San Francisco, Jun 30 (IANS): With an aim to celebrate the competitive spirit of athletes and fans, Apple has launched the International Collection bands for Apple Watch.

The collection features a 22 limited-edition Sport Loop bands with colourful designs that represent those nations across the globe, the company said in a statement on Tuesday.

Each band also features a matching downloadable Stripes watch face showcasing colour combinations that customers around the world can use to personalise their Apple Watch and boldly show their country support.

The lightweight 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.

The bands are available in 40mm and 44mm sizes for $49 in the US. The band packaging includes App Clip functionality to easily download the matching country's Stripes Apple Watch face.

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.

According to a paywalled preview of a DigiTimes report accessed by MacRumors recently, next-gen Apple Watch models will adopt double-sided System in Package (SiP) packaging from Taiwanese supplier ASE Technology.

On its website, ASE Technology confirms that its double-sided technology allows for module miniaturisation, paving the way for a smaller "S7" chip.

Apple Watch Series 7 models are expected to be released in September, in line with the past several generations of the device.

The next Apple Watch could also feature a new flat-edged design and a new green colour option, tipster Jon Prosser said earlier.