The new Apple Watch Series 6 is here (I’ve already ordered mine). But before I write up my thoughts on everything that was announced, I thought I’d play around with the sizes for the new watch straps, seeing as the new Solo Loop and Braided Solo Loop come in 9 sizes (Although the size guide has 12?). Mainly because I wanted to see if I see any interesting trends, but also, why not?
So it turns out that it’s not as simple as having a representative “Apple” size for a range of measurements. Instead, there are ranges for every strap size, and also one specific millimetre-precise measurement for every strap size that has two “fits”. A precise fit, which they say is for active lifestyles, and a relaxed fit for everyday use. They always recommend the precise fit.
Here are how wrist sizes relate to the new strap size:
| Wrist Size (cm) | Strap Size |
|---|---|
| 12.6 ≦ 13.1 | 1 |
| 13.2 | Precise (Recommended): 1 Relaxed: 2 |
| 13.3 ≦ 13.7 | 2 |
| 13.8 | Precise (Recommended): 2 Relaxed: 3 |
| 13.9 ≦ 14.3 | 3 |
| 14.4 | Precise (Recommended): 3 Relaxed: 4 |
| 14.5 ≦ 14.9 | 4 |
| 15.0 | Precise (Recommended): 4 Relaxed: 5 |
| 15.1 ≦ 15.6 | 5 |
| 15.7 | Precise (Recommended): 5 Relaxed: 6 |
| 15.8 ≦ 16.3 | 6 |
| 16.4 | Precise (Recommended): 6 Relaxed: 7 |
| 16.5 ≦ 17 | 7 |
| 17.1 | Precise (Recommended): 7 Relaxed: 8 |
| 17.2 ≦ 17.7 | 8 |
| 17.8 | Precise (Recommended): 8 Relaxed: 9 |
| 17.9 ≦ 18.4 | 9 |
| 18.5 | Precise (Recommended): 9 Relaxed: 10 |
| 18.6 ≦ 19.1 | 10 |
| 19.2 | Precise (Recommended): 10 Relaxed: 11 |
| 19.3 ≦ 19.8 | 11 |
| 19.9 | Precise (Recommended): 11 Relaxed: 12 |
| 20 ≦ 20.6 | 12 |
As you can see the sizes span from 12.6 cm to 20.6 cm. But the Loop Solo and Braided Loop Solo only come in sizes 3 to 12, so the sizes are actually from 13.9 cm to 20.6 cm. If your wrist is smaller or bigger, you’re going to have to find another strap.
While that data is interesting (and maybe useful), I wondered if I could find anything else from the data. So I flipped the columns and simplified the data to represent a precise fit as being inclusive in the relevant sizes.
| Strap Size | Wrist Size (cm) | Range (cm) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12.6 ≦ 13.2 | 0.7 |
| 2 | 13.3 ≦ 13.8 | 0.7 |
| 3 | 13.9 ≦ 14.4 | 0.6 |
| 4 | 14.5 ≦ 15.0 | 0.6 |
| 5 | 15.1 ≦ 15.7 | 0.6 |
| 6 | 15.8 ≦ 16.4 | 0.7 |
| 7 | 16.5 ≦ 17.1 | 0.7 |
| 8 | 17.2 ≦ 17.8 | 0.7 |
| 9 | 17.9 ≦ 18.5 | 0.7 |
| 10 | 18.6 ≦ 19.2 | 0.7 |
| 11 | 19.3 ≦ 19.9 | 0.7 |
| 12 | 20 ≦ 20.6 | 0.7 |
To be honest, I didn’t see anything useful here. But I did work out that the first two sizes have a range of 0.7 cm, the next 3 sizes have a range of 0.6 cm, and the latter 7 have a range of 0.7 cm. I had a theory that the bigger the strap is, it makes sense that it would be able to stretch to a larger size. But I was expecting to see a higher variability.