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Apple Watch S0 Stainless Steel after years of heavy abuse

bangak said:
Good to hear. My main concern with SB is the potential for chipping / flaking.
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Space black owner Apple Watch here, times two different Gen’s. I have _never_ had the watch chip or flake with the DLC coating on the space black stainless, as a matter fact, even reading through all these Apple Watch threads as I have been participating regularly, I have never even read a case of flaking or chipping with the space black stainless.

The chipping/flaking would be *way* more predominant on the aluminum model because of the anozidation, then it would be for the DLC and space black stainless.
 
You can find various youtube tutorial "Apple watch and cape cod" I'm sure this will help you out. Good luck
 
I'll see about taking a few pics at home later on. To answer your questions - I have no dents or dings I've been able to find and I bang this thing against brick and concrete walls and doorknobs all the time. It does pick up fingerprints and the like but that's about it.

I'll see if I can even get the camera to pick up where the color has worn off the crown. It's right along the edge where it goes from the smooth part in the middle to the ribbed part on the outside. It's pretty close to microscopic and I think most would think it to be light reflecting off unless I insisted the person look super closely. It definitely is not visible to others while I am wearing the watch. With some 700-odd days of wear, I'm comfortable vouching for the durability.

bangak said:
Good to hear. My main concern with SB is the potential for chipping / flaking. From a normal distance my watch still looks totally fine (in my opinion) because it's still a uniform color and the patina is pretty uniform. A chip in the SB finish, revealing a high contrast of bare steel underneath, would definitely be more noticeable I imagine.

Do you happen to have any small dents or dings in yours? Also, if you're able, I'd love to see what that color wear looks like on the crown if your able and willing. Assuming it's bright, bare steel showing through, right?
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kanselmo said:
I'll see about taking a few pics at home later on. To answer your questions - I have no dents or dings I've been able to find and I bang this thing against brick and concrete walls and doorknobs all the time. It does pick up fingerprints and the like but that's about it.

I'll see if I can even get the camera to pick up where the color has worn off the crown. It's right along the edge where it goes from the smooth part in the middle to the ribbed part on the outside. It's pretty close to microscopic and I think most would think it to be light reflecting off unless I insisted the person look super closely. It definitely is not visible to others while I am wearing the watch. With some 700-odd days of wear, I'm comfortable vouching for the durability.
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Gotcha, thanks. Sounds like we treat our watches about the same. I'm not purposefully harmful, mind you, it's just the nature of my life that anything attached to me is going to take a beating. Hopefully S4 has the same durability.
 
Uhm..... OK... those pics are horrible! My aluminum series 0 watches don't look anywhere near that bad! I assumed SS was more durable but now i'm wondering if I made a mistake ordering SS!!!???
 
Just imagine what that would have looked like if it was the aluminium version.

I can’t fathom why anyone would buy the aluminium version.
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caligurl said:
Uhm..... OK... those pics are horrible! My aluminum series 0 watches don't look anywhere near that bad! I assumed SS was more durable but now i'm wondering if I made a mistake ordering SS!!!???
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You are joking? Mine looked similar before I got some autosol on it, looks like new again!
 
I have a SBSS S3 that is exactly 9.5 months old, worn 24/7. smashed into sharp metal edges and more several times. Not a single mark or scuff, not just on the screen but not a single mark on the case either. I like the patina on the SS and I like how a Cape Cod cloth brings it back to new but the SBSS has been incredibly indestructible for me.

The real crazy thing? I'll have to sell it after 10 months of use because my SBSS S4 will be here soon lol.
 
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caligurl said:
Uhm..... OK... those pics are horrible! My aluminum series 0 watches don't look anywhere near that bad! I assumed SS was more durable but now i'm wondering if I made a mistake ordering SS!!!???
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Bare in mind I probably don't live the average life nor subject my watch to the same care as the average owner nor have I ever tried to buff out any of the scratches. The watch is a history of many, many hours of hard labour over the course of three years. This thing has been subjected to abuse I imagine would have gouged, dented and scratched an aluminum/glass face to a pile of broken bits.

