Good news for Apple Watch Ultra buyers. If you’ve already invested in Apple Watch bands for bigger screen models in the past, those bands will continue to work with the extreme sports version of the new Series 8. Bands designed for the Apple Watch Ultra also work with larger versions of non-Ultra Apple Watches.
Ultra on non-Ultra
Apple includes two notes of clarity when buying Apple Watch bands now that the Apple Watch Ultra is official. This is what you see when buying a new band designed for the Apple Watch Ultra:
There’s no mention of the 42mm Apple Watch, but 44mm and 45mm bands share compatibility with this model as well.
The Trail Loop, Alpine Loop, and Ocean Band are designed for Apple Watch Ultra and pair best with the 49mm case size. The bands are also compatible with 44mm and 45mm cases.
Non-Ultra on Ultra
And if you’re buying a band not explicitly designed for the Apple Watch Ultra, this message is included:
That means Apple has maintained band compatibility from the original 42mm Apple Watch all the way to the Series 8 version of the new 49mm Apple Watch Ultra. If you’ve bought smaller bands for 38/40/41mm, however, those bands will not be compatible.
…the 45mm bands work with 42mm, 44mm and 49mm cases.
Overall, this is more compatibility than was to be expected by the dramatically different Apple Watch Ultra prior to it being announced. Apple’s new bands (and Series 8 watches) are available to order today.
