June is Pride Month, and to celebrate, Apple is releasing two new Apple Watch Pride Edition bands with dynamic Pride watch faces to match. The new designs are in support of the global LGBTQ+ community and equality movement.
Now in its seventh year, the Apple Watch® Pride Edition bands and watch faces illustrate the ways in which the company stands with, supports, and is proudly made up of the LGBTQ+ community.
This year’s Pride Edition Sport Loop showcases a colour gradient with the word “pride” woven directly into the band. Apple used a new technique to remove several of the double-layer nylon-woven textile loops on the band to reveal the word “pride” in a cursive style inspired by the original “hello” greeting that was displayed on the first Macintosh in 1984. This, says Apple, gives the word a novel, three-dimensional look and feel.
The team designed a colour gradient that incorporates the original rainbow colours with those drawn from various pride flags, including light blue, pink, and white, representing transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals, and black and brown, symbolizing Black and Latinx communities. The colours also represent those who are living with or have passed away from HIV/AIDS. It will sell for $59.
There’s also a new Pride Edition Nike Sport Loop ($59) that celebrates the full spectrum of the rainbow and features a matching rainbow-coloured Nike Bounce face that accompanies the new band. Along with Nike’s Be True collection, the Sport Loop honours individuals who are expanding sport for future generations and “inspiring others to feel the joy of being authentically themselves.” Be True is part of Nike’s broader commitment to the LGBTQ+ community, which focuses on recognition, advocacy, inspiration, and education.
Then, there’s the Pride Threads Watch Face, which is inspired by multiple pride flags. This new watch face combines colours to represent the strength and mutual support of the LGBTQ+ movement. Mirroring the woven loops of the Sport Loop, each strand of vibrant thread contributes to the overall composition of the watch face. The colourful threads move as the Digital Crown on Apple Watch is rotated, the display is tapped, or the user’s wrist is raised. Apple is also including new App Clip functionality within the band packaging to deliver a simple way to immediately access the new matching watch face.
The new Pride watch face is available today, and requires Apple Watch Series 4 or later running watchOS 8.6, and iPhone 6s or later running iOS 15.5. Both the Pride Edition Sport Loop and the Pride Edition Nike Sport Loop are compatible with any Apple Watch.