Apple Watch Sport Space Grey Issue

[44267547]

Hi Relentless Power
Yes I have been giving it some thought and on reconsidering the paint option, have my concerns. Funny that you mention the marker, as I have thought it a best option. Do you mean permanent or actual paint-based marker?

Cheers

I would use a fine tip Black sharpie marker. A paint marker uses a metal tip and perhaps could make the situation worse if the paint would not apply or if it scratched the aluminum more.

A black sharpie marker may not exactly blend with the space gray perfectly, but it will hide the chips much better. When I owned the space gray Sport model when it launched, I also had a chip on my Casing, which I used a fine point sharpie marker and it did a fairly
Nice job of concealing the blemish, where I couldn't even notice it. Good luck.

 

[Vampire14]

The best way if you are going to touch up is use a Sharpie marker. You can then get a deep grey not black and you will have a fine tip. You want to mask with painters tape the screen and the edge exposing only the chips. Take the marker and just dot until the chip is covered. Sharpie markers are not paint so you will get only a tiny bit of the color. The less of the product the better as you will not see globs like from a paint marker. Also it minimizes the contrast if the color is not exact. If the color is not deep enough wait 5 minutes and apply another dot. It may wear of over time. But it’s a simple process to touch back up. The ink of the Sharpie marker is very thin. So it will hide the chip with out being obvious. Sharpies also work well for furniture touch ups when you get the proper color and use the same procedure as above. If you go to dark or make a mistake, a dot of rubbing alcohol with a cue tip works like an eraser.

Thanks macdragonfl for this advice. I will go and seek out the Sharpie marker in the grey tone. It's a good idea as it's not leaving a thick layer, but more so just a semi-permanent cover-up, as you described!
These spots are so tiny - pinhead sized, but as you move the watch on your wrist when checking the screen they glisten in the sunlight or indoors with halogen/LED lights.
Still has me beat as to how they come to be, as there is no screen damage or scratches adjacent to these spots, as too for the side of the casing.
My next Apple Watch will be either SS or the SS Space Black!
[doublepost=1500353297][/doublepost]

I would use a fine tip Black sharpie marker. A paint marker uses a metal tip and perhaps could make the situation worse if the paint would not apply or if it scratched the aluminum more.

A black sharpie marker may not exactly blend with the space gray perfectly, but it will hide the chips much better. When I owned the space gray Sport model when it launched, I also had a chip on my Casing, which I used a fine point sharpie marker and it did a fairly
Nice job of concealing the blemish, where I couldn't even notice it. Good luck.

Thanks Relentless Power
I will give this a go. It will at least get rid of the distracting sparkle element!

 

[Heithel]

Hi there, don’t know if it could still be useful, but I kinda had the same problem and I managed to “sort it out”.

I’ve noticed that every time I banged the watch somewhere the space grey anodised coating wasn’t coming off as it is surprisingly sturdy, unless the Watch was taking the hit on that little corner where the body from rounded becomes flat, that little edge where the screen sits.
That’s the only spot on which the anodising was giving up showing the raw silver alluminium underneath.

That’s because the anodised coating struggles on being as thick when the area it sits on is really sharp, like on that angle in between rounded and flat.
That’s the origin of the problem that the iPhone 5 had for example, and that’s just how anodising performs.

I tried to cover those microscuffs with markers of different kind but there’s no paint that holds on metal, which end up being rubbed on clothes or touched with greasy hands for the whole day (seems stupid but the grease of your hands acts as a solvent melting the paint), and after a couple of days the paint was coming off.

I decided to go hardcore, and chamfer that little edge so that’d be permanently silver without any coating that could chip, giving a uniform, smooth look, without interruption of the colour.

I find the result to be very subtle, makes the watch look almost more elegant as the lip now shines like stainless steel, and permanently solves the problem.

That’s how I did it:

For lack of needle file I used a pointy knife which I held as a pen on the tip of the blade and a lot of patience and attention, then once the colour was partially off I kept on doing the same with another pointy knife with a ceramic blade, then once all the colour was off I kept on sliding really gently the corner of that piece of metal you see in the pic below over the polished surface to smoothen it even further as there were still little signs of the two blades I used before. That piece of metal not being nowhere as sharp as a blade worked as a treat in smoothening and flattening the surface giving it a uniform and not dented look. To follow a perfectly straight line I did all of this just sliding whatever “tool” I used leaning on the glass
I beared in mind that metal of the “tools” I used would scratch the aluminium (which I wanted) but not the glass, therefore I could lean against the glass with no problem.
I guess with a needle file you could get to this result easier but I didn’t have any of those laying around and sandpaper couldn’t be used as it would scratch the glass.
Still not sure about the needle file though as I wouldn’t know if it would be made of metal or infused with some sort of mineral stronger than the glass, so I’d advice to double check that before going that way.

 

[kfscoll]

^^
That looks good! Congrats!

FWIW I got a new Series 3 Nike+ Apple watch in the same space gray color as my Series 2 Nike+ watch and it didn't arrive with any chips around the display at all. Whether it stays that way we'll see but, judging by my sample size of one, things seem to have improved.

