Applying nail polish to protect your apple watch?

[Abdol]

I'm thinking of applying clear nail polish to protect my apple watch's body from scratches instead of buying a bulky protector.

So if I only apply the nail polish to the aluminum body (and not the screen and the bottom ceramic and the speaker/mic holes), is it going to damage the watch? I can remove the nail polish with acetone and as far as I researched there is no chemical reaction between aluminum, anodized aluminum, and acetone/nail polish.

 

[BrettDS]

I think it’s a pretty bad idea. I suspect it would scratch and chip pretty easily and wind up looking bad pretty quickly.

I would worry about damaging the mic, speaker, Digital Crown and button by getting nail polish inside them.

I’d also worry about acetone damaging the mic and the speaker as well as the rubber seal around the face and inside the Digital Crown. I don’t think acetone would be good for the oleophobic coating on the screen either.

On top of all that, I don’t think that nail polish would really stop anything from scratching the aluminum anyway. If you scraped the watch against something that would scratch the aluminum I don’t think a coat of nail polish would make any difference.

 

[Aspasia]

I have the aluminum AW5. I do outdoor chores, paddle my kayak, stack wood, etc., etc., etc. while wearing it. Since the watch is worn on my wrist at all times, except when it's on the charger at night, the aluminum body still looks like new.

Unless you have an occupation that requires you to work in an environment where dirt and sand are grinding into your wrists, I don't think you have much to worry about.

 

[Glene]

Guaranteed it’ll look like crap within a month…and when you go to take it off with acetone/nail polish remover, that will mar the finish.

 

[glenthompson]

I think it would look like crap and potentially cause other damage. I can be rough on things with my activities and my aluminum watch is still pristine after more than a year.

 

[Abdol]

Thanks my question is about the chemical reaction.

What you mentioned is not applicable. I won't be applying nail polish to the areas you mentioned and in 1 year, aluminum is not going to corrode. I have had and seen aluminum watches before (not smartwatches) that have corroded in about 5 years or after swimming for a long time.

Any nick or scratch on the surface will cause dirt and acid to get stuck and causes corrosion.

I swim quite often and salt, chlorine, etc in the pool catalyze the corrosion process. Any nick or scratch is going to turn into an ugly mark on the watch.

I don't want to spend anything more than what I have already spent and got a SS version. It isn't worth it and this is my personal opinion.

So is nail polish going to damage the aluminum body of the watch?

 

[Abdol]

Please read the links in my posts! and answer based on actual/real experience.

Scientifically speaking, aluminum and nail polish is not going to react.

So saying that it'll mar the finish, do you have evidence? Has this ever happened to someone?

 

[Abdol]

Thanks my question is about the chemical reaction.

What you mentioned is not applicable. I won't be applying nail polish to the areas you mentioned and in 1 year, aluminum is not going to corrode. I have had and seen aluminum watches before (not smartwatches) that have corroded in about 5 years or after swimming for a long time.

Any nick or scratch on the surface will cause dirt and acid to get stuck and causes corrosion.

I swim quite often and salt, chlorine, etc in the pool catalyze the corrosion process. Any nick or scratch is going to turn into an ugly mark on the watch.

I don't want to spend anything more than what I have already spent to buy the SS version. To me an apple watch is just a fitness tracker (my personal opinion).

So is nail polish going to damage the aluminum body of the watch?

 

[BrettDS]

Please read the links in my posts! and answer based on actual/real experience.

Scientifically speaking, aluminum and nail polish is not going to react.

So saying that it'll mar the finish, do you have evidence? Has this ever happened to someone?

I think we all agree that it won’t damage the aluminum or mar the finish of the body of the watch. When we said we think it would look bad we meant that the nail polish would chip and scratch which would cause the nail polish to look bad.

But that said, while the nail polish or acetone won’t damage the aluminum there is a lot more than just aluminum in the watch. There are the rubber seals around the face of the watch and in the Digital Crown and button. There is the oleophobic coating on the screen. And I believe that those components would be damaged by acetone. It would be difficult to apply the nail polish without getting it in the speaker and microphone holes or messing up the button and the Digital Crown.

I don’t think anyone has any real experience with this because I don’t think anyone has tried to put nail polish on their watch.

You asked for our opinion and we gave it to you. You’re still welcome to go ahead and put nail polish on your watch if you want. We won’t stop you. We just don’t think it’s a good idea.

 

[BigMcGuire]

Yeah, I'm with the other posters here... that's just going to make the Apple Watch look terrible. And while nail polish might not react with naked aluminum, most metals aren't naked metals - they're treated, plated, coated, etc. Definitely would not recommend this at all.

Like others, I've worn an Apple Watch for 3 years now. I don't have scratches or nicks on the aluminum body. As far as the screen, I'd rather buy a screen protector if I was really worried about that (I'm not).

Good luck. Would love to know how it works out - pictures too!

 

[tl01]

I would not do this. I have had all of the Apple watches except ceramic and they wear fine. Nail polish will chip and discolor over time. I think this is a terrible plan. Then removing it with acetone or nail polish
remover won’t be good for seals etc. if you are so worried...get a stainless steel watch or a bumper.

 

[Abdol]

Yeah, I'm with the other posters here... that's just going to make the Apple Watch look terrible. And while nail polish might not react with naked aluminum, most metals aren't naked metals - they're treated, plated, coated, etc. Definitely would not recommend this at all.

