Official (But Extremely Rare) Olympic Themed Apple Watch Bands Available Now

The Games of the XXXI Olympiad, better known as the 2016 Summer Olympics is just a couple of weeks away. And with the Olympic Games always comes a slew of nation-branded merchandise for fans of the games to show support for their country. The 2016 games are no different. When the games kick off on August 5 in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, Apple will be offering country-themed Apple Watch bands for sale.

The new Apple Watch bands, which are based off of the Woven Nylon bands that Apple debuted earlier this year, represent the flags of 14 major competitors in the 2016 games. United States Apple Watch bands are available, of course, as well as Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Great Britain, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and South Africa. While the watches certainly represent each nation’s flag well, they also represent Apple’s knack for design.

USA Apple Watch Band

Each band is stylish enough for everyday wear, not just for sporting events. Team USA sprinter Trayvon Bromell, who took a gold medal home in the 60 meter sprint at the IAAF World Championships earlier this year, showed off a sneak peek at the USA-themed band on his Twitter page yesterday.

Ready for rio ! pic.twitter.com/p8PKJ3o5Fs

— IamTrayvonBromell (@TrayvonBromell) July 21, 2016

Apple has, in the past, made limited-edition Apple Watch bands for special events. Just last month, for the LGBT Pride parade in San Francisco, Apple designed a rainbow-colored Woven Nylon band, which was gifted to Apple employees who registered to participate in a Pride event. The Olympic straps, however, are the first time such a strap has been made available for purchase.

Japan Apple Watch Band

The limited-edition bands, which are sure to become collector’s items, will be available for $49. There’s one catch, however – they are only available in Brazil for the games. If you’d like to get your hands on one of the new bands, you’ll have to take a trip to the Apple Store at Village Mall in Barra da Tijuca, roughly fifteen minutes away from the Barra Olympic Park in Rio. If you’re already planning a trip to Rio for the games, you’re in luck – otherwise, you’re either going to have to pony up for a plane ticket to Brazil or prepare to pay some monstrously inflated prices for the bands on eBay.

Are you willing to spend a small fortune on these highly-coveted watch bands? Or is the watch band strapped nicely to your wrist suiting you perfectly fine? Let us know in the comments!