Source: Christine Romero-Chan / iMore
In 2016, Apple gave away special rainbow-themed Pride Apple Watch bands to its employees for participating in local Pride parades and it quickly became the envy of Apple fans around the world. In 2017, Apple officially released its first Pride Edition Apple Watch band to the public, and they've become collector's editions ever since.
Portions of the proceeds of Pride Edition Apple Watch bands are donated to LGBTQ+ organizations, including GLSEN, the Human Rights Campaign, PFLAG, and The Trevor Project in the U.S. and ILGA internationally.
Wondering what the earlier Pride band styles look like? Wish you could get last year's model today? Here's where you'll find everything you need to know about the Pride Edition Apple Watch bands.
Apple Pride
Pride Edition Apple Watch Band
Support LGBTQ+ and wave your Pride flag.
Celebrate diversity with the latest Pride Edition Apple Watch bands.
The Bands
There are currently six different editions of the Pride band, each with a different look and style.
Pride Edition 2016
The 2016 Pride Edition Apple Watch Band was never for sale. It was a gift from Apple to its employees for those who participated in the Pride parade. the color theme is solid rainbow stripes on a nylon buckle with red Watch connectors and an aluminum buckle.
It's identifiable as the 2016 model because it's the only official Pride band that doesn't have the word "Pride" printed on the inside of the band.
You can still find it on eBay, though it's usually really expensive.
Pride Edition 2017
Source: iMore
The 2017 Pride Edition Apple Watch Band looks nearly identical to the employee gift of the previous year. So much so that it's difficult to tell them apart. The distinguishing notable difference is that the 2017 model has the word "Pride" printed on the inside of the band.
Pride Edition 2018
Source: iMore
In 2018, Apple started its now-annual design update for the Pride Edition Apple Watch band by changing how the band looks. The 2018 model was a nylon buckle band that had a white background with thinner rainbow stripes and white Watch connectors with an aluminum buckle.
Pride Edition 2019
Source: iMore
In 2019, Apple went back to the look of the 2017 Pride Edition Apple Watch band with thicker stripes, but put it on a nylon Sport Loop band instead. It had red Watch connectors and the loop end had a red cap.
Pride Edition 2020
Source: Russell Holly / iMore
This year, Apple launched two Pride Edition Apple Watch bands, a Sport band and a Nike Sport band in collaboration with Nike.
The Sport band has thick rainbow strips and a slightly lighter color than the rainbow style of the 2019 model.
The Nike Sport band is white with colored vent holes. The buckle side of the band sports red, orange, and yellow vent holes, while the other side has green, blue, and violet.
Where to buy older model Pride Edition Apple Watch bands
Whenever Apple releases the new Pride Edition Apple Watch band, it stops selling the previous year's model. It's still fairly easy to pick up a 2017 - 2019 Pride Edition Apple Watch bands on eBay, though you might end up paying twice as much as when their original price.
Where to buy 2017, 2018, and 2019 Pride Edition Apple Watch bands
The Watch faces
In 2018, Apple added more Pride to the Apple Watch in the form of watch faces. There are two different Pride Editions, analog and digital, and three different designs from 2018 to 2020.
Pride face 2018
Source: iMore
The first year of the Pride face has a digital style face with rainbow stripes that will, sort of, unravel when you tapped the screen. It looks like guitar or fiddle strings being plucked. There was only a digital style Pride watch face in 2018.
Pride faces 2019
Source: iMore
In 2019, Apple released a new set of Pride watch faces that drew from the theme of the previous year. The stripes are thinner, more like spaghetti noodles, and when you tap the screen the stripes react more like a wave.
A new analog Pride Edition watch face launched alongside the digital version. The analog version displays watch hour, minute, and second hands instead of a digital time display and has options for complications. It is circular and whenever you wake your Apple Watch, the face color changes, flipping through the various rainbow colors.
Pride faces 2020
Source: iMore
This year, Apple updated the analog and digital Pride Edition watch faces with a new look. The colors are lighter, though not truly pastel, and the stripes are thick. When you tap the screen, the watch face bounces, like strips of rubber.
In addition to the Pride Edition watch faces, Apple added new rainbow-themed customizations for the California, Gradient, Numerals Mono, and Numerals Duo watch faces. So you have more Pride themed options for some of your favorite watch face styles.
Questions?
Do you have any questions about the Pride Edition Apple Watch bands or watch faces? Put them in the comments and we'll help you out.
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