Like others, I've worn an Apple Watch for 3 years now. I don't have scratches or nicks on the aluminum body. As far as the screen, I'd rather buy a screen protector if I was really worried about that (I'm not).

Good luck. Would love to know how it works out - pictures too!

Acetone is an organic solvent the same applies to the nail polish. They can't react with metals or any inorganic compounds.

I'm not going to apply it to the screen, the crown, the holes. I can apply the nail polish with a fine detail painting brush.

The only valid point so far is the rubber seal around the face of the watch.

 

[BrettDS]

Acetone is an organic solvent the same applies to the nail polish. They can't react with metals or any inorganic compounds.

I'm not going to apply it to the screen, the crown, the holes. I can apply the nail polish with a fine detail painting brush.

The only valid point so far is the rubber seal around the face of the watch.

I feel like if you were removing the nail polish then it would be very difficult to avoid getting any acetone on the edges of the screen as you tried to remove the polish around the edges of the case. You may be able to keep liquid acetone out of the holes for the speaker and the mic, but the strong fumes would still get in there and even that could be damaging to some of the components.

 

[movieator]

Sounds like you're just going to do it regardless of what anyone here says.

 

[Abdol]

Sounds like you're just going to do it regardless of what anyone here says.

Not necessarily. I'm just very specific about my question.

I have seen successful applications of nail polish in protecting cheap jewelry, sunglasses, and even pens and fountain pens. To remove them you can use a precision Q-Tips cotton swaps. I'm not talking about removing latex paint off of a wall so a certain level of precision in this work should be considered... Unfortunately, these were not made out of aluminum so I'm not confident about it even though I haven't found single evidence yet.

 

[ukms]

From your

Sounds like you're just going to do it regardless of what anyone here says.

That’s the impression I get too

 

[wilberforce]

Alloy rims (aluminum alloy wheels on cars) are frequently clear coated.
Not quite the same thing, but it does indicate it could be successful.
Maybe just try coating a tiny area under the band lug that is not visible.
Acetone is probably one of the most aggressive and penetrating solvents. In removing the nail polish off the aluminum, you need to expect that you will inevitably get acetone on adjacent areas like the watch face. Are we absolutely sure the watch face is 100% inorganic glass, without any coating or surface that could have the gloss removed by acetone? I would suggest somehow first test the acetone is not damaging, before applying any nail polish.
This is not going to be entirely risk free.
Let us know what you find, if you do try.

 

[AndrewR23]

Sounds like you're just going to do it regardless of what anyone here says.

Was just going to type this.

OP - sounds like you are doing this and just want some assurance. Just do it. Its your watch.

 

[Heatherra]

Don’t do it. But if you must, let us know your findings.

 

[ninjacrumbs]

Dont think the nail polish will stick well to the glass and when it chips, will look really bad and need to be removed. Also brushed on paint will not level smoothly and you will see the brush strokes. Spend $7 on an amazon screen protector, cheaper than quality nail polish or car clear coat.

 

[Abdol]

Dont think the nail polish will stick well to the glass and when it chips, will look really bad and need to be removed. Also brushed on paint will not level smoothly and you will see the brush strokes. Spend $7 on an amazon screen protector, cheaper than quality nail polish or car clear coat.

Posts like this are the reason why I'm so specific. This gentleperson didn't even give a single care to read what I have posted.

- Just tried acetone on my MacBook Pro 2009. It cleans the aluminum body without any efforts

*** PLEASE DO NOT APPLY ACETON TO ANYTHING MADE OUT OF PLASTIC ALSO ACETONE WILL DAMAGE PAINT FINISHED ON ALMOST ANY FURNITURE.

I'm tempted to use the nail polish lying around but it will be very costly. Should buy my own tomorrow...

 

[44267547]

It’s an interesting concept I’ve never heard of before, but if you mask off the display and all the appropriate ports/holes with painters tape, it’s probably doable, but I question if there would be an issue with the 7000 series aluminum. But given that the aluminum has a heat treated finish, it probably shouldn’t be a problem, obviously other than the risk that you’re taking.

 

[Macmelman]

Alloy rims (aluminum alloy wheels on cars) are frequently clear coated.
Not quite the same thing, but it does indicate it could be successful.
Maybe just try coating a tiny area under the band lug that is not visible.
Acetone is probably one of the most aggressive and penetrating solvents. In removing the nail polish off the aluminum, you need to expect that you will inevitably get acetone on adjacent areas like the watch face. Are we absolutely sure the watch face is 100% inorganic glass, without any coating or surface that could have the gloss removed by acetone? I would suggest somehow first test the acetone is not damaging, before applying any nail polish.
This is not going to be entirely risk free.
Let us know what you find, if you do try.

They are clear coated with varnish specially designed for that, not with nail polish. This will look absolutely hideous after one day. Nail polish is not resistant to anything so just the friction with clothes will make it look bad.

 

[Mercenary]

The aluminium in the watch is harder wearing than the nail polish. If you are doing it to stop your watch looking like ****, you’re just making it look like ****.

I also gave up on screen protectors years ago for my phone. Even glass ones were not as tough as the phones screen and just made my phone look like crap after a week.

had a watch since the S3. All aluminium and after knocks and scrapes and normal life I have yet to scratch the casing or screen. The ion-x has proven to be pretty tough and the treated aluminium is also solid.

 

[bandrews]

It will look dreadful. I'm a farmer, wear my aluminium apple watch daily and the metal is still flawless. It will be near impossible to neatly get around the speaker/mic cutouts and buttons. But it's your watch so do what you like.