The Apple Watchis actually pretty durable — and , since it ’s worn on your wrist , it ’s nowhere nearly as potential as your iPhone is to sustain a dusk . Even the old Apple Watch Sport , which is the cheesy , weakest simulation , is build out of an aluminum alloy that Apple claims is 60 per centum stronger than stock alloys .
But the Apple Watch is still a wrist - based scout , which imply it’ssusceptible to damage from scrapes and pelf . We get a look at several bumpers and cases that you may equip over your Watch ’s case to protect it from this variety of trivial damage and keep it count as good as newfangled . Here ’s how they harbour up , aegis - andstyle - wise .
Case-Mate Sheer Glam and Clear Naked Tough Bumper
Case - Mate ’s Naked Tough Bumper ( $ 15 MSRP ) is available in two flavors — Sheer Glam , which features tiny flecks of bubbly glitter ( and matchesCase - Mate ’s Sheer Glam Band ) , andClear , which is simply transparent . Both bumper are available for the 38 mm and the 42 mm versions of the Apple Watch .
Naked Tough Clear Bumper for Apple Watch
The Naked Tough bumper are made of flexible thermoplastic polyurethan , and actually offer quite a chip of trade protection because they cover most of the Watch , include the back ( most of the other bumpers we screen for this piece only cover the face and the front of the Watch , not the top , bottom , or back ) . To put the Naked Tough bumper on your Watch , you will need to get rid of the striation and then elongate the silicone polymer around the case before arrange the band back on .
example - Mate ’s Naked Tough in Sheer Glam .
The bumper has reduce - out for the digital diadem , speakers , mike ( the guinea pig will insure the second mike found on the Apple Watch Series 2 and 3 , however ) , and the stripe acquittance check on the back of the Watch . There ’s also a baseball swing - out for the mettle rate monitor lizard to glance through , so you ’ll be able to get across your spirit pace and charge the Watch without removing the bumper .
The Sheer Glam bumper adds very pernicious Champagne-Ardenne - color sparkle to your Watch , and it looks … about how you might ask it to look . While I like theideaof the Sheer Glam case , I think the champagne glitter sometimes makes the polyurethane look like it ’s yellowing with age ( rather of sparkly and glamorous ) . The Clear bumper seems slightly thinner than the Sheer Glam bumper ( and , interestingly , is slightly less stretchy and therefore somewhat more hard to put on your Watch ) , and is nicely insidious in appearance . Both bumpers tend to trap debris , such as dust , dirt , and blackguard whisker , inside , but it ’s more obvious with the Clear bumper . While you do n’t have to take this bumper off to swap banding or charge your Watch , you ’ll want to take it off somewhat regularly for cleaning purposes .
slip - Mate ’s Naked Tough in Clear .
The Case - Mate Naked Tough bumper is a prissy introductory bumper for anyone who require a little extra protection , but it has its bunko game . The cutting - out surrounding the digital crown is fairly close , which can make it difficult to work the jacket multiple times . Because the bumper is made of a flexible material , it does slide around the covert a bit — and it looks like it has the potential to warp out of shape with a lot of use . But because the bands lock it in place , you definitely do n’t have to interest about it snapping off and going missing .
Catalyst Case for Apple Watch
The Apple Watch Series 2 may be rainproof , but the Apple Watch Series 1 is but waterresistant — it will endure a rainstorm , but you probably should n’t wear it while you ’re surfing or doing laps at the pool . For active people who like swimming , surfing , white - pee rafting , and other water sport — or who are just inapt and live in a squiffy environment — this is a problem if you still have Apple ’s original example .
Catalyst Wp Case For Apple Watch 42Mm Rescue Ranger Unisex
Instead of dropping $ 370 - plus on a brand - new Apple Watch , you might want to just break up up theCatalyst Case for Apple Watch($60 MSRP ; same damage onAmazon ) . This rugged bumper - and - strap jazz group protects your vigil from rubble , water ( up to 50 meters cryptical ) , and drops , without compromising function . The Catalyst Case comes in three color compounding ( black , black and gray with orange accent , and black and white with green accents ) and is available for the 42 millimetre Watch only .
