I wanted to transfer my milanese loop band from my original Apple Watch to my new one last year but not even a jeweler could remove the band from the old watch!
So, it appears that the watch band release mechanism is frozen. Since you said it was an original Apple Watch, you probably hadnât exercised it in years.
A lesson from this is that Apple Watch owners should exercise the mechanism on a regular basisâremove the current band and reattach it, even if no replacement is being done.
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My parents ran into this as wellâI canât quite remember the details, but I wasnât able to get one mechanism to budge at all.
I had one (homemade) band that was stuck, too, sometime within the past 6 months. I ended up using a Q tip with some WD-40 on it, rubbed it around the connector and voilĂ !
The band had not been moved at all for probably a couple of years, so maybe, just maybe, this issue was not limited to Appleâs own (Milanese) watch band.
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The release button operated but the band would not slide out. Apple never said the bands had to removed frequently or they would not work. When I get the chance Iâm going to spray it with BreakFree.
An update here. The cheap knockoff nylon sport loop that I bought back in February broke yesterday, with the plastic in the loop breaking. Given how little I paid, Iâm not too unhappy about this, and Tonyaâs band continues to perform fine. Perhaps I applied a little too much force at times.
Iâve been using a knock off sport band since I first purchased my watch about 12 months ago. After 6 months or so it became unusable when swimming. I generally swim 4 or 5 times a week and it would come loose in the pool (stretch) and eventually fall off. For normal terrestrial wear it was fine.
About a month ago I bought 2 new ones from ebay and theyâre great. Threw the old one away and happily swimming with the new band maintaining normal length. I think with age and constant exposure to water the fibres just lose a bit of elasticity but I suspect that would happen with the Apple one as well.
At $6 AUD Iâm happy to buy a couple a year and it gives me an excuse to change colours and patterns so I can be a mid-sixties style guru.