Fitness trackers have a problem. The more consistently you wear one, the more useful the data becomes. Unfortunately, a fabric sports band isn't necessarily the first thing you want on your wrist when putting on a suit, or going somewhere smart.
Whoop thinks it has a solution.
Its new Meridian band swaps fabric for stainless-steel Milanese mesh, borrowing a construction more commonly associated with traditional watches. And to demonstrate the point, Whoop has recruited Liverpool and Netherlands football ledge Virgil van Dijk to front its launch.
Priced at £119, Meridian is designed for Whoop users who want to keep wearing the device when they're dressed up, travelling or out for the evening – occasions when a conventional fitness tracker might otherwise get left on the bedside table.
The woven steel mesh is 1.5mm to 1.7mm thick and tapers beneath the wrist, with its edges rounded to make it more comfortable against the skin. A magnetic closure can be moved along the mesh to adjust the fit while the band is still being worn – a first for Whoop – accommodating wrists from approximately 15cm to 21cm.
At 54g, it is inevitably more substantial than Whoop's regular textile straps. The company says the stainless steel is highly resistant to tarnishing, although, like a conventional steel watch bracelet, it will pick up scratches with use.
Meridian doesn't change what the Whoop itself does. It works with existing Whoop 4.0 and 5.0 sensors and is intended to maintain the same continuous health and recovery tracking.
It comes in Gold, Rose Gold, Alloy and Black, and Whoop says the design was developed partly in response to members with smaller wrists and those wanting something less overtly sporty.
French rugby star Antoine Dupont also appears in the campaign.
In summary, then: it turns a Whoop into something that looks not quite so much like a Whoop. (Whoopie!)