The polycarbonate and silicone polymer case consists of three parts : The top , which is open to permit direct access to the Watch ’s touchscreen ; the silicone polymer wrap , which wraps around your Watch and seals it off from the element ; and the bottom , which come with an attached silicone stripe that can be supplant with any normal ( not Apple Watch - specific ) 24 millimeter picket band . To put the case on your Watch , you will need to first remove a small screw that holds the slip together and then snap the top off of the bottom . You will then need to place the silicone wrapper around your Watch — the wrap features a thin silicone tissue layer over the Watch ’s heart rate monitoring equipment , so the monitor will still work through the case — and place the wrapped Watch into the slip , shoot the two parts back together , and substitute the nookie .
Once your lookout is inside the Catalyst Case , it ’s pretty well protected from just about anything you’re able to throw away at it . The case has trap along the left side of the Watch for the loudspeaker and the microphone ( the speakers and the mike holes are covered with a silicone polymer membrane similar to the one on the bottom ) and push coverings for the clitoris and the digital poll . The silicone membrane allow you to use your Watch to the fullest — the tissue layer over the middle rate monitor even allows for inductive charging , so you never have to take the eccentric off your Watch ( unless you need to ) .
The Catalyst Case is definitely the most protective bumper we tested for this piece , but it ’s also very bulky and tough - looking — hardly the slim , fashionable front you ’ll want for most setting . The silicone shoulder strap can be replaced with something less showy , but it wo n’t make a difference of opinion — the case is just too liberal . Still , it ’s a great pick when youdoneed that extra ruggedness .
Griffin Ultra Thin Case
I waver to callGriffin ’s Ultra lean Case(pack of three for $ 15 MSRP ; same price onAmazon ) abumper — this capably - named piece of polycarbonate is hardly run to protect your Apple Watch if you accidentally bed it into a wall or drop it on the floor . The Ultra Thin Case is more like a peel than a protective case .
3 Pack Ultra Thin Protective Cases for Apple Watch 38mm, Silver, Grey, Clear
The Ultra Thin Case comes in a pack of three — gold / flatness Au / clear , silver / matte Ag / clear , or atomic number 47 / matte Au / unmortgaged are your coloring material option — and is uncommitted for both the 38 mm Watch and the 42 millimeter Watch . The Ultra slender Caseisultra sparse and lightweight , and each case weighs less than a gram ( other bumpers count between two and three grams ) . The case cover the sides of the Watch and has pickle and openings for the button , the digital jacket crown , the two utterer slits , and the mike . There is only one gob for the microphone , so this case will cut through the 2nd mike hole on the Apple Watch Series 2 .
Griffin ’s Ultra Thin guinea pig
The estimable affair about an ultra - thin case is that it ’s a ( genuine ) crack to put on — the polycarbonate is so thin that it ’s extremely flexible , which means it ’s very well-heeled to snap the case onto your Watch . The case only cover up the side of the Watch , so you do not need to take the straps off to put it on . Once it ’s on , the case looks okay — the metallic colors are a little cheap - look ( and they ’re decidedly not snuff it to fool anyone into think you have a dissimilar - non-white Watch ) , but at a glance it can make for a playfulness change of pace . While the case belike wo n’t protect your phone from anyrealtrauma , it does keep the Watch case ( but , of class , not the screen ) from trivial scratches . The vitrine is precisely made so that it does n’t cover any necessary parts of the screen door , and the slash - out — admit the speaker system pussy and the microphone — blood up perfectly with your Watch ’s components .
If having a glossy gold or silver gray Watch appeal to you , the Griffin Ultra Thin Case is a cheap , well-to-do elbow room to attain that destination . But these bumpers are n’t for everyone — they’re extremely thin , not terribly protective , and they have a tendency to pop off just as easily as they pop on , so they probably wo n’t last as long as the other products we prove . I ’d say these are a cunning bauble item at better , but by all odds not a necessary accessory .
Speck CandyShell Fit
The Speck CandyShell Fit Apple Watch cases are posture after Speck ’s democratic CandyShell line of phone cases . These protective bumper are ( for the most part ) bright and bold and not subtle in the least , but that ’s part of their appeal .
Speck Products CandyShell Fit Case for Apple Watch 38mm, White/Black
There are really two different variation of the CandyShell Fit cases ( $ 24.95 MSRP ; $ 11.95 onAmazon):The colored cases , which are lined with rubber and have color - immobilize dialect ; andthe clear cases , which come in transparent absolved or dim . Both types are uncommitted for the 38 mm and the 42 mm good example of the Apple Watch . The colored cases add up in four colouration combination : white / black , black / slate gray , crimson crimson / splattering pink , and deep sea blue / maya blue .
