Firstly, the things that haven’t changed:
-I love that Ritche sends two different length bands in every order. That’s great versatility and helps ensure their bands will fit the wearer no matter their wrist size.
- Their quick release spring bars are also fantastic and do the job well.
- The buckle is also the same solid brushed steel tang design that they used before.
Now on to the differences:
- First is the pattern change on the top of the band. I initially loved it. I think it looks interesting and feels nice. However the little grooves that make up the texture absolutely are the perfect little vesicles for dust and particles. I can see these new bands looking “dusty” pretty quickly. This being said, I would probably still call it a slight improvement on the old pattern, as it looks much nicer, at least for now.
- The retainer, I love the change they made to the retaining buckle. On the previous model you had this wide retainer that “locked” into a rectangular hole near the end of the band. While I liked having a locking retainer, it always seemed bulky and made removing the watch on-wrist more difficult. On the new one they drastically reduced the size of the retaining “lock.” You can see them compared in one of the attached images. The black one is significantly smaller than the gray one and you’ll notice a lack of the rectangular hole at the end of the black band. In this new model the retainer locks into one of the sizing holes. I love this change. It makes the locking when putting the watch on and unlocking when the watch comes off MUCH more smooth and easy. This is definitely an improvement on the first band. Also, this design results in having more sizing holes in the band and therefore makes it even more accessible to those with very small or large wrists. Double improvement on that design choice.
- The feel on-wrist does feel a bit different. I loved the soft, silicone feel of the first model, but they made it even more silky smooth in the new model. This will either seem a positive or a negative depending on the person and their preference. The new model feels incredibly comfortable. However, the super smooth feel can cause the watch to slide around if it’s a fairly heavy watch. I wouldn’t call my Orient Ray a heavy watch and it still slid around unless I really tightened up the band beyond my normal settings. For a lighter watch, however, this is much closer to a perfect match. I tried it on my Rotate Watches Edison and it felt much better. Overall, I’d call this change a neutral one. Some may like it and some may not.
Overall:
I like the new band. It’s not perfect, but I do love the changes they made with the retainer and the extra sizing holes. I’m unsure right now about the pattern on too, but I do love the way it looks and feels. We’ll see in a few weeks if the grooves attract dust and ends up looking dusty. It’s a very solid 4/5 stars from me and has the potential to be a 5/5 for a person that likes the uber-smooth silicone feel and wants to put it on a nice, lighter watch. It’s a great piece for the price it’s at, a solid value.