Some other tasks performed while wearing this watch:
  • Hand digging multiple foundations in confined spaces (scraped, banged and dragged against dirt and rocks)
  • Covered in fish guts
  • Built two structures from the ground up while wearing it
  • Ground/cut/welded metal for various projects (exposed to flying metal bits and probably some slag)
  • Moved two dump truck loads of crushed (sharp-edged) gravel without any power equipment (with lots of debris falling onto the watch)
  • Mixed / poured concrete (dragged through sand/gravel)
  • Busting boulders with a sledge hammer (probably where some of those other dents came from - side note: sledge hammer broke while doing this, not the watch)
  • Chainsaw work (cut / moved probably 20-30 cords of wood - thus the wear on the band)
And lots of other stuff.
 
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bangak said:
Thought I'd share some photos of my watch after years of heavy abuse for those deciding between aluminum and stainless.

This has been exposed to salt water sea kayaking, worn while working on my cars (covered in oils, scraped against metal parts etc), seen me through numerous building projects and the inherent abuse of construction (cutting metal, mixing and pouring concrete with many accidental spills on the watch, covered in all sorts of paints, stains and glues), and plenty of other things that should have caused it serious harm.

One of the dings is from a shovel falling from a hanger in a garage with the metal spade catching on the watch. I'm not sure about the others. Needless to say, the watch still works perfectly and the screen is amazingly flawless. Without a doubt, the most durable piece of tech I've ever owned.

It's taken on some character, for sure though.

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Great! Have you ever change the battery yet since day 1?
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CPTmom2wp said:
Thanks for the photos. I just ordered a SSGold today and have been having second thoughts about the extra expense for the SS. The Aluminum "gold" Series 3 was a funny colored gold....maybe a little too orange.....and never looked right with my gold jewelry/wedding rings. I was, however, happy to take the $225 offer for the used watch. The SSGold looks legit and will have to keep it a few years given the expense. It appears, as one would hope, that the SS metal will stand up to abuse.
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The question is can we buff the ss gold series 4 if it get scratched a lot. The gold ss might be affected with buffing.
 
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Relentless Power said:
Space black owner Apple Watch here, times two different Gen’s. I have _never_ had the watch chip or flake with the DLC coating on the space black stainless, as a matter fact, even reading through all these Apple Watch threads as I have been participating regularly, I have never even read a case of flaking or chipping with the space black stainless.

The chipping/flaking would be *way* more predominant on the aluminum model because of the anozidation, then it would be for the DLC and space black stainless.
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I have ordered the Gold SS with Milanese band. I think the VDP (Vapor Deposition) process used to deposit the color is by its nature not as durable as the DLC. Did Apple ever make another SS watch with a gold color using VDP? I have been considering whether I should plan to change it for the silver/natural SS and matching band. Or maybe space black. I like the black, though durability was always a concern versus the natural polished steel.
 
Renjo2007 said:
Great! Have you ever change the battery yet since day 1?
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The question is can we buff the ss gold series 4 if it get scratched a lot. The gold ss might be affected with buffing.
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I’m not a metallurgical expert, but I’d assume buffing isn’t an option for any of the finished watches. Or at least you can probably only buff it so many times before you wear off the finish exposing the bare stainless underneath.

...and honestly...that may be a beautiful look.
 
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bangak said:
I’m not a metallurgical expert, but I’d assume buffing isn’t an option for any of the finished watches. Or at least you can probably only buff it so many times before you wear off the finish exposing the bare stainless underneath.

...and honestly...that may be a beautiful look.
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Looking at the color of the gold finish, I believe this may be why Apple chose the particular tone which they have—so that when/if scratches or nicks mar the finish they will not be hugely visible at a casual glance. The eye (mind) does generally move over details and 'fill in' what is expected to be there when not actively seeking discrepancies in an object or environment. Mind you, I will not be actively testing this theory. ;) I'll wait to see what happens to other watches! I'm sure there will be plenty of YouTube 'watch us destroy the new Series 4 Apple Watch' videos. You know, drop it from a great height, strike it with various objects, rub it against gravel...whatever the canny and click-baiting 'Tubers can envision as fun and compelling watching...
 
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FriendlyMackle said:
I have ordered the Gold SS with Milanese band. I think the VDP (Vapor Deposition) process used to deposit the color is by its nature not as durable as the DLC. Did Apple ever make another SS watch with a gold color using VDP? I have been considering whether I should plan to change it for the silver/natural SS and matching band. Or maybe space black. I like the black, though durability was always a concern versus the natural polished steel.
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This is the first with a “gold” finish on stainless. Time will tell but I’d say just let it take on character and enjoy it. Now, the display being scratched would be another story and sapphire has done a more than admirable job at standing up to the worst.
Renjo2007 said:
Great! Have you ever change the battery yet since day 1?
[doublepost=1537398380][/doublepost]
The question is can we buff the ss gold series 4 if it get scratched a lot. The gold ss might be affected with buffing.
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Same battery. I still get a full day but I’m very rarely using it for anything other than watching my rings and checking the time.
 
bangak said:
This is the first with a “gold” finish on stainless. Time will tell but I’d say just let it take on character and enjoy it. Now, the display being scratched would be another story and sapphire has done a more than admirable job at standing up to the worst.