The CandyShell Fit is passably bulky compared to the other bumper we examine for this piece because it features a deliberately elevate bezel to help protect your Watch ’s screen from drops . The exterior of the display case is made of calendered encroachment - insubordinate material , while the inside extend shock - absorption for protect against bumps and collisions — not that your Watchreallyneeds a ton of protection from gibbosity , but this can certainly help if you happen to drop it . The CandyShell Fit is stiff and break down on over the top of your Watch , so it covers the sides and the front , but not the back . Unlike the Griffin Ultra Thin Case and the Trident Apple Watch Guards , this case covers the corners of the Watch , so you will need to take it off if you want to swap bands .
The case has a button binding for the Watch ’s side button , a cut - out for the digital crown , and additional cut of meat - outs for the speaker and the mike . There ’s only one cut - out for the speaker and one baseball swing - out for the microphone , so if you have an Apple Watch Series 1 , one of your speaker slits will be covered . If you have an Apple Watch Series 2 , one of your speaker slits will be coveredandone of your microphone will be cut across .
Although the CandyShell Fit pillowcase add mass and weightiness to your Watch , I in reality like the aesthetic — the bulkiness looks deliberate rather than clumsy , and the colored cases particularly make a pretty bold assertion when pair with a matching Sport stria . The cleared showcase are not closely as fashionable — they’re just as thick but nowhere most as bold , and they have Speck ’s logo splashed across the side .
Trident Guard
Trident ’s Guard bumper protects your Apple Watch ’s eubstance from abrasion and scratch , but not much else . The Guard comes in a pack of three , similar to the Griffin Ultra Thin Case . The38 mm pack($15 MSRP for three ) features shameful , bloodless , and coral pinkish bumpers , while the42 mm pack($15 MSRP for three ) boast black , white , and navy blue bumpers .
Guard Set for Apple Watch (38mm)
The Trident Guard is a basic snatch - on bumper made of durable - feel polycarbonate with a soft - touching matte finish . The Guard is flexible enough that it ’s not hard to crack on ( or off ) your Watch , but it ’s nowhere nigh as unconvincing as Griffin ’s Ultra Thin Case . It ’s a nice compromise between the Ultra Thin Case , which extend nearly no protection and is easy to suffer , and the Speck CandyShell Fit , which is quite blockheaded and bulky .
The Guard has rationalise - out for the Watch button , the digital treetop , one speaker dent , and the mike . The Guard does n’t wrap quite as far around the Watch as some of the other bumpers do , so the second utterer is also bequeath uncovered ; however , the 2nd microphone on the Apple Watch Series 2 and 3 will be covered by this case . Although the Guard bumper is relatively thin , the thickness of the character does make it more or less harder to pervert and flex the digital crown while you ’re wearing your Watch . The Guard also has cut - outs at the corner , so you could swap bands without taking it off .
The Guard by all odds stands out — in a unspoiled way — when you put it on your Watch . The matte finishing really modify the look of your machine without being gimmicky , and it makes a pretty bold , stylish mode argument . The only tangible publication I had with the Guard is the fact that the bezel surround the screen is sharp feather - off and it impinge quite a mo on your screen real acres . It does n’t insure any of the necessary parts of the screen , but it can make pink at the edge of the Watch a piece more hard .
Trident ’s Guard looks good , is well-to-do to put on , and wo n’t fall off of your Watch while you ’re wearing it . I would n’t necessarily trust it to protect your Watch from drop , but I suppose it does an adequate job of keeping your Watch ’s case from sustaining excoriation and prick during normal wear .
Bottom line: Our favorite pick
Do youreallyneed a bumper for your Apple Watch ? I ’ll be honest — probably not . Most of these bumpers will protect your scout from superficial scratches at skilful , and are n’t perish to help you if you dribble it off a cliff or into the toilet ( except for the Catalyst , which looks like it ’s made for some outdoorsy wear - and - tear ) . Most bumpers also do n’t protect the most important part of the Watch ( the screen ) , so if you happen to be slamming your wrist against doorjambs and walls , I hint you vest in a screen protector alternatively .
With that in intellect , the Trident Guard bumper came out on top : Not only is the Guard uncompromising and easy to snap on and off your Watch , it ’s also the only bumper that looks less like a protective measuring and more like a style selection . The Guard makes your sentinel appear like an entirely different production , and in a dear elbow room . Speck ’s CandyShell Fit is also reasonably fashionable , but only if you ’ve already got a matter for Speck ’s brightly - colorize CandyShell esthetic .
