Watch strap weight: Smartlet equals a standard steel bracelet

Where Smartlet sits in the weight range

The first objection to a smartwatch is always related to weight. It’s always one of the first things that come to mind, often before even checking the prices, the compatibility of the watch with the system or even before worrying about design. The first reaction to seeing the Smartlet for the first time is always “This must be heavy!”. There is no other way of reacting. You look at a beautiful watch, you look at a smartwatch and at the system needed to link them, and you sum the weights, thinking about the final result, and you can’t help, but estimate a heavy object.

So let’s talk about weights and give you all the measures you need. Adding a smartwatch to a watch should logically increase the weight of the piece. It’s a matter we already discussed on our product page: Smartlet with the connected device: 60 – 100 g The same weight range for a standard stainless steel watch on the market: 60 – 100 g. Here are all the measures we have:

Smartlet's own published specifications

All technical data of Smartlet products can be cross-checked by looking at the relevant product page.

Source: smartlet.io/products/smartlet-one-classic

Immediately below these figures, Smartlet publishes a market benchmark:

Same weight range. No estimate. No comment. Our own measurement and illustrated on the product page for your information. The addition of a smartwatch to the Smartlet system does not increase the weight over a standard steel watch bracelet. The difference in height between the two backs (9 to 12 mm for the pod version and 4 to 8 mm for the other) is confirmed.

We've finally decided on this question for our product page: The version with the connected device is about as heavy as our classic steel bracelets.

The steel bracelet benchmark: what the market actually weighs

A single link of one of these bracelets is 60 to 80 grams. That is exactly the weight that Smartlet quotes for the whole system, bracelet, and the sensor. Many watch enthusiasts in the UK, Germany, Japan and Australia wear these bracelets all the time. Watch collectors are used to this weight and will not have any issues with it. Hence there is no need to explain in more detail the weight of a Smartlet than that of a typical steel watch bracelet.

Modelled from the Smartlet One Classic design in the noble material SS316L surgical steel. Weight with Accessory: 60 to 100 g. The same weight range as that of Smartlet bracelets produced from stainless steel found in the jewellery industry.

Where Apple Watch sits in this comparison

I don’t think the Apple Watch will be the heavy component of the Smartlets. We’ve verified this by checking Apple’s official materials.

Source: Apple official specifications

How much does the Apple Watch Ultra 2 actually weigh? Watch with battery (Grade 2 titanium): 61.4 g The Apple Watch Ultra 2, like its predecessor, is therefore located at the low end of the 60 – 100 g weight range for a Smartlet watch with a connected device. The Apple Watch Series 10 in aluminium has a weight of 30 – 36.4 g, which is of course far below the combined weight of a Smartlet and a watch. The connected device in a Smartlet is almost always the lightest element in the combination.

Weight in grams is one of the most basic physical quantities you can measure. So, we can calculate that the head of a Rolex Submariner alone is around 75 g. An Apple Watch Series 10 with an aluminum 46mm Smartlet is 36.4 g, which leaves only about 36 g in the Smartlet itself at the pod on the wrist. So all together we are looking at a weight on the wrist of about 111 to 115 g. And for comparison, the official Rolex spec on a classic Oyster bracelet lists a weight of 152.9 g for the same Submariner.

The Rolex bracelet reference data

I used a scale at our shipping facility to do a series of tests to see the actual weight of various Rolex bracelets. Here are the results. Measured weights only. No estimates. We at Everest Bands are a US based company that focuses on producing only the highest quality aftermarket Rolex watch straps.

Source: Everest Bands bracelet weight test

A light Apple Watch Ultra 2 tipps mit 61,4 g auf den Boden und liegt somit 8 – 18 g unter den Gewichten aller Rolex-Oyster-Bracelets in diesem Vergleich – ohne dem zugehörigen Gewicht des Watch-Cases. Dennoch wird Apple Watch Ultra 2 – und ähnliche Setups – von vielen Watch-Enthusiasts weltweit auf jedem Kontinent tagtäglich getragen.

We know that you have changed the 20-35g rubber strap for the 70-80g steel Rolex bracelet countless times. The difference is 40 to 60 grams. At Smartlet we are well within that range.

Real collector weights from around the world

Horology enthusiasts like to debate the weight of a watch in terms of grams, but in reality it is the weight as felt by the wearer that is significant. This is a common thread that runs through many watch collector forums both in the West and in the Far East.

What is relevant to the wearer is not necessarily the actual weight of the watch, but its perceived weight when worn correctly, i.e. to the correct size and in the correct position on the wrist. Hence a 150g watch that is worn to the optimal size and position on the wrist will feel lighter in weight to the wearer than a 90g watch that is worn too long.

The mass of a Smartlet system at 60 to 100 g including the connected device is far from reaching any of the commonly mentioned critical values in the collector community.

Our Smartlet system is being used in an everyday product such as a wristwatch. We present this product on our Smartlet page by means of a comparison.

The distribution principle: why balance matters more than mass

Among watch collector enthusiasts there is much discussion regarding watch straps and bracelets. A heavy watch that fits the wrist is almost always more comfortable than a lighter watch that swings and moves about on the wrist. This is the distribution principle. The same mass is distributed differently on the wrist.

A steel bracelet will shift all the weight of the watch to the front of the wrist. The weight of the case, the links and integrated clasp all lie in a single plain on the wrist. The weight of the clasp is carried on the back of the wrist. It is this that causes watches to rotate round the circumference of a smaller wrist over the course of a day and that has to be re-set to the correct position on the wrist.

