Best Apple Watch accessories 2024: premium add ons

The best Apple Watch accessories can make even the planet's most sought-after wearable more desirable. Below, we collected add-ons to your Apple Watch, including straps, bands, charging stands and cases that can help you make the most of your new watch.

The best Apple Watches come in many shapes and sizes. There are many different options, including larger and smaller case sizes, multiple case materials, a wide range of straps, and the possibility of adding a cellular connection. No wonder we think that right out of the box, the Apple Watch has always been one of the most customisable consumer tech products and earned its place atop T3's best smartwatch guide.

But, once you have left the Apple Store with your shiny new watch, there are still plenty more options to help make your wearable unique. There are straps, of course, but also a vast range of chargers, stands, cases, and storage systems for your spare straps and the Apple Watch itself.

Best Apple Watch accessories to buy today

If charging multiple devices at once isn’t for you, then we present Apple’s own Watch charger. This dock magnetically snaps to the back of your Watch and charges it up while you sleep. Sitting your Watch sideways means it can double up as a bedside clock through the night. Available only in white, this charging dock has Apple’s trademark elegance and simplicity. It also carries the company’s high price, which is considerably more than most other options on the market.

Read our full Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Dock review.

Apple's own MagSafe Duo charger fills the batteries of both your iPhone and Apple Watch at the same time, thanks to wireless charging. The charger comes with a one-meter Lightning-to-USB-C cable, but you will have to provide your own power adapter, as is the case now with some Apple products. The MagSafe Duo has a smart folding design to take up very little space in your bag, or even a pocket, then folds out to charge your iPhone and Watch at once, with the latter set up so that its nightstand mode is enabled if you so wish.

Casetify accessories are almost instantly recognisable thanks to their unique styling. Their Flexi Band, which comes in nearly 1,000 different versions (960 currently), is partially made from Re/Casetify pellets, making them less taxing on the environment. The bands are also flexible and well-ventilated, making them ideal for workouts and people with a more active lifestyle.

What we appreciate the most about the Flexi Bands is the hinge design. Unlike the standard silicone strap that comes with most Apple Watches, Casetify's Flexi Band moves more freely, making it easier for the wearable to sit flat on your wrist, which not only makes it more comfortable but potentially improves heart rate readings as the sensor is most likely to be in the correct position. And they look pretty cool, too!

This leather case from Sena is perfect if you're a regular traveller. It can sit and charge on your bedside as a dock, or packed away with space for your watch and charger when you're travelling. It does use your charger though, so that isn't ideal.

This may look like a regular watch storage box, complete with transparent lid and space for five watches, plus a hidden compartment beneath to accommodate six straps. But what makes this an Apple Watch accessory, is now the top shelf has space to neatly install the wireless charger of your Apple Watch,

That way, the Watch can be laid down across the width of the box, fully charged and ready to use whenever you like - no need to dig out the charger when you fancy parking the mechanical timepiece in favour of your smartwatch.

At 17 x 31 x 11cm, the box is going to take up a fair bit of space on your dressing table or chest of drawers, but we’re going to assume that if you have six watches (plsu straps!) then you’ve probably got the space for what is basically a luxury garage for your wristwear. You lucky thing.

This clip-on case from Griffin is perfect if you need to temporarilyadd a little protection to your Apple Watch.The Survivor Case protects your watch's casing, as well as the screen without impacting on Force Touch, which is super useful in a number of situations. It clips over the top of your watch, so it's easy to pop on and off.

The Watch Valet may have a somewhat pretentious name, but there is no knocking the craftsmanship and classy design here. Made to order in Anden’s East London studio, then hand-finished with natural oils, the Valet comes in walnut and is designed to store four straps while charging your Apple Watch.

There’s no trick wireless tech going on here, as you simple slot your own Watch charger into the hole, and feed the cable out of the back. The only drawback here is the pain of deciding which of the beautiful finishes to go for.

Another answer to Apple’s AirPower, the Nomad Base Station Apple Watch Edition has a premium, padded leather finish, compact design, and the ability to wirelessly charge up to four devices at once. It does this by employing the use of wireless charging coils (for your iPhone and AirPods) plus an upright wireless connection for the Apple Watch.

That way, your phone and earphones top up their batteries while the Watch is powered and sits in its landscape orientation, where it can double as a miniature bedside clock. Because there are three coils in the base, you can position your phone or other devices in different orientations instead of ensuring they sit in exactly the right spot to charge.

This is a wireless charging pad which can top up the batteries of your iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods all at the same time. In this sense, the AirUnleashed does something Apple failed to achieve, but there is a small caveat.

Where Apple tried to cram up to 32 wireless charging coils in the AirPower, letting you charge devices placed anywhere on the mat, AirUnleashed has just three coils - one for each device. This means you need to be fairly precise with where you place each product, but the initial point still stands; this works, and Apple’s (very similar) version did not.

How to choose the best Apple Watch accessories for you

It almost goes without saying, that accessorizing an already very personal object like a watch - even a smartwatch - is going to be a matter of personal preference. The strap material, style, and colour you choose are going to reflect on your fashion taste, of course, and the kind of storage system you want will depend on how many straps you have.

When it comes to the charger, you’ve to factor in what other devices you may want to power up at the same time. Although Apple’s AirPower wireless charging mat was canceled before it even went on sale, there’s a wide range of third-part options - some of which even claim to manage what Apple couldn’t, and charge a Watch, iPhone and AirPods wireless charging case, all at once.

The quality of these accessories is also an important consideration. You may be able to pick up a replica Hermés leather strap for a pittance. But its quality will be questionable, and when the downside could mean an £800 Apple Watch slipping silently from your wrists, never to be seen again, you might want to think twice.

It is also important to check the size of any strap you buy, firstly to make sure it fits your 38mm or 42mm Watch, but also your wrist. Most of Apple’s straps come in small/medium and medium/large, but other companies can use a different scale. It’s best to read user reviews on Amazon, where any major discrepancies in sizing are sure to be called out.