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The Best Apple Watch Accessories

 & Chandra Steele Senior Features Writer

Our team tests, rates, and reviews more than 1,500 products each year to help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.

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The Apple Watch has become one of the most ubiquitous Apple products. Each iteration offers new features and recruits new fans. There are probably a few people in your life who own one, which makes finding a gift for them a little easier; you can buy a present that goes along with something that's almost always with them.

We've done the hard part and narrowed down your choices. Here, you'll find things for the sporty ones on your list (a bike helmet that lights the way, a band that has bonus health and wellness tracking, and an app from Apple that maximizes fitness features), storage options, a variety of ways to wear the Watch (as a necklace or clip-on), and more.

If you're in the market for a smartwatch yourself or as a gift, and you have a few dollars to spare, the Series 8 and Ultra are the newest Watch options. And if you're on a strict budget, the lower-cost Apple Watch SE is well worth considering.

Be sure to check out our top gift picks for everyone on your list.

For Finders and Keepers

Apple AirTag

4.0 Excellent

Lost items can be located just by using an Apple Watch, as long as they've got an AirTag nearby.

Apple AirTag review

For the Tea Set

Ember Smart Mug 2

Every sip from the Ember Mug 2 will be perfect; you can control the liquid's temperature via the Apple Watch. The companion app also lets you do presets and adjust the LED's color.

For Travelers

Von Holzhausen The Accordion Pouch

For long trips (or just long days), pack up the Apple Watch, a charger, and an extra band or two in The Accordion Pouch from Von Holzhausen.

For Fitness Fans

Twelve South Action Sleeve

The Apple Watch doesn't have to stay on your wrist: Strap it around your arm for a workout with the Twelve South Action Sleeve.

For Color Coordinators

HelloZeroMass Wooden Stackable Storage Case for Apple Watch Bands

If you have a wardrobe of bands for your Apple Watch, you need a place to keep them. The HelloZeroMass Wooden Stackable Storage Case stacks them neatly.

Out of Pocket

Bucardo Pocket Watch

Old-fashioned style doesn't have to step aside just because of new technology. The Bucardo Pocket Watch fits into the Watch's band slots, replacing your wristband. It comes in gold, silver, or matte-black.

For Charging on the Go

Apple MagSafe Duo Charger

4.0 Excellent

The Apple MagSafe Duo Charger packs up easily to keep your iPhone and Watch at 100% power, wherever they go.

Apple MagSafe Duo Charger review

For Mobile Music

JBL Clip 3

4.0 Excellent

Share those songs with the JBL Clip 3. It's waterproof and lasts for 10 hours on a charge. For something even lighter, there's the tiny, also clippable Candywirez speaker.

For an Active Lifestyle

Apple Fitness+

4.0 Excellent

Apple Fitness+ is a wellness and workout platform that you use via your iPhone; the Watch augments by showing real-time bodily metrics and offering audio-guided activities. You get 11 types of workouts (including HIIT, yoga, core, Pilates, and mindful cooldown), as well as video and audio meditations.

Apple Fitness+ review

For Safe Biking

Lumos Matrix Urban Bike Helmet

The Lumos Matrix Bike Helmet doesn't just show you where you're going—it shows drivers and others on the road where you are with signal indicators that can be controlled with the Apple Watch.

For a Health Boost

Aura Strap 2

The Aura Strap 2 increases the health information the Apple Watch provides, adding hydration, body composition, and other types of data.

For Pendant Fans

Silicone Maid Apple Watch Necklace Pendant

The Silicone Maid Apple Watch Necklace Pendant takes your Apple Watch off your wrist and turns it into an alternative piece of still-functional jewelry.

For Keeping Your Watch Close

Guai Apple Watch Fob

Keep the Apple Watch almost anywhere with the Guai Apple Watch Fob. The silicone strap comes in lots of colors, from Blue Sea to Deep Green.

About Our Expert

Chandra Steele

Chandra Steele

Senior Features Writer

My Experience

My title is Senior Features Writer, which is a license to write about absolutely anything if I can connect it to technology (I can). I’ve been at PCMag since 2011 and have covered the surveillance state, vaccination cards, ghost guns, voting, ISIS, art, fashion, film, design, gender bias, and more. You might have seen me on TV talking about these topics or heard me on your commute home on the radio or a podcast. Or maybe you’ve just seen my Bernie meme

I strive to explain topics that you might come across in the news but not fully understand, such as NFTs and meme stocks. I’ve had the pleasure of talking tech with Jeff Goldblum, Ang Lee, and other celebrities who have brought a different perspective to it. I put great care into writing gift guides and am always touched by the notes I get from people who’ve used them to choose presents that have been well-received. Though I love that I get to write about the tech industry every day, it’s touched by gender, racial, and socioeconomic inequality and I try to bring these topics to light. 

Outside of PCMag, I write fiction, poetry, humor, and essays on culture.

My Areas of Expertise

  • Making incomprehensible tech news easy to understand
  • Expanding the boundaries of topics covered in the industry
  • Figuring out tips and tricks in apps and on devices and letting you know about them
  • Putting together gift guides for everyone in your life 

The Technology I Use

All that gadgets is gold for me: my iPhone 11 Pro, my fifth-generation iPad that I use only for streaming videos and music, my iPad mini 4 that I like to take with me whenever I carry a bag that can fit it, and my MacBook Pro. Why are they all different shades of gold, though? What’s going on, Apple? 

None of them quite live up to my two past loves: my LG Lotus LX600 phone and my Sony Walkman NW-E005 MP3 player. 

I've never given up wired earbuds so I was ahead of all those trend pieces. I use a Mangotek Lightning-to-3.5mm headphone jack adapter to connect them to my phone. 

I have had so many ebook readers, but I prefer paper to them all. Still, my Kindle Paperwhite is perfect for traveling or when I’m too impatient to wait for a book to be released in paperback.

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