AW7 SS, all the wrongs scares me from buying

[Kkanst]

«..not DLC coating anymoore»
«..not as durable as space black»
«..no real Sapphire»
«..Sapphire scratching»
«..olefobic coating has weared off»

…as far I has comed- EVERYTHING is wrong with the durability of this Watch. According to people.

I have an AW 7 SS Graphite Black in order. Waiting. Earlier I had an AW5 Alu. And it was not very old. But pristine.

What IS wrong with people? Is the Apple Watch going from incredible- to trash? Or is it the users who have gone mad?

Do I dare to let the order of my watch to be sent?

I am afraid of scratches. On body and the glass.

 

[Inked]

I managed to scratch my space black original Apple Watch (case and sapphire crystal both scratched), I’ve noticed zero difference in build quality or durability across any of the SS apple watches I’ve owned.

If you hit it hard enough against something stronger than the material the Apple Watch is made of / coated in, then it’s going to scratch.

 

[Kkanst]

Yes. I agree. Sapphire CAN scratch. I own a Garmin Fenix 6x Sapphire by now. Mine is prestine. But my buddy’s got a scratch.

But are they EASY or hard to scratch?

 

[Inked]

As I say, it depends what you hit it with. Most things are not going to cause damage.

If you want an Apple Watch and you want the most durable then the only choice buy a SS / titanium. The easiest one in my experience to keep looking pristine is the standard SS as the case can be polished to remove scratches whereas the graphite and space black cannot.

 

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

I have a S4 aluminium. I have to actively search for scratches, in order to notice any, and I have not been gentle with my watch at all. Very satisfied with how good it holds up.

But a watch is to be used, and it is not like it is the price of a car, so why care THAT much? You'll want the AR-Cook-Making-Pancakes-Feature they add in S9 anyway, so you are only going to use it a couple of years before upgrading anyway.

 

[Farrellcollie]

All watches that I have owned get scratches. My apple watches have fared better than my other ones. I have broken several crystals on regular watches just from accidentally knocking my watch on some corner of furniture or other things. I have not broken an apple crystal -on either aluminum or ss. I usually put a screen protector on for the first year and then don't bother after that - my aluminum 4 has some scratches on the crystal but the body is fine and the ss 4 has some on the body if you look hard enough but none on the screen. I use the aluminum to work out/camp/bike etc and the ss for the rest. I look at a watch as a tool, not something to obsess over. Body scratches don't really bother me.

 

[jaybar]

All watches that I have owned get scratches. My apple watches have fared better than my other ones. I have broken several crystals on regular watches just from accidentally knocking my watch on some corner of furniture or other things. I have not broken an apple crystal -on either aluminum or ss. I usually put a screen protector on for the first year and then don't bother after that - my aluminum 4 has some scratches on the crystal but the body is fine and the ss 4 has some on the body if you look hard enough but none on the screen. I use the ss to work out/camp/bike etc and the ss for the rest. I look at a watch as a tool, not something to obsess over. Body scratches don't really bother me.

I used to be obsessed with scratching and which bands were most likely to scratch the watch. I am particularly hard on watches. I have the standard SS S7 with the ML and the new dark cherry leather link. Both bands work well with the watch. I have learned to relax about scratches and my “Apple life” is now much easier.

 

[ApfelKuchen]

«..not DLC coating anymoore»
«..not as durable as space black»
«..no real Sapphire»
«..Sapphire scratching»
«..olefobic coating has weared off»

…as far I has comed- EVERYTHING is wrong with the durability of this Watch. According to people.

I have an AW 7 SS Graphite Black in order. Waiting. Earlier I had an AW5 Alu. And it was not very old. But pristine.

What IS wrong with people? Is the Apple Watch going from incredible- to trash? Or is it the users who have gone mad?

Do I dare to let the order of my watch to be sent?

I am afraid of scratches. On body and the glass.

I think some of those comments are questionable. Not everything people on the Internet post is accurate.

"no real Sapphire" - not sure what this can mean, Apple advertises (emphasis added):

Apple Watch Series 7 has the most crack-resistant front crystal yet. Aluminum models have Ion‑X front glass. Stainless steel and titanium models have sapphire front crystals.

If they mean that the crystals are not carved from natural gemstones.... The sapphire for displays (and the sensor covers on the back of the watch, and the covers of iPhone rear camera, etc.) is man-made in a furnace. Always has been, always will be. It was that way for my first-generation stainless Watch. Mother Nature doesn't supply natural sapphires in the quantity or size required. And that natural gemstone would have to be flawless as well as large. Anyone who knows anything about natural gemstones knows how rare "flawless" is in a large stone.

"olefobic coating has weared off" - this seems incredibly unlikely for a brand-new item (10 days since public availability). I have a Series 4 and the coating is still working. It seems more than unlikely that Apple would have chosen to use a coating that lasts 10 days, considering that it would have to be covered under warranty for a minimum of one year.

And whether stainless steel or sapphire scratches is up to the user. Neither material is 100% scratch proof. The stainless steel is easier to scratch than the sapphire - my SS has the scratches in the metal to prove it.

