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Apple Sport v Apple Watch?...

Kal-037

Kal-037

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Apr 7, 2015
2,031
1,081
Depends on the day, but usually I live all over.
Hi i'm a long time viewer first time poster. :)

I have a loaded Question for anyone who might be able to help me...

Which Watch is going to be more durable "Apple Watch" or "Apple Sport Watch?" I know Steel is stronger than Aluminum and Sapphire is also more scratch resistant than regular Glass, but my question is what if i drop my watch, i've heard Ion strengthened Glass is better at being dropped v Sapphire. I am not saying I plan to drop my watch, but is Aluminum and Glass better to go with for regular use of a watch? Or is Steel and Sapphire going to be better in terms of dropping or getting bumped and/or nicked?

Thanks so much, feedback and opinions are appreciated, my apologies if this has already been asked. I googled it and was unable to find anything on this particular subject. :):apple:


Kallum.
 
Well I'm guessing that the apple watch (500ish) cost more than the sport (350). You would think that it would be made out of better material. like in one of the apple videos the stainless steel goes through more reinforcements.
 
bbeagle said:
A watch is much less likely to be dropped than a phone. It's strapped to your wrist, not held.
Click to expand...

Yup.
So the question becomes: which is more resistant to smacking accidentally on the corner of a countertop and such? (much more plausible)
 
Exactly Tycho24, so even if the Watch never falls on the ground... is the Glass more shatter resistant than the Sapphire. I know Steel is better than Aluminum, but it still gets scratched too. So I guess aside from which material is better suited for getting bumped or dinged from regular use?... which is a better Watch for the money?


K.
 
Kal-037 said:
Exactly Tycho24, so even if the Watch never falls on the ground... is the Glass more shatter resistant than the Sapphire. I know Steel is better than Aluminum, but it still gets scratched too. So I guess aside from which material is better suited for getting bumped or dinged from regular use?... which is a better Watch for the money?


K.
Click to expand...

Where is this shattering concern coming from? Are you going to be deflecting bullets like Wonder Woman with the Apple watch? :p
 
Armen said:
Where is this shattering concern coming from? Are you going to be deflecting bullets like Wonder Woman with the Apple watch? :p
Click to expand...

No I plan to be as careful as I can, but when I go all Superman and punch a mountain in half I hope my Watch survives. ;)

also my concern is from basic knowledge... while Sapphire is 9 on the MOH scale and may be scratch resistant, it can shatter easier than Strengthened Glass. It's like Bullet Proof Glass v Diamond, the Diamond is stronger, but take a chunk of Diamond and hit it with a hammer and it will crack in several spots, while the re-inforced Glass will not.


K.
 
I don't really worry about shattering the screen of my Apple Watch. The only thing I'm concerned about is fingerprints. I have a feeling the SS Apple watch will show more fingerprints than the sport. The :apple: Watch is shinier than the sport since it has a matte finish so fingerprints won't show as much as they will on the SS :apple: Watch. I noticed that on this video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMtNQZKEBU8

(The title says it's the sport, but its not, it's the SS apple watch.)

I think I will get the Sport n Space Gray.
 
Kal-037 said:
No I plan to be as careful as I can, but when I go all Superman and punch a mountain in half I hope my Watch survives. ;)

also my concern is from basic knowledge... while Sapphire is 9 on the MOH scale and may be scratch resistant, it can shatter easier than Strengthened Glass. It's like Bullet Proof Glass v Diamond, the Diamond is stronger, but take a chunk of Diamond and hit it with a hammer and it will crack in several spots, while the re-inforced Glass will not.


K.
Click to expand...

My experience with my 15 year old SS Movado is that, although the scratches in the band, no matter how deep... can always be polished out- any chip in the edge of the sapphire is there forever. Mine still looks pretty good but, I sincerely hope so much that this version of gorilla glass is more resistant in that manner.
 
K is asking a great question and it's something that I've wondered about too.

There will be durability differences between the two, but here are some things to consider:

1) While the stainless steel casing will be harder than aluminum, the real differentiating factors between them is weight and aesthetics. The SS watch will weigh significantly more. This is a marketing move that will make the SS watch feel like its worth more. The sport crowd, especially runners, prefer something very light on their wrists and that is why the sport version is designed the way it is. The second reason is aesthetics. Of course the Sport model looks good, but when it comes to dressing up, it's pretty hard to beat the SS. When it comes to the durability of the casing, I think both will hold up very well in everyday use. For those that lead an active style and wear their watch while doing so, I suspect the Sport casing will hide scratches and scuffs better than the SS will.

2) As for Ion-enforced glass versus Sapphire, the Sapphire will definitely hold up better against scratches and scuffs, but I'm not educated on the subject enough to know whether or not is will hold up better against shattering. I suspect that scratches and scuffs are the biggest enemy to a watch...but dropping it or accidentally slamming your watch against a solid surface is always possible. I look forward to hearing what others have to say about this...

Cheers,
Bryan
 
Kal-037 said:
Exactly Tycho24, so even if the Watch never falls on the ground... is the Glass more shatter resistant than the Sapphire. I know Steel is better than Aluminum, but it still gets scratched too. So I guess aside from which material is better suited for getting bumped or dinged from regular use?... which is a better Watch for the money?


