This is Google’s $200 Metal Link Pixel Watch band – and it feels as premium as it looks

Last October, Google unveiled the Pixel Watch, its first self-branded smartwatch. Alongside the Pixel Watch, Google announced several watch bands and accessories for the wearable, including a Metal Links band that would launch this spring.

Well, the time has come. Alongside announcing the new Pixel Feature Drop for Pixel phones and the Pixel Watch, Google announced the Metal Links band will be available to order starting Friday, June 16.

Also: Google’s latest Pixel feature drop is here. Check out what’s new

The Metal Links band comes in either Brushed Silver or Matte Black, and it costs $199. Ahead of the announcement, Google sent me the Matte Black version to go with my black Pixel Watch.

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Pixel Watch Metal Links Band

Google’s Pixel Watch is getting a new first-party watch band in the Metal Links Band. And it looks stunning. 

I’ll be honest, I typically don’t like metal link bands. They’re heavy and pinch my arm hair. I can also never take the right amount of links out (or put them in) to get a proper fit. On classic watches that lack a heart rate sensor, proper fit isn’t as important. But with smartwatches, a band that’s too loose can fail to record your heart rate and constantly trick the watch into thinking it was taken off your wrist, forcing it to lock itself.

But, 24 hours after installing the watch band myself, I’m beyond impressed with its comfort, fit, and improved look of the Pixel Watch. The band that comes with the watch is nice, don’t get me wrong. But it does make the Watch look and feel more like a fancy Fitbit and not the fancy smartwatch that it is.

Included in the box is a tool for removing the band’s links. The trick here is to hold the band at the link you want to stay attached and let the links you want to remove hang. You’ll see two holes in the bottom of the link, where you insert the tool and squeeze it together to release the pins.

Also: Google Pixel Watch: Not the Apple Watch of Android (yet)

Attaching new links is even easier. Hold the last link in your hand and then press the new link into the opening at a 90-degree angle. It snaps right in place. It took me five minutes to unbox the band, move the links around to even out the sides, and ensure it fits right.

The $200 price tag for the new watch band is admittedly steep, and I’m not a watch band aficionado by any means — especially when it comes to what’s available for the Pixel Watch — but this band feels premium and looks premium, so I can see why it costs so much.