So you spent $350, $600, or even up over $1,000 on an Apple Watch. You wear it every day, and love to show off it’s beauty to others. When you get home, doesn’t it seem almost tragic to leave it sitting on your $40 IKEA nightstand?
The Apple Watch is more than a piece of technology – it’s jewelry – meant to be looked at and enjoyed, and having a beautiful way to display it is almost a necessity. Depending on your style, you might prefer something ultra modern, but for those with an affinity for leather bound books and the smell of rich mahogany, there’s only one place to look for a classic Apple Watch stand – Pad and Quill.
Overview:
The Luxury Pocket Stand for Apple Watch (Starting at $79.99 from Pad and Quill) is a masterfully designed, handmade stand, produced from a single piece of wood – Cherry, Sapele, or Walnut – by an expert craftsman right here in the United States. More importantly, the Pad and Quill Pocket Stand is an experience from opening the package to charging your watch the first time. This being my first experience with receiving a Pad and Quill product, I was immediately fascinated by the stamped wax seal, closing the paper wrapping on the stand. If there ever was a truly frustration free packaging, it would be this, and it almost felt wrong to open it – but I managed to press on.
Upon opening the package, I was greeted by a soft leather pouch and the lovely smell of leather, wood, and hard work. Inside the pouch was a simple wooden rectangle – the perfectly crafted stand. The stand, which can be folded closed for easy portability, measures less than 1″ thick when folded shut, and is just 2.5″ wide and 4.2″ long.
Getting the stand set up is pretty obvious – just a little common sense and I was ready to go. Without any instructions to go on, I grabbed my Watch charging cable, inserted it into the circular cutout, fed the cable up over the top, down the back, and out the little notch on the bottom.
Placing the Apple Watch on the stand is also pretty obvious, and follows the great experience that started back when the package arrived (and continues to be a great experience every time I charge my watch). A simple cutout on the side of the stand provides a channel for the band of your Apple Watch to fit into, and perfectly positions the charging port of your watch over the charger. As an added benefit (with the inevitable release of watchOS 2.0 around the corner) the Pocket Stand also works with the Apple Watch placed sideways in Nightstand Mode.
The Pocket Stand isn’t just a stationary night stand accessory, though. When you need to take your charger with you, the entire thing folds back up, giving you a small, curved nook on each end that allows you to wrap the extra charging cable around the stand, and you can still fit the entire thing back into the leather pouch.
Verdict: [rating: 4.5]
The Pocket Stand’s vintage design and simple function make it a premium product among Apple Watch stands. The stand feels great, and is an excellent visual complement to your Watch and nightstand. Like most other stands currently on the market, it does rely on your Apple Watch charger to be fed through an opening and sort of draped over the back. While I appreciate the way Apple has made their Watch charging system, seeing the cable at the top of the stand is easily the biggest let down of Pad and Quill Pocket Stand.
Pros:
- Great quality and craftsmanship
- Handmade in the U.S. from quality materials
- Foldable for easy travel
- Great, vintage aesthetic
Cons:
- Charging cable fed down the back isn’t ideal
If you’re an Apple Watch owner, and the type of person that enjoys classic materials, and great quality products, look no further than the Luxury Pocket Stand for Apple Watch by our friends at Pad and Quill.
