X

Pad & Quill Lowry Cuff Edition for Apple Watch: 3-piece aviator band offers style and quality

There are some extremely expensive cuff style bands for the Apple Watch, but thankfully the folks at Pad & Quill offer an affordable, exquisitely constructed handmade leather option for less than $100. This new Edition one improves upon its previous Lowry Cuff model too.
By Matthew Miller, Contributing Writer
padquill-lowry-cuff-aw-1.jpg
1 of 6 Matthew Miller/ZDNET

Pad & Quill Lowry Cuff Edition for Apple Watch 42 and 44 mm

One thing I enjoy about owning an Apple Watch is the ability to quickly and easily swap out bands for different occasions. The Apple Watch is the best smartwatch available today and the latest band offering comes to us from the fine folks at Pad & Quill.

The Pad & Quill Lowry Cuff Edition band is available now for just $84.96, which is a pretty great deal considering all the American full-grain leather that is incorporated into the three-piece band. While I tested out the Chestnut color with polished nickel hardware, you can also choose Galloper Black and Whisky color leather with Matte Black hardware as an option.

The band arrived in an attractive box that slid open to reveal the band.

padquill-lowry-cuff-aw-2.jpg
2 of 6 Matthew Miller/ZDNET

Perfect stitching with UV-resistant thread

Pad & Quill use high quality, marine-grade thread to stitch the band together. Full-grain leather is used on the top with soft pigskin leather lining to provide comfort for a band that is wider than most other watch bands.

The watch band is extremely well made with the artisan stamping it under the band as a testament to their confidence in the product. The band also comes with a 25-year leather warranty and 30-day money-back promise, neither of which I think you will ever need.

padquill-lowry-cuff-aw-3.jpg
3 of 6 Matthew Miller/ZDNET

Ample opening for the bottom sensors

While aviators may have used this type of band in WWII to protect their wrist from extreme temperatures, Apple Watch users want the bottom sensors to monitor their health. Thus, there is an ample opening for the rear of the Apple Watch to continue measuring all of your heart data. I haven't seen any impact on tracking while wearing this band.

padquill-lowry-cuff-aw-4.jpg
4 of 6 Matthew Miller/ZDNET

Polished nickel hardware

I tried out a band with the polished nickel hardware, but you can also select matte black if you prefer. 

There are also two loops to secure the bitter end of the watch band, with the first loop sewn into the band and the other able to slide up and down to secure the end.

padquill-lowry-cuff-aw-6.jpg
5 of 6 Matthew Miller/ZDNET

Lowry Cuff Edition band in action

The band is very comfortable on my wrist and as you can see is definitely a large band. It's a style that some of us enjoy as we look back to our history while enjoying today's modern technology.

I love the marine-grade thread, forged brass hardware, and soft full-grain leather.

padquill-lowry-cuff-aw-7.jpg
6 of 6 Matthew Miller/ZDNET

Front view of the Lowry Cuff Edition band

My black Apple Watch 4 looks great with this Lowry Cuff Edition band. It's designed to work with all generations of Apple Watch in 42 and 44 mm sizes. It will also likely work with the upcoming Apple Watch 5.

Related Galleries

Holiday wallpaper for your phone: Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year's, and winter scenes
Holiday lights in Central Park background

Related Galleries

Holiday wallpaper for your phone: Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year's, and winter scenes

21 Photos
Winter backgrounds for your next virtual meeting
Wooden lodge in pine forest with heavy snow reflection on Lake O'hara at Yoho national park

Related Galleries

Winter backgrounds for your next virtual meeting

21 Photos
Holiday backgrounds for Zoom: Christmas cheer, New Year's Eve, Hanukkah and winter scenes
3D Rendering Christmas interior

Related Galleries

Holiday backgrounds for Zoom: Christmas cheer, New Year's Eve, Hanukkah and winter scenes

21 Photos
Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6: Electric vehicle extravaganza
img-8825

Related Galleries

Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6: Electric vehicle extravaganza

26 Photos
A weekend with Google's Chrome OS Flex
img-9792-2

Related Galleries

A weekend with Google's Chrome OS Flex

22 Photos
Cybersecurity flaws, customer experiences, smartphone losses, and more: ZDNet's research roundup
shutterstock-1024665187.jpg

Related Galleries

Cybersecurity flaws, customer experiences, smartphone losses, and more: ZDNet's research roundup

8 Photos
Inside a fake $20 '16TB external M.2 SSD'
Full of promises!

Related Galleries

Inside a fake $20 '16TB external M.2 SSD'

8 Photos