Solo loop about to break after only 3 months of use

The title says it all. See attached picture. After only 3 months of gentle use, it's about to break. This is clearly a manufacturing defect. The location where it is fraying is right where it attaches to the watch. At the very edge, you see a metal piece inside the band that makes the part that inserts into the watch rigid. At that point, the band is very thin (since it sandwiches the metal piece on the inside). That's the point of failure.

I would think Apple should replace this faulty product for free, but they're giving me the run around.