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Anyone else's Apple Watch band start deteriorating right after a year?

OrlandoTragic

OrlandoTragic

macrumors 68000
Original poster
May 13, 2007
1,517
380
Orlando, FL
I'm pretty upset - I spent $649 on a 38mm Stainless Steel Case with Black Classic Buckle at launch last year - in the last 30-45 days, the edges of the band have started completely breaking down, and pretty soon I'm going to have to replace it.

I'm sorry, but for $649, I would expect a better quality band. Am I the only one? Is there any recourse since magically this all started going to hell right after the one year warranty? I've included a few photos in the link below just so you know I'm not exaggerating.

http://imgur.com/a/VYygb.

I wear the watch 5-6 days a week usually, but I work an office job, and besides some light bike riding, its not like I'm putting it through a ton of duress.
 
I reached out to Apple just now, they had me send pictures and have escalated my case. I guess we'll see how this goes....
 
Yeah, that's pretty rough. I've never expected processed-and-stamped leather to last forever, and I was always wary of this strap's construction. Might as well replace it with a Hirsch strap or something if Apple's response doesn't satisfy you.
 
I had a major scratching issue with the SS link bracelet and complained to Apple and sent pictures and they over night me a brand new one and never asked for the old one - even when I called to ask about sending back they said no. Turns out that SS link will scratch easy on certain surfaces.

I think Apple will help you out. I have the original SS with classic black buckle and it shows some wear but no fraying or anything. The new version 3 of the classic leather are the best. The version 2 being the worst for me.
 
BlueMoon63 said:
I had a major scratching issue with the SS link bracelet and complained to Apple and sent pictures and they over night me a brand new one and never asked for the old one - even when I called to ask about sending back they said no. Turns out that SS link will scratch easy on certain surfaces.

I think Apple will help you out. I have the original SS with classic black buckle and it shows some wear but no fraying or anything. The new version 3 of the classic leather are the best. The version 2 being the worst for me.
Click to expand...


You didn't have the Black SS but just the regular? I have that one too and it's prone to scratches but easily buffs out.

Did you have Apple Care? I was just told (yesterday) that they don't cover bands. I was about the buy the black SS, but for $549 with no coverage, I can't do that.
[doublepost=1466180579][/doublepost]Anyone have the Black SS band and is it still holding up or is it all scratched?

Bought 3rd party and while they are cheaper.....well, they are cheaper.

Was just told yesterday though that Apple doesn't cover bands. For shelling out $549 for a band, that's too steep for no coverage unless it is in fact HIGHLY scratch resistant. Any thoughts?
 
Phima256 said:
Was just told yesterday though that Apple doesn't cover bands. For shelling out $549 for a band, that's too steep for no coverage unless it is in fact HIGHLY scratch resistant. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...
Every other steel watch bracelet I own gets scratched. I wouldn't be upset when I get myself a steel bracelet for my AW and it gets scratched, too. It's also why I won't ever expect a coating to remain unscratched.
 
I have the SS regular and no Apple care and they still replaced. Maybe they looked at how much I have spent on their products the last ten years or so and figured they best not argue. :)

It was and is way too easy to scratch the SS band with serious blemishes. So much so that when I posted here, people were accusing me of lying and I must have beat it up. Lol
 
Phima256 said:
Did you have Apple Care? I was just told (yesterday) that they don't cover bands. I was about the buy the black SS, but for $549 with no coverage, I can't do that.
Click to expand...

This is false, but not surprising given that many so-called Apple specialists tend to BS. AC+ does cover defective bands, although AC+ doesn't cover normal wear and tear (scratches) even on the AW itself. If you happen to get a band with a manufacturing defect, then yes, AC+ will cover it.
 
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BarracksSi said:
Every other steel watch bracelet I own gets scratched. I wouldn't be upset when I get myself a steel bracelet for my AW and it gets scratched, too. It's also why I won't ever expect a coating to remain unscratched.
Click to expand...

Note to self: buy other market watch bands.

The cheaper, the better.

➰
 
rockyromero said:
Note to self: buy other market watch bands.

The cheaper, the better.

Click to expand...
Yeah, of my more recent watches, I only have Seiko, Citizen, and Rado watches on bracelets so far. The older watches are either on leather straps or they're old enough (about thirty years old) and are naturally scratched up.

How anyone actually wears a watch every day and completely avoids scratches, I'll never understand.
 
A strap that retails for £129, that is probably made for £1.29. This is why I don't spend silly money on Apple straps. There's plenty higher quality straps out there for a fraction of the price. :/
 
I noticed my husband has switched over to wearing a black sport band. He had bought the SS with black classic buckle. I asked him about it and to my surprise he said his black classic band was falling apart! :confused: I am going to take a look at it tomorrow in daylight.

My sport bands take a lot of hard wear and are doing great. I almost asked for a classic buckle band for Mother's Day but they became unavailable in the teal color I wanted. Now I'm glad I got a new purse instead.
 
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I had the same band with my SS I owned last year (since changed to Space Black SS). And I felt the leather on the classic buckle wasn't all that. It costs what £109 or something insane like that on Apples store and I wasn't left impressed, it felt cheap and thin to me. Just my opinion.

I've worn a red leather loop (red, aftermarket) for about 7 months now and it still looks brand new, I wear it every single day. I love how comfortable the leather loops are.
 
Ugh, yeah my husband's black classic leather band looks bad like the pictures posted here. :confused::( He won't let us get him any new bands for Father's Day. He's sticking with the black sport band for now.
 
My silicone band is holding up well. I wear the watch everyday. The silicone iPhone cases made out of the same material had to be replaced twice
 
I heard back from Apple, and they stated that they would not cover any replacement.

What an absolute joke. $650 and this is what I get after a year. Just a complete embarrasment.
 
duelingdragons said:
I heard back from Apple, and they stated that they would not cover any replacement.

What an absolute joke. $650 and this is what I get after a year. Just a complete embarrasment.
Click to expand...

That's expected as your AW is currently out of warranty. If the AW is out of warranty, so is the band. That's not too surprising.

However, did you by any chance purchase it using a credit card? Many major credit cards offer extended warranty protection in the 2nd year that mirrors the 1st year standard warranty. If so, you can file a claim to get reimbursed the OOW cost (or at least the cost of a new band).

By the way, it's not $650. That's for the AW and band. The classic buckle band is $149.
 
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I'll restate:

BarracksSi said:
Yeah, that's pretty rough. I've never expected processed-and-stamped leather to last forever, and I was always wary of this strap's construction. Might as well replace it with a Hirsch strap or something if Apple's response doesn't satisfy you.
Click to expand...
Besides, you can get other leather straps for less than the cost of Apple's $149 straps.
 
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