Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple Watch series 9 stainless steel concerns
- Thread starter Alexrat1996
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
As the etched inscription looks stained too on the surface, I suspect, it is simply dry, oily remains from your wrist. I sometimes have to rub with quite some force to remove it - and I do it almost daily. Try some drops of window cleaner on a towel - you cannot damage that surface with it.
Try cleaning the back with a little bit of regular hand soap under the faucet with a very low pressure water stream and see if it might just be dirt on the outside. It does look water damaged from the photo you shared. But it's hard to tell if it's on the inside.
The unfortunate truth is all Apple Watches except the Ultra are merely water resistant meaning that they are only tested for static water pressure at a shallow depth. If you keep your watch on in the shower or when swimming the pressure can fluctuate and overpower the seals.
And contrary to how Apple handles it on the Ultra the water damage is classified as accidental damage and you need to pay the replacement fee which is very low with the Applecare insurance. The Ultra is considered water proof with a much better rating so showering and swimming with it isn't a problem. That's why Apple usually switches out water damaged Ultras at no cost within the regular warranty. They advertise the Ultra as such even claiming it's perfect for diving whereas they do not advertise diving on any other watch.
Furthermore, the water resistance can and will fade over time. It shouldn't on a year old Series 9 but there's no guarantees. They carefully word it on their website simply stating water resitance isn't a permanent condition.
The good news is if you ever get a watch battery replacement straight from Apple they switch out the entire watch for a good as new one that has fresh seals and will be fully water resistant again, or in the case of the Ultra, water proof for swimming.
The unfortunate truth is all Apple Watches except the Ultra are merely water resistant meaning that they are only tested for static water pressure at a shallow depth. If you keep your watch on in the shower or when swimming the pressure can fluctuate and overpower the seals.
And contrary to how Apple handles it on the Ultra the water damage is classified as accidental damage and you need to pay the replacement fee which is very low with the Applecare insurance. The Ultra is considered water proof with a much better rating so showering and swimming with it isn't a problem. That's why Apple usually switches out water damaged Ultras at no cost within the regular warranty. They advertise the Ultra as such even claiming it's perfect for diving whereas they do not advertise diving on any other watch.
Furthermore, the water resistance can and will fade over time. It shouldn't on a year old Series 9 but there's no guarantees. They carefully word it on their website simply stating water resitance isn't a permanent condition.
The good news is if you ever get a watch battery replacement straight from Apple they switch out the entire watch for a good as new one that has fresh seals and will be fully water resistant again, or in the case of the Ultra, water proof for swimming.
I’m not being rude but to me the whole thing looks dirty even the area outside of the sensor next to the band button looks dirty …. Why don’t you remove the protective case and give the whole thing a good clean with some mild cleaner and see what it look like after.
I cleaned it twice with a micro fiber cloth same issue.
I might as well
Bring it to Apple Store.
add some water and soap on the cloth and rub it firmly. You won’t damage it.
….always open for new facts though
Update looks cosmetic damage according to apple doesn’t make sense it look like water damage to me.
Maybe it's just thoroughly scratched? To be fair Applecare is only for issues that impact functionality. If it's really water damaged it will break and then you can make use of Applecare. For visual defects where the watch still works it doesn't apply. You have at least another year of applecare or with the monthly payments it's as long as you pay for so I am sure there's plenty of time to make use of applecare if the watch breaks down.
On the image at the position 6h one can spot some kind of finger print on the outside of the back…