There was nothing wrong with the Graphite watch. Your problem was the Milanese band. The band is what scratched the watch. It has been a known problem.I went from a S0 SS -> S4 SG Aluminum ->S4 SBSS -> S6 Graphite SS (Returned due to DLC coating scratches after just 3 days) so now -> S6 SG Nike Aluminum.
I have no regrets as my S4 Aluminum body is still scratch free while the ionX glass has a single fine scratch on it. My son now owns it. My S0 and S0 SS were all purchased at a huge discount when new models came out. I really wanted the Graphite SS but it scratched only after 3 days and it can't be polished out. So I went back to the aluminum but got the Nike Edition for the exclusive faces and band.
And as @Nimbus134 mentioned, the ionX display, while more scratch prone, has less reflection, more contrast and deeper color. This was tested a few years back by Displaymate. So my savings will go to the soon to be announced iPhone 12 Pro instead.
If you bang your watch a lot it’ll get damaged but I’ve seen plenty of old aluminum watches well taken care of with no damage. The aluminum itself doesn’t damage easily. It’s very durable.I’m sort of concerned about this. I had on opportunity to upgrade my SS S4 Watch and I went for the silver Nike S6. I’m giving up 3 years of being on SS, so I’m wondering if I will regret it. I am bad about scratches, meaning, it will bug me to no end if I end up something noticeable. In normal times, I have bumped my SS Watch a few of times, but not often. It still looks new. I’m concerned the aluminum will not hold up as well.
I’ve seen some aluminum Watches that look terrible, but can’t tell how a person cares for their devices from a single moment. My husband’s SG S4 Nike Watch looks pristine.
If you bang your watch a lot it’ll get damaged but I’ve seen plenty of old aluminum watches well taken care of with no damage. The aluminum itself doesn’t damage easily. It’s very durable.
Personally it's hard to jump up 325+ bucks for the cost of a SS material. Looks nice sure, but the tech is the same. I've owned 2 aluminum watches, and yeah I've had a scratch or two, but really, who cares? This isn't a heirloom timepiece that you'll keep forever. This is a piece of tech that won't be able to probably update to the latest OS in 5 years.
I had a series 0 SS, and I liked it. Looked sharp. But I ended up returning it. And that was back when you weren't forced into paying 100 bucks more for a cell model, if you needed it or not. I still couldn't justify the cost.