 

[Vampire14]

Hi there, don’t know if it could still be useful, but I kinda had the same problem and I managed to “sort it out”.

I’ve noticed that every time I banged the watch somewhere the space grey anodised coating wasn’t coming off as it is surprisingly sturdy, unless the Watch was taking the hit on that little corner where the body from rounded becomes flat, that little edge where the screen sits.
That’s the only spot on which the anodising was giving up showing the raw silver alluminium underneath.

That’s because the anodised coating struggles on being as thick when the area it sits on is really sharp, like on that angle in between rounded and flat.
That’s the origin of the problem that the iPhone 5 had for example, and that’s just how anodising performs.

I tried to cover those microscuffs with markers of different kind but there’s no paint that holds on metal, which end up being rubbed on clothes or touched with greasy hands for the whole day (seems stupid but the grease of your hands acts as a solvent melting the paint), and after a couple of days the paint was coming off.

I decided to go hardcore, and chamfer that little edge so that’d be permanently silver without any coating that could chip, giving a uniform, smooth look, without interruption of the colour.

I find the result to be very subtle, makes the watch look almost more elegant as the lip now shines like stainless steel, and permanently solves the problem.

That’s how I did it:

For lack of needle file I used a pointy knife which I held as a pen on the tip of the blade and a lot of patience and attention, then once the colour was off I kept on doing the same with another pointy knife with a ceramic blade, then once all the colour was off I kept on sliding really gently the corner of that piece of metal you see in the pic below over the polished surface to smoothen it even further as there were still little signs of the two blades I used before. That piece of metal not being nowhere as sharp as a blade worked as a treat in smoothening and flattening the surface giving it a uniform and not dented look. To follow a perfectly straight line I did all of this just sliding whatever “tool” I used leaning on the glass
I beared in mind that metal of the “tools” I used would scratch the aluminium (which I wanted) but not the glass, therefore I could lean against the glass with no problem.
I guess with a needle file you could get to this result easier but I didn’t have any of those laying around and sandpaper couldn’t be used as it would scratch the glass.
Still not sure about the needle file though as I wouldn’t know if it would be made of metal or infused with some sort of mineral stronger than the glass, so I’d advice to double check that before going that way.

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Wow that’s a great idea and job that U have there. So far either I have stopped focussing on my micro dots or the sharpie pen application has dulled the issue, or perhaps it has flattened out the surfaces every time I have applied it. If it worsens I will certainly go down this path.
Cheers

 

[Heithel]

Wow that’s a great idea and job that U have there. So far either I have stopped focussing on my micro dots or the sharpie pen application has dulled the issue, or perhaps it has flattened out the surfaces every time I have applied it. If it worsens I will certainly go down this path.
Cheers

Hey thanks!

Trust me I tried to ignore the few I had, and they were microscopical, but my OCD won over me.
Also I've seen that happening on my old S0 which I traded for this S1, and I've seen the same pattern on the S1.

I thought to eradicate the problem at the source, the situation could only get worse given the nature of the object. I pay attention to my gadgets but it is a watch and it's impossible to treat it as an iPhone, it's gonna get banged somewhere, at least in my case, not having a desk based job for example.

Considering that sharpies don't hold unfortunately, better getting rid of the problem altogether imo.

I think it's got somehow a more premium look, that kinda resembles the SS or the iPhone 5s, and I ended up liking the watch more than before ahaha!

 

[Nisaja]

Hi there, don’t know if it could still be useful, but I kinda had the same problem and I managed to “sort it out”.

I’ve noticed that every time I banged the watch somewhere the space grey anodised coating wasn’t coming off as it is surprisingly sturdy, unless the Watch was taking the hit on that little corner where the body from rounded becomes flat, that little edge where the screen sits.
That’s the only spot on which the anodising was giving up showing the raw silver alluminium underneath.

That’s because the anodised coating struggles on being as thick when the area it sits on is really sharp, like on that angle in between rounded and flat.
That’s the origin of the problem that the iPhone 5 had for example, and that’s just how anodising performs.

I tried to cover those microscuffs with markers of different kind but there’s no paint that holds on metal, which end up being rubbed on clothes or touched with greasy hands for the whole day (seems stupid but the grease of your hands acts as a solvent melting the paint), and after a couple of days the paint was coming off.

I decided to go hardcore, and chamfer that little edge so that’d be permanently silver without any coating that could chip, giving a uniform, smooth look, without interruption of the colour.

I find the result to be very subtle, makes the watch look almost more elegant as the lip now shines like stainless steel, and permanently solves the problem.

