I don’t yet have an Apple Watch, but when the Kardia band is released, I will likely get one. Or, rather, I may get one soon, and get the Kardia band when its released. I’ll revert to using my phone and Sleep Cycle to track my sleep issues.
I really wish Apple would release an authentic brown sports band. I wear far more brown than black, so it’d compliment my shoes/belt better than the black one on my black sport watch does (The silver aluminium was too standout-ish for me. I reckon a brown sports band with the black watch would look great. I have a cheap leather loop one I bought off ebay that is ok, but I prefer the feel of the sports band.
Has anyone ordered a sports band knockoffs from ebay? 
Any suggestions for good quality ones?
Edit: just saw @bennyling’s post. Do you have a link to the seller?
Sorry, it seems PEBKAC over here!
Thanks.
I received my black Milanese loop yesterday and agree that’s it’s excellent for the price!
Just ordered a Nomad, will report when/if it turns up. Hoping it gets here in time for a wedding I have in about 6 weeks. Should be plenty of time. And I think we’re well and truly out of the preorder period for it.
I wanted a leather band, but I also wanted black lugs/clasp to go with it too. Absolutely nothing on Amazon that ships here so Nomad it was. The Bexar Goods straps look great too, but I find the Nomad a little more minimalist (which is more my taste). The BG strap is a bit more exy as well
I also hit eBay for one of the black milanese loops. It cost AUD$18.95 about 4 months ago. It has worn well and looks quite classy.
My Nomad arrived. Looks good so far! Doesn’t seem to itch or irritate. And doesn’t seem to heavy. Only real concern is it does seem like a big guys Watch band. I wear the larger sport band on the smallest setting and the I’m on the second smallest hole on the nomad. If you have skinny wrists this isn’t the Watch band for you.
I got it mainly for suit occasions (I have a wedding in a few weeks.)
Few pics. Simple watch face for simplicity sake.
Edit. Last pic is terrible. I’ll try for another one.
I have a problem, and it involves Apple Watch straps.
All of these arrived today. From left to right:
Link Braclet, Midnight Blue Sport Band, White Leather Loop, White Stripe Woven Nylon, Sky Blue Sport Band, Red Sport Band, Indigo/Cobalt/Orange Single Tour, Seashell Sport Loop, Black/Yellow Nike+ Sport Band, Pride 2018 Woven Nylon, and Indigo Sport Loop.
Interestingly enough, the quality seems to have improved over the last time I purchased third-party watch bands. My three year old third-party sport bands now have a different feel to them that my original Apple sport band doesn’t have (it’s hard to describe, kind of a grippier texture, not the smooth supple silicon you expect), but these new ones look and feel just like Apple’s own. Check back with me in a few years to see if they’re still like that.
I get the feeling that the third-party Hermés single tour isn’t the same quality as the original, but it looks close enough besides a very few small details. It certainly feels like leather, although I don’t know enough about leather to tell if it’s “real” or not, and I haven’t felt a real one to tell if the quality is way off or not.
Unfortunately, the third-party leather loop is still too big. Although Apple sells leather loops in two sizes, M and L, for whatever reason, no third-party seller that I’ve seen sells them in the smaller size. I think I’m going to have to bite the bullet and buy a real one if I decide I want a leather loop. They’re OK, but I’m not sure they’re $229 (or however much they are right now, the Apple Store is down) OK.
Sport loops seem close enough. I don’t own real ones, so have nothing to compare them to, but have tried them on in the Apple Store.
If anything, the third party woven nylons seem to be the worst of the bunch this time around, being merely of acceptable quality and having the most differences compared to the originals. The little silver loop that the band passes through is polished to be much shinier, the edges are merely OK, and there are noticeable plastic joins on the lugs.
Speaking of lugs, a few of the third party bands have a problem where they don’t “fit” the watch properly, as if there’s too much material on the middle bumpy part that is pressed down by the watch body when the lug is inserted into the watch. No Apple band that I’ve ever tried has this problem, and it seems to be completely random which third-party bands have it, as some will have it only on one side of the watch band, others will have it on both, others won’t have it at all. Chalking this one up to tighter manufacturing tolerances on Apple’s part.
The above watch straps join my existing collection below, of which four are real (the two Pride bands, royal blue woven nylon, and black sport band that came with my Series 0). Oh, and I also have a real Platinum/Black Nike+ Sport Loop that I’m currently wearing.
(Because I know you’ll ask: AliExpress store link).
Interesting @bennyling. I had the exact opposite experience recently - ordered a bunch of sports bands and haven’t worn them because they feel so flimsy and crappy and far from the soft luscious Apple band.
Apple - I just tan, chocolate & sage green straps please. I will buy them all the day you release them… Why don’t they cater for Autumns?? 
I’ve been happy with the stretchy material strap that came with my Nike edition Watch 3