
The Sandmarc Apple Watch band has a very nice and sturdy clasp to open and close it. Unlike the Nomad band the Sandmarc doesn’t open completely, so it also doesn’t need a magnet to help close it. The butterfly clasp opens to both sides and offers a generous opening to get your hand through. Even with my big hands getting the band on is no problem.
The clasp is fully machines and very sturdy. In the photo’s you can see it has been made with attention for detail and it offers a very secure closing. Because of the butterfly clasp that makes the band one piece there is no risk of dropping the watch when it would accidentally open, but since you have to press both buttons on the side simultaneously the risk of that is very small.
Sandmarc Titanium Apple Watch band vs. Nomad Goods
When comparing the Sandmarc band to the Nomad Goods the biggest difference is the design. The Nomad Goods band has full size links that are held together at the back. This makes the design very sleek and maybe a little more simple. In some cases it looks a little like those stretchy metal bands on old watches.
The Sandmarc on the other hand is more pronounced. The design stands out more and looks more like a high end watch band. It’s a matter of taste, but both bands look good and feel good to wear.
The Nomad Goods band opens completely and uses a cleaver magnetic locking system. This makes putting the band on easy, despite it being a two piece band. Because of the butterfly clasp on the Sandmarc this band is one piece. I have big hands and normally the one piece bands are a little tight to put on. But I don’t have any problems with the Sandmarc. A plus is the security, if the clasp opens by accident the Sandmarc band will still stay on your wrist.
Comparing prices
The Sandmarc band starts at a reasonable 199 dollar for the grade 2 version that will be durable enough for most users. When going to the higher end options the prices jumps to 299 for the grade 4. And it goes up to 349 dollar for the grade 5. This makes the grade 4 and 5 options quite a lot more expensive than the Nomad Goods band. Nomad Goods says their band is also made of grade 5 titanium and it is sold for 229 euro’s here in Europe.
I do have to add that, while the Sandmarc band in grade 5 is more expensive, it does show in some of the details. The Sandmarc feels even more sturdy than the Nomad and the clasp on the Sandmarc is nicer than the one on the Nomad Goods. The biggest difference for me is the screwed links on the Sandmarc band. These are nicer and easier to use than the friction pins on the Nomad Goods.
Is it worth the extra money?
You will have to decide for yourself if these differences are worth the extra money for the Sandmarc. You do get a lot of quality for 349 dollar.
One thing to keep in mind; if you are in Europe you will also have to pay VAT and import fees on top of the 349 dollar if you buy the Sandmarc from the USA. For me this was an extra 98 euro. That makes the total cost of the Sandmarc in Europe about 395 euro at the current exchange rate. And to be honest that is a lot of money. Since you can buy the Nomad Goods bands in Europe from the Nomad European shop or a local retailer without any added fees the difference is quite big. In this case I think for European customers the Sandmarc in grade 5 titanium is too expensive. Especially when compared to the Nomad Goods band.
Conclusion
I’m truly impressed by the Sandmarc Titanium Apple Watch Ultra band. I really like the sleek design and the nice build quality of the band. The look matches the Apple Watch Ultra perfectly and the band wears very comfortable. I like the idea of the different grades of titanium you can choose. This makes it possible to select the one that is right for you.
In most cases I think the basic grade 2 band will be good enough for most users. This comes at a friendlier price of 199 dollar and still has the durable DLC coating. Its doesn’t have the nice butterfly clasp though. If you need more durability the grade 4 and 5 upgrades are good ideas. The higher prices gives you a nicer clasp and better resistance to wear and tear. 349 dollar is a lot of money, but you are getting a high end watchband that will outlive multiple Apple Watches if needed. Too bad Sandmarc doesn’t have a European shop yet, because of that the price in Europe is a too high at the moment.