That’s how I did it:

For lack of needle file I used a pointy knife which I held as a pen on the tip of the blade and a lot of patience and attention, then once the colour was off I kept on doing the same with another pointy knife with a ceramic blade, then once all the colour was off I kept on sliding really gently the corner of that piece of metal you see in the pic below over the polished surface to smoothen it even further as there were still little signs of the two blades I used before. That piece of metal not being nowhere as sharp as a blade worked as a treat in smoothening and flattening the surface giving it a uniform and not dented look. To follow a perfectly straight line I did all of this just sliding whatever “tool” I used leaning on the glass
I beared in mind that metal of the “tools” I used would scratch the aluminium (which I wanted) but not the glass, therefore I could lean against the glass with no problem.
I guess with a needle file you could get to this result easier but I didn’t have any of those laying around and sandpaper couldn’t be used as it would scratch the glass.
Still not sure about the needle file though as I wouldn’t know if it would be made of metal or infused with some sort of mineral stronger than the glass, so I’d advice to double check that before going that way.

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View attachment 726361

This looks incredibly good! Congrats! Wish I got this idea while I had my Sport.

 

[Heithel]

This looks incredibly good! Congrats! Wish I got this idea while I had my Sport.

Thanks! Took a bit of bravery to get this drastic not knowing for sure what the outcome would’ve been, but I’m glad I took the risk to be honest! My pleasure for being a guinea pig for the rest of mankind! You’re all welcome ahahah!

 

[tha80sbrat]

So I bought my watch in January and I noticed these same scuffs are on mine. If I went to the Apple Store, would they help me?

 

[Otflyer]

UPDATE: Apple will replace Watch, there is no way to get refund or upgrade to SS model. The main problem for me is that replacement Apple Watch does not have original box, so it is problematic to sell, thus people are sceptic with remanufactured Apple products. In my case all replacement/ remanufactured Apple Watches were defective, however, the original one which I bought in Apple Store did not have this type of issue. Actually, I really recommend to buy SS model or silver version of Apple Watch Sport.

Not all refurb watches were defective. I’m sure a considerable number are just returns due to people returning or exchanging. I would have no problem receiving a refurb Apple Watch. I have exchanged numerous Apple watches for a different model.

 

[CraigE12]

Hello everyone. I have replaced my Apple Watch Sport Space Grey THREE times and every time with the same issue. Today, I have again noticed the same issue. Paint between glass and aluminium is vanishing. I am really using my watch extra carefully, however, after passing some time I am having the same problem.

Hi there, I believe I’m having a similar issue to you, however when I took it to Apple yesterday they said the damage is cosmetic. They said I could send it away however if the technicians decide that it is cosmetic also rather than a default I could be charged up to £100 for an inspection fee which is too much of a risk. Just wanting know what you told Apple and what steps you took to get a replacement. Thanks.

(The dames is beside the lower right hand corner of the screen and beside the Digital Crown)

 

[arman94]

Hi there, I believe I’m having a similar issue to you, however when I took it to Apple yesterday they said the damage is cosmetic. They said I could send it away however if the technicians decide that it is cosmetic also rather than a default I could be charged up to £100 for an inspection fee which is too much of a risk. Just wanting know what you told Apple and what steps you took to get a replacement. Thanks.

(The dames is beside the lower right hand corner of the screen and beside the Digital Crown)

At that time I had a warranty so I just used send to repair option. In that case they send you a package and you need to send it back with watch(free of charge). I wrote in case that housing is defective. Or you can say that battery is not working properly. Ther is no need to go to Apple Store.

 

[CraigE12]

At that time I had a warranty so I just used send to repair option. In that case they send you a package and you need to send it back with watch(free of charge). I wrote in case that housing is defective. Or you can say that battery is not working properly. Ther is no need to go to Apple Store.

Cheers!

 

[tha80sbrat]

Hi there, I believe I’m having a similar issue to you, however when I took it to Apple yesterday they said the damage is cosmetic. They said I could send it away however if the technicians decide that it is cosmetic also rather than a default I could be charged up to £100 for an inspection fee which is too much of a risk. Just wanting know what you told Apple and what steps you took to get a replacement. Thanks.

(The dames is beside the lower right hand corner of the screen and beside the Digital Crown)

I went to the Apple Store for this issue and they said the same thing to me as well.

Really disappointed that less than a year, this watch looks beat up even though it had a protective case around it the whole time.

 

[CraigE12]

I went to the Apple Store for this issue and they said the same thing to me as well.

Really disappointed that less than a year, this watch looks beat up even though it had a protective case around it the whole time.

It's very dissapointing altough I'm wanting to push this further as for me it's not on. For a £300+ watch the anodised coating should not come off so easily. I'm going to set up a repair - reluctantly may I add - and try to get something from that but to be honest I doubt it, they'll come back with the same stuff!

 

[arman94]

It's very dissapointing altough I'm wanting to push this further as for me it's not on. For a £300+ watch the anodised coating should not come off so easily. I'm going to set up a repair - reluctantly may I add - and try to get something from that but to be honest I doubt it, they'll come back with the same stuff!

If watch is under warrenty use the “send via post” option. However I will suggest next time to buy stainless steel version

 

[CraigE12]

I went to the Apple Store for this issue and they said the same thing to me as well.

Really disappointed that less than a year, this watch looks beat up even though it had a protective case around it the whole time.

Hi there. I recently went back to the Apple Store and had a different Genius have a look at my watch and they said it showed signs of discolouration and was sent to the reapir centre. Replacement arrived today! If I was you, I'd try again!