Apple unveils new international collection bands

To celebrate the indescribable drive and competitive spirit of all athletes and fans, Apple is launching the International Collection bands for Apple Watch, featuring 22 limited-edition Sport Loop bands with colorful designs that represent those nations across the globe. Each band also features a matching downloadable Stripes watch face¹ showcasing color combinations that customers around the world can use to personalize their Apple Watch and boldly show their country support.

The soft, breathable, and lightweight International Collection Sport Loop bands are available representing the following countries: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, and the US.

Amy Van Dyken, pictured here sporting the new US International Collection Sport Loop, is a six-time Olympic swimming gold medalist, avid CrossFitter, and activist for the disabled community since suffering a spinal cord injury 14 years after her competitive swim days. She’s also a self-proclaimed goofball, a dog mom to Dillon, a perfectionist, and proudly American.

“I’m very Type A and stubborn,” Van Dyken said, “and I think a lot of athletes in the events I swam all have a little bit of that. Every athlete at the top of their game obviously has talent, but they also have an indescribable drive and that same competitive spirit.”

An early Apple Watch user (she’s used every model including the original that launched in 2015), Van Dyken admits her competitive nature still comes into play today with family.

“I share activity with my sister and my niece,” Van Dyken said. “I love how it helps me stay connected to my family — we enjoy encouraging one another.”

“I always thought I was an active individual,” she continued. “But being paralyzed, I don’t realize how much I’m not in my chair and moving around. So I stay active with the Wheelchair Walk Pace and Wheelchair Run Pace workouts, which are just so unique for people in my community. It’s nice to see how far I push and how many pushes I do in a day. Nondisabled people get to know how many steps they take, so it’s nice for us to know that as well.”

When Van Dyken isn’t competing with her family, doing CrossFit for hours at the gym in her neighborhood, or walking the dog, she is constantly on the go. From her speaking engagements, to meeting today’s competitive swimmers and sharing their stories with the world, Van Dyken wakes, sleeps, and breathes with Apple Watch — literally. She wakes up and checks the Pillow app to see how well she slept; she uses the Blood Oxygen app on Apple Watch Series 6 to check her oxygen levels; she navigates the neighborhood with Apple Maps, without which she admits she is likely to get lost.

Van Dyken’s speeches start from childhood, spring forward to the Olympics, and then the ATV accident in 2014. She is as comfortable putting herself out there for the world to see, as she is reminding the world that not one thing defines a person.

“Life isn’t just one moment,” Van Dyken said. “It’s a whole bunch of things, and it all is woven together. So I want people to get to know the beginning, so that when I tell them the end, it has a little bit more impact and paints a fuller picture of my life before, during, and after the Games, and what’s possible.”

Available starting today only at Apple,² the International Collection Apple Watch Sport Loop bands are available in 40mm and 44mm sizes for $49 (US). The band packaging includes App Clip functionality to easily download the matching country’s Stripes Apple Watch face.³ Additionally, customers can download any of the 22 watch faces from apple.com and also use Face Sharing to share with other Apple Watch users. CT Bureau