Same battery. I still get a full day but I’m very rarely using it for anything other than watching my rings and checking the time.
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That’s great! I thought the battery should be changed every 2 years due to many battery cycle usage.
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FriendlyMackle said:
Looking at the color of the gold finish, I believe this may be why Apple chose the particular tone which they have—so that when/if scratches or nicks mar the finish they will not be hugely visible at a casual glance. The eye (mind) does generally move over details and 'fill in' what is expected to be there when not actively seeking discrepancies in an object or environment. Mind you, I will not be actively testing this theory. ;) I'll wait to see what happens to other watches! I'm sure there will be plenty of YouTube 'watch us destroy the new Series 4 Apple Watch' videos. You know, drop it from a great height, strike it with various objects, rub it against gravel...whatever the canny and click-baiting 'Tubers can envision as fun and compelling watching...
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Agreed. Time will how this new gold finish SS will perform in our normal daily use but I really liked the durability of OP’s watch SS after all those years. Now I’m having second thoughts if I will get the gold finish ss. We’ll see tomorrow.
 
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Here are some pics from tonight of my 2-year-old series 2. It's pretty much immaculate other than the bit on the crown I mentioned earlier. You can see that in the third pic at 2 o'clock on the crown. (That is lint on the body in the third pic, not a scratch - sorry about that.)


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bangak said:
Gotcha, thanks. Sounds like we treat our watches about the same. I'm not purposefully harmful, mind you, it's just the nature of my life that anything attached to me is going to take a beating. Hopefully S4 has the same durability.
Click to expand...
 
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Renjo2007 said:
That’s great! I thought the battery should be changed every 2 years due to many battery cycle usage.
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Agreed. Time will how this new gold finish SS will perform in our normal daily use but I really liked the durability of OP’s watch SS after all those years. Now I’m having second thoughts if I will get the gold finish ss. We’ll see tomorrow.
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Will AppleCare allow replacement of the watch if it gets really scratched up but is still perfectly functional?
 
FriendlyMackle said:
Will AppleCare allow replacement of the watch if it gets really scratched up but is still perfectly functional?
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I belive so, but I’d save that for when/if the watch is actually inoperable or the display is scratched to an unusable state. Nothing looks perfect forever.
 
It sucks that there isn’t a process to upgrade the intervals on such a nice and expensive watch.
[doublepost=1537513667][/doublepost]At the least Apple should make some version of watchOS that keeps these running smoothly.
 
bangak said:
I belive so, but I’d save that for when/if the watch is actually inoperable or the display is scratched to an unusable state. Nothing looks perfect forever.
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Oh, yeah, I wouldn't ask for a replacement until toward the entire of my AppleCare, or in the case that I somehow managed to really mess it up. Which I don't think is likely, as my original two watches (series 1 and 2) are still in great condition. Heck, my series 0 was in great condition at 2 years (until the screen detached - and Apple replaced it at no charge! which is how I got the series 1).
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eyeseeyou said:
It sucks that there isn’t a process to upgrade the intervals on such a nice and expensive watch.
[doublepost=1537513667][/doublepost]At the least Apple should make some version of watchOS that keeps these running smoothly.
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That would be nice -- so that the older watches could keep running smoothly. I don't see how upgrading the internals would be feasible - though that would be amazing.
 
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bangak said:
I belive so, but I’d save that for when/if the watch is actually inoperable or the display is scratched to an unusable state. Nothing looks perfect forever.
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I don't think Apple Care covers scratched screen.
 
FriendlyMackle said:
Will AppleCare allow replacement of the watch if it gets really scratched up but is still perfectly functional?
Click to expand...
bangak said:
I belive so, but I’d save that for when/if the watch is actually inoperable or the display is scratched to an unusable state. Nothing looks perfect forever.
Click to expand...

@bangak Is incorrect, AppleCare does not cover cosmetic damage to the display. Applecare +however Does cover accidental damage, up to two incidents.

https://support.apple.com/watch/repair/service
 
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