K.
Click to expand...
I have worn watches for something like 40 years. I started with cheap automatic watches, then quartz watches, and for the last decade or so Casio G-Force watches. I don't usually use my watches to deflect bullets. Other than that, I take no special precautions to protect my watches. However, I have never ever physically damaged a watch blunt force trauma. The only physical damage to a watch that I can recall occurred during battery replacement.

The bottomline is that your worries about dents, dings, and scratches are misplaced.
 
bbeagle said:
A watch is much less likely to be dropped than a phone. It's strapped to your wrist, not held.
Click to expand...

It's not going to drop off your wrist. Though it's common for people to drop watches when they are putting them on the wrist with one hand, and give. The Apple watch will be removed every night for charging, this is a valid concern, depending on the strap chosen

----------

SS all the way, with sapphire.

The watch is very light, so dropping will be a lottery, but a apple watch being a watch, you will hit it against objects, before I had sapphire watches I would always scratch the face of my watch
 
MH01 said:
Though it's common for people to drop watches when they are putting them on the wrist with one hand, and give.
Click to expand...
A few years ago my latest watch was stolen, since then I haven't worn any, but when I did I can't really recall ever dropping it like that. I'm sure it happened a handful of times, over like thirty years, but it wasn't common. And I regularly took off my watch not just at night, but whenever I sat down any significant length of time, even at say, a restaurant for example. So, watch typically went off and on again several times a day.

So if you drop your watches a lot, you need to pay better attention to what you're doing (or perhaps you just have some some sort of neurological condition that affects the grip of your fingers.... :))
 
I'm getting the sport just for the fact that you can get the black on black look. Well space gray & black, close enough. I hope it lives up to the sport name, I'm in the gym 6 days a week throwing heavy iron. Let's see how the band holds up. Apple care might be smart in my case lol.:cool:
 
I'll check out the space grey sports edition. the watch edition is too shiny with fingerprints all over
 
Space gray looks clean yet "tough" especially with the black band. For those saying the SS can be dressed up more. I'm mainly buying the Sport as a daily/weekend watch to use while I'm at the gym 6 days a week & sports type activities.

In my case if I take the wife out somewhere really nice. Well that's when my "heavy hitter" watches come out to play :D. I don't even wear a watch daily at the moment. So the sport for me will be fine.
 
Lennyvalentin said:
A few years ago my latest watch was stolen, since then I haven't worn any, but when I did I can't really recall ever dropping it like that. I'm sure it happened a handful of times, over like thirty years, but it wasn't common. And I regularly took off my watch not just at night, but whenever I sat down any significant length of time, even at say, a restaurant for example. So, watch typically went off and on again several times a day.

So if you drop your watches a lot, you need to pay better attention to what you're doing (or perhaps you just have some some sort of neurological condition that affects the grip of your fingers.... :))
Click to expand...

I'm talking about watches with straps, and not bracelet ones. We are talking about putting a watch on one handed, through a buckle, and tieing up, if the watch is heavy, it takes some balancing. If its easy for you great, but I have seen many people struggle, especially with leather bands which are thicker.
 
The general rule of thumb:

- The sport will me more susceptible to scratches.
- The SS will be more susceptible to chips and cracks upon impact.
 
Tycho24 said:
My experience with my 15 year old SS Movado is that, although the scratches in the band, no matter how deep... can always be polished out- any chip in the edge of the sapphire is there forever. Mine still looks pretty good but, I sincerely hope so much that this version of gorilla glass is more resistant in that manner.
Click to expand...

I never really considered chipping. I was never really concerned with the watch face shattering and I would think scratches on a watch that I look at constantly would drive me nuts, but chipping is a real concern. I've had a few watches chip before it makes the watch almost unwearable. However, those watches had 90º edge to 90º edge sapphire and was much more exposed than it looks on the Apple Watch. Unless a sharp objects hits the sapphire and chips/digs a piece out, I don't see how it would chip. Shatter? Yes, but chipping seems unlikely.

Or I could just save $200 and buy a screen protector for the Sport, but I do hate the look of them.
 
Kal-037 said:
Thanks for all the input everyone, you all rock. I am going to think about either the SS Silver with White Band, or Sport Silver with Blue Band. (I do wish the Bright colored bands were available to the SS watches, lol)


D.
Click to expand...

I'm fairly certain you'll be able to buy the colored bands for the SS after. It'll just cost you an extra $49.
 
If you are spending the money on the SS, get AC+ for $79 to give yourself peace of mind.
 
MH01 said:
I'm talking about watches with straps, and not bracelet ones.
Click to expand...
Yeah, naturally. Most of my watches have been Casio G-Shocks, generally quite heavy bastards with thick, stiff rubber or silicone bands. I never used bracelet type bands; even if I wanted to I can't, because I'm a dude, with arm hair. They pinch, like a s.o.b.

Holding the longer strap between two fingers, I'd lay the watch against my arm and grab the buckle with forefinger and thumb. The strap goes through the buckle, then you just pull the strap comfortably tight and tuck it in. No problem, no dropping, just one hand needed. :)
 
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