Apple Watch 9 could come with a brand new band design

Apple Watch Series 8 shown on wrist
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

The Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 could arrive with a new style of band to choose from when they likely arrive in September.

Twitter/X user Kosutami (via 9to5Mac) claims that Apple will launch a new woven fabric strap with a magnetic buckle fastening. They also include an illustration that they say is a concept for the look of the strap and clasp.

Apple still sells a "Modern Buckle" leather strap with a metal clasp that somewhat resembles this design. However, if you're buying straps for an Apple Watch 8 or other modern Apple Watch, this model won't fit, as it was introduced with the smaller original Apple Watch generations.

Apple's current line-up of straps, excluding the expensive Hermès ones, or the Ocean Band for larger Apple Watches and the Apple Watch Ultra, don't use traditional watch clasps. The vast majority use pin-style, hooked, bracelet-style or magnetic fastenings. Some don't even use fasteners at all, in the case of the Solo Loops. 

A new strap option with a more typical buckle that makes the Apple Watch look more like a standard watch seems like a smart way for Apple to round out its strap offering. It would also help it keep Apple Watch buyers within its own ecosystem rather than forcing some to look for third-party options instead.

An illustration of a new band design rumored to be coming to the Apple Watch 9 series

Kosutami's illustration of what the new band could look like. (Image credit: Kosutami/X)

The upcoming Apple Watch 9 series remains kind of mysterious. From the limited rumors we've heard, it seems like it'll be an awful lot like the Apple Watch 8, except for a performance boost and some new colors. It sounds like it'll be much the same for the Apple Watch Ultra 2, except its small improvements are tipped to be new manufacturing processes and possibly an updated display. Anyone looking for bigger upgrades will have to wait for the Apple Watch X, new leaks suggest.

We are expecting to see these new wearables at an Apple September Event, thought to be taking place on September 12. It won’t be an Apple Watch-only show though, as it’s the point we should see the iPhone 15 series, and perhaps some other new devices too.

More from Tom's Guide

Richard Priday
Assistant Phones Editor

Richard is based in London, covering news, reviews and how-tos for phones, tablets, gaming, and whatever else people need advice on. Following on from his MA in Magazine Journalism at the University of Sheffield, he's also written for WIRED U.K., The Register and Creative Bloq. When not at work, he's likely thinking about how to brew the perfect cup of specialty coffee.

Read more
Apple Watch Ultra 2
Apple Watch Ultra 3 just tipped for two major upgrades
Apple Watch Ultra 2 on a person's wrist outside
Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch 11 rumored to finally get this long-awaited health tracking feature
Apple Watch SE 2022 showing the activity widget in watchOS 11
Apple Watch SE 3 — everything we know so far about the next-gen budget watch
Apple Watch Ultra 2
Apple Watch Ultra 3: All the rumors you need to know
Apple Watch Sport Loop
Best Apple Watch bands in 2025
Apple Watch SE (2022) shown on wrist
Apple Watch SE 3 reportedly in ’serious jeopardy’ — here’s why
Latest in Smartwatches
Apple Watch SE shown in a user's hand on a neon green and grey fabric strap; the background is bright orange
Hurry! The Apple Watch SE is just $169 right now in Amazon Big Spring Sale
the Garmin Epix Pro 51mm on Tom's Guide writer Nick Harris-Fry's wrist
Amazon’s Big Spring Sale knocks up to 53% off Garmin watches — here are 9 deals I’d buy now
The Amazfit T-Rex 3 shown close-up on a user's wrist with the snorkeling and surfing workout tracking modes displayed; colorful flowers are out of focus in the background
7 reasons why this budget-friendly smartwatch is my new go-to for surfing and swimming
Apple Watch Ultra 2
Apple Watch Ultra 3 just tipped for two major upgrades
Apple Watch SE (2022) shown on wrist
Apple Watch SE 3 reportedly in ’serious jeopardy’ — here’s why
Apple Watch Series 10
Future Apple Watch models could get a surprising new feature — what we know
Latest in News
Bill Gates in 2019
Bill Gates just predicted the death of every job thanks to AI — except for these three
NYTimes Connections
NYT Connections today hints and answers — Wednesday, March 26 (#654)
Gemini screenshot image
Google unveils Gemini 2.5 — claims AI breakthrough with enhanced reasoning and multimodal power
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 review.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 design just teased in new cases leak — and the outer display is huge
Google Chrome
Chrome failed to install on Windows PCs, but Google has issued a fix — here's what happened
nyc spring day AI image
OpenAI just unveiled enhanced image generator within ChatGPT-4o — here's what you can do now