The interesting thing is my Series 4 aluminum has no scratches, while my Series 0 SS is scratched. I think in part this is because the anodizing of the aluminum hardens the surface to something comparable to the SS, also because the Series 0 was much thicker. With more exposed metal surface area (raised higher from my wrist) I think the Series 0 was a better "target" for accidental contact. Or it might be that the highly polished SS shows small scratches that are hidden by the matte finish of the aluminum.

 

[ElDuderino91]

I think some of those comments are questionable. Not everything people on the Internet post is accurate.

"no real Sapphire" - not sure what this can mean, Apple advertises (emphasis added):

If they mean that the crystals are not carved from natural gemstones.... The sapphire for displays (and the sensor covers on the back of the watch, and the covers of iPhone rear camera, etc.) is man-made in a furnace. Always has been, always will be. It was that way for my first-generation stainless Watch. Mother Nature doesn't supply natural sapphires in the quantity or size required. And that natural gemstone would have to be flawless as well as large. Anyone who knows anything about natural gemstones knows how rare "flawless" is in a large stone.

"olefobic coating has weared off" - this seems incredibly unlikely for a brand-new item (10 days since public availability). I have a Series 4 and the coating is still working. It seems more than unlikely that Apple would have chosen to use a coating that lasts 10 days, considering that it would have to be covered under warranty for a minimum of one year.

And whether stainless steel or sapphire scratches is up to the user. Neither material is 100% scratch proof. The stainless steel is easier to scratch than the sapphire - my SS has the scratches in the metal to prove it.

The interesting thing is my Series 4 aluminum has no scratches, while my Series 0 SS is scratched. I think in part this is because the anodizing of the aluminum hardens the surface to something comparable to the SS, also because the Series 0 was much thicker. With more exposed metal surface area (raised higher from my wrist) I think the Series 0 was a better "target" for accidental contact. Or it might be that the highly polished SS shows small scratches that are hidden by the matte finish of the aluminum.

I don’t think he meant gemstone sapphire. There are lots of videos out there testing the durability of apples sapphire. And in those videos the screen scratches on a 7-8 mohs. „Real“ sapphire is a 9 on mohs hardness. Diamond is a 10. Real or high quality sapphire crystals should be very hard to scratch but definitely should resist a 7 or 8. That’s why people come to the conclusion apple uses a cheaper sapphire mixture that isn’t as resistant as „real“ sapphire like the crystals from premium watches.

 

[TTTedP]

I've owned 3 alum versions, scratched the screen (deeply) on two, cracked the screen on one (3' drop onto floor). I now only buy stainless. If SS is what you ordered, you should be good. If this SS one breaks, I may consider a different brand of watch.

 

[Kkanst]

Yes, that’s what I meant

 

[deeddawg]

«..not DLC coating anymoore»
«..not as durable as space black»
«..no real Sapphire»
«..Sapphire scratching»
«..olefobic coating has weared off»

…as far I has comed- EVERYTHING is wrong with the durability of this Watch. According to people.

I have an AW 7 SS Graphite Black in order. Waiting. Earlier I had an AW5 Alu. And it was not very old. But pristine.

What IS wrong with people? Is the Apple Watch going from incredible- to trash? Or is it the users who have gone mad?

Do I dare to let the order of my watch to be sent?

I am afraid of scratches. On body and the glass.

My advice is to quit reading the MacRumors Apple Watch forum and just enjoy your new watch...

The experiences of a few don't necessarily apply to the many, and there's also a bunch of conjecture about some matters which isn't really supported by concrete facts -- and both statements go in either direction.

In my case - both my S4 & S5 SBSS were mint when I sold them after a year and my S6 SBTi is also mint after a year's usage. I don't baby the watches either, wearing them through all sorts of DIY projects and vehicle maintenance.

 

[drew0020]

I’ve owned S0 and S2-S7. I’ve only ever purchase the SS versions. The SS is so durable, yes it gets microsratches on the case (I love the way they look), but if you don’t you can quickly buff them out. No scratches on any of my sapphire screens throughout the years. Good luck!

 

[Itinj24]

This is not a way to live...

Don’t look at scratches/scuffs as bothersome. Look at them more as being unique to you and distinguished from every other of the same exact Apple Watch cut from the same machine. Look at scratches like a finger print that’s identifiable from everyone else’s.

 

[techno-Zen]

I don’t understand what your going on about to be honest.

 

[rdavis41]

In comparison to the Garmin Fenix 6, the Apple Watch is not as durable. This isn’t a slight on the build quality of the Apple watch SS, but the Fenix watches are built to take a pounding as a sport watch that has smart watch capabilities, whereas the Apple Watch is showpiece/smartwatch that has some sportwatch capabilities. With that said, I’ve owned SS watches since the S0 and NEVER had a scratch on the screen and only scratched the case when taking a hard fall where watch happened to hit a rock. In that incident the screen remained pristine whereas the case got a ding on it.