On Smartlet the watch movement is positioned on the outer side of the wrist, and the smart device on the inner side. The weight of the system is evenly distributed across the entire wristband, similar to a traditional steel watch bracelet. We had many feedbacks that the Smartlet system doesn’t turn on the wrist like on a traditional front loaded smartwatch.

Now have tested real

Now we have tested it in the real life – we have placed an average Rolex Submariner on a Smartlet strap and have worn it for some hours. As a result we discovered that the Rolex worn on a Smartlet strap felt to be better fixed on the wrist than on the standard 78g Oyster bracelet of the Rolex itself, due to the fact that the weight is concentrated on one single side of the wrist.

I weigh the steel wristband. A better balanced weight according to the manufacturer.

Choosing your Smartlet variant

There are three sizes available. Each one is in a different weight range from 60 to 100g.

I have decided to add a new material to my watch band line that I have called Grade 2 Titanium. While I have already mentioned that the weight of my bands could vary significantly, this material is the lightest and is therefore on the low end of that scale. As with all of my bands the new bands will still fit all watches with lug widths of 18mm, 20mm, 22mm and 24mm. In addition to those the new bands will also include the Apple Watch (38/41mm and 42/44/45/49mm), Fitbit Charge 5/6 and Whoop 5.0 adapters.

Explore compatible configurations

The full brand compatibility guideOur full brand compatibility guide is now growing and we’re proud to say it’s now over 25 brands long! Here are a few key examples to check the lug width and spring bar size for some of the more popular watch models; Rolex Submariner Omega Seamaster 300M Tudor Black Bay Interested in buying a new smartwatch? You’re in luck! Our Apple Watch compatibility page is fully up to date with all the models from the Apple Watch Series 4 right up to the new Apple Watch Ultra 2. If Apple Watch isn’t your thing, we’ve also got a comprehensive index of all Garmin, Polar, COROS, Whoop and Withings smartwatches. Rolex Submariner page, the Omega Seamaster 300M page, and the Tudor Black Bay pageEach confirm lug width and spring bar specification. On the smartwatch side, the Apple Watch compatibility pageCovers Series 4 through Ultra 2. The complete smartwatch indexCovers Garmin, Polar, COROS, Whoop, Withings, and more.

If Apple Watch isn’t your thing, we’ve also got a comprehensive index of all Garmin, Polar, COROS, Whoop and Withings smartwatches. Rolex Submariner page, theOmega Seamaster 300M page, and theTudor Black Bay pageEach confirm lug width and spring bar specification. On the smartwatch side, theApple Watch compatibility pageCovers Series 4 through Ultra 2. Thecomplete smartwatch indexCovers Garmin, Polar, COROS, Whoop, Withings, and more.

Questions fréquentes

Where does the 60 to 100 g figure come from?

You can find it on the product page of the Smartlet in the Technical Specifications section. The market benchmark for a standard stainless steel watchband is between 60 to 100 g. – Also confirmed by Smartlet. Smartlet product pageUnder Technical Specifications. The same page publishes the market benchmark for standard stainless steel bracelets: also 60 to 100 g. This is Smartlet's own published comparison.

True. Apple Watch Ultra 2 is 61.4 grams. Our Everest Bands test is for Rolex Oyster bracelets, and the heavies we have are the Explorer II at a minimum of 70 grams and the Sea-Dweller 43 at 80 grams. Both are for the bracelet alone. Apple specifications). Every Rolex Oyster bracelet in the Everest Bands testIs heavier: 70 g minimum for the Explorer II Oyster, 80 g for the Sea-Dweller 43. These are bracelet-only weights.

Which Smartlet variant minimizes added weight?

The Smartlet One Titanium case is crafted from Grade 2 titanium, which is a metal that is approximately 40% lighter than steel. Please see the compatible watches from Tudor here or from Hamilton here. Tudor compatibility pageOr the Hamilton compatibility page.

Does the Smartlet height of 9 to 12 mm feel intrusive?

Height is defined as the distance from the top of the watch band spring loop to the surface of the wrist. In this case, the height of the pod is the same height as that of a butterfly deployant clasp, which is approximately 7 to 10 mm under the wrist. A premium leather watch band with a deployant clasp is approximately 10 to 13 mm at the clasp and is considered very comfortable to wear all day long. The height of the Smartlet with the connected device is in the range of 9 to 12 mm.

How does the weight distribute compared to a steel bracelet?

In collector terms, 60 to 100 grams is roughly the weight of a full size Omega Seamaster on rubber or a Rolex Submariner on an Oyster bracelet. Our Smartlet watch with an Apple Watch Series 10 strapped to it comes in at the low end of this range for our titanium model, and the high end for our Classic steel. Adding a few hundred grams of tech to your wrist in order to wear a watch on the wrist is less than the weight increase of going from a rubber to a steel bracelet. Those who can wear their Panerai Luminors every day are already dealing with watches that tip the scales at over 100 grams of case alone. That’s weight, and in the collector world, that’s a choice. The less weight that’s spinning around your wrist the better. Panerai Luminors daily are wearing 100-plus grams of case alone. Weight, in the collector world, is already a choice.th less rotation over the day.

Those who can wear their Panerai Luminors every day are already dealing with watches that tip the scales at over 100 grams of case alone. That’s weight, and in the collector world, that’s a choice. The less weight that’s spinning around your wrist the better. Panerai Luminors daily are wearing 100-plus grams of case alone. Weight, in the collector world, is already a choice.th less rotation over the day.

Smartlet with a connected device sits in the 60-100g range. The same as a standard steel bracelet. The weight objection does not survive contact with the actual numbers.