Nomad, a brand perhaps best know for its various premium iPhone and Apple Watch accessories, has dabbled in Pixel accessories in the past, but is now expanding with the debut of one of the first real leather bands for Pixel Watch and I’ve had the pleasure of trying one out over the past few months.
Google’s Pixel Watch has built up a pretty healthy assortment of first-party bands, but the third-party space has been lacking for quite a while. There are options here or there, but they’re often of low quality. In particular, the connectors have been an issue on a lot of these bands.
That’s why, for a while now, I’ve been really hoping that Nomad would step up to the plate. The company makes some of the best bands for the Apple Watch as you might have seen on our sister site 9to5Mac, and they’re now taking that expertise to the Pixel Watch.
Starting with the Pixel Watch 3 and Pixel Watch 4 in their 45mm size – sadly, there’s no 41mm, at least for now – Nomad is making its “Active Band Pro” available for Google’s smartwatch. This dual-material band has real Horween leather on the outside in either black or brown paired with a “high-density molded rubber interior.” This means that the band looks the part while also being ready to handle some sweat (though the leather is inherently not waterproof). That leather, over time, will develop a patina.
As for the connector, Nomad is using a stainless steel mechanism that’s color-matched (alongside the clasp) to the black or silver finish of the Pixel Watch. You can choose your combination of connector and band color to suit your preferences. Being a “Made for Google” partner, this connector is very similar to the one Google uses for its own “Crafted Leather” band.
The Nomad “Active Band Pro” for Pixel Watch (45mm) sells for $69, the same price as the company’s matching Apple Watch band. It’s not the cheapest option, certainly, but it is more affordable that Google’s own leather band.
Over the past few months, I’ve had the special opportunity to be an early tester on one of these bands, and I’ve been pretty thrilled with the quality here. My early unit was using a slightly different leather that doesn’t render much of a patina – I’m really excited to see how the brown leather band I got this week will age with time – but the core experience remains the same. The thick band feels very premium, but not overly heavy. That interior rubber was perfectly ready for both a dressy outfit and a day working outside in the North Carolina heat & humidity. Most importantly, though, the connectors are solid. They fit just as well as Google’s official bands, but are actually a bit easier to remove when needed.
I won’t lie, I’m still super disappointed that Nomad isn’t…
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