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these watches need to be replaced with new one every year if you are a tech geek like me.
titanium is over priced and SS is too heavy. Aluminum is the way to go.
 
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Just circling back to this, I decided to go with the SBSS model with the milanese loop and couple of other sports bands for when i'm working out.

I liked the titanium a lot, but at the end decided that I prefer the stainless steel a bit more as it felt more premium to me (likely due to the heft).

Given that it's my first AW, I'm so excited about it. I hope it lasts me 3 years.
You can’t go wrong with the SBSS and milanese loop. I have that combination and love it. Just be aware the milanese loop can scratch the DLC coating on the SBSS so try not to let it come in contact with the watch and all will be fine. Enjoy your new watch.
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these watches need to be replaced with new one every year if you are a tech geek like me.
titanium is over priced and SS is too heavy. Aluminum is the way to go.
If one can afford to upgrade to SS or Ti every year than why not? It’s their money. Besides, one doesn’t need to upgrade every year if the current watch meets their needs.
 
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these watches need to be replaced with new one every year if you are a tech geek like me.
titanium is over priced and SS is too heavy. Aluminum is the way to go.

There is a reason why this is my first AW even though I've had a smartwatch since 2015.

Generally speaking, Apple's products reach a "good" level around the 5th year mark. Case in point: iPhone. Launched in 2007, by 2012 the iPhone 5 was simply amazing. Since then, there have been numerous tweaks and an amazing amounts of photography capability added but the basic functionality stayed the same.

The same thing can be said for the Apple Watch: it launched in 2015 (announced 2014) and by 2019, it has reached a good level as well.

Sure, there will be more features out in 2020, 2021, 2022, and beyond, but I personally believe that Series 5 is already at a good level. Unless the battery life increases phenomenally, I don't see myself upgrading to the next generation until 2022 or 3 years from now.

PS: I actually like the heaviness of the SS. Aluminum, to me, felt just too cheap. God has blessed me enough that I can comfortably afford the extra few hundred bucks to upgrade to the SS level. With that said, I don't look down upon those that have the aluminum model. There is nothing wrong with that one and one shouldn't be judging.
 
The weight difference between aluminum and stainless steel is just 10 grams. I don’t think this is really noticeable.
 
Titanium is generally the hardest metal. It’s why it’s used for space shuttles. Unlike my SS, my titanium has taken so much abuse and doesn’t have a single scratch. My SS scratches very easily.
Actually titanium is not as hard as SS and scratches more easily. It's 4 times as strong as SS and is significantly lighter and has better heat resistance, which is why it's used in aerospace.

Having said that, I have the Space Black SS watch and band and I love it. However as a machinist in my youth, I always loved working with titanium. It would be cool to have a titanium watch.
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Just circling back to this, I decided to go with the SBSS model with the milanese loop and couple of other sports bands for when i'm working out.

I liked the titanium a lot, but at the end decided that I prefer the stainless steel a bit more as it felt more premium to me (likely due to the heft).

Given that it's my first AW, I'm so excited about it. I hope it lasts me 3 years.
You made the right choice. :)

I've had SBSS since the beginning, and I love it.
 
these watches need to be replaced with new one every year if you are a tech geek like me.
titanium is over priced and SS is too heavy. Aluminum is the way to go.
Depends on if you are used to wearing traditional watches. For me the aluminum feels like a toy. I love the heft of the SS. Just used to it after years of wearing regular watches.
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The weight difference between aluminum and stainless steel is just 10 grams. I don’t think this is really noticeable.
Ohhh yes it is very noticeable
 
Depends on if you are used to wearing traditional watches. For me the aluminum feels like a toy. I love the heft of the SS. Just used to it after years of wearing regular watches.
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Ohhh yes it is very noticeable
it is noticeable to me too.
 
it is noticeable to me too.
And to me. I originally ordered the gold SS S5 but having not worn a watch in 20 years it felt like a lead weight on my wrist - especially with the Milanese loop. If resale prices were reasonable I’d have gone for the Titanium, but with the prices as they are, just settled for SG aluminium.
 
And to me. I originally ordered the gold SS S5 but having not worn a watch in 20 years it felt like a lead weight on my wrist - especially with the Milanese loop. If resale prices were reasonable I’d have gone for the Titanium, but with the prices as they are, just settled for SG aluminium.

I'm genuinely curious who is purchasing their AW with the sole purpose of resale value?

Not here to judge, but if you have the means that few hundred dollar difference b/w aluminum and SS is absolutely worth it. Let me repeat: if you can afford it, why wouldn't one get a SS or a titanium model vs. the aluminum.

On the flip side, if your finances are not that secure, why even get the AW in the first place?

Lastly, it's always going to be a personal choice between aluminum, SS, Ti, and Ceramic. I totally understand it, but I still can't wrap my head around why the resale value is the primary concern.

Genuinely curious.
 
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I could have gotten the SS AW, but as this was my first AW, I wasn't sure I'd like it and didn't want to spend $750 on it. So I got the SG Aluminum. Next one (in a few years?) will probably be SS SB.
 
I'm genuinely curious who is purchasing their AW with the sole purpose of resale value?

Not here to judge, but if you have the means that few hundred dollar difference b/w aluminum and SS is absolutely worth it. Let me repeat: if you can afford it, why wouldn't one get a SS or a titanium model vs. the aluminum.

On the flip side, if your finances are not that secure, why even get the AW in the first place?

Lastly, it's always going to be a personal choice between aluminum, SS, Ti, and Ceramic. I totally understand it, but I still can't wrap my head around why the resale value is the primary concern.

Genuinely curious.
Well it’s a concern because the resale on any Apple Watch is pretty much garbage. Which is strange. Or it proves how overpriced it is. I love mine but it does seem to be b
very high in price compared to an iPhone. Most 2-3 year old Apple watches can’t be sold for more than 1-200.....even the stainless models. You’ll be lucky to get $300 for a S4 stainless and it cost $700+ brand new. That’s terrible compared to a one year old iPhone or iPad.
 
Well it’s a concern because the resale on any Apple Watch is pretty much garbage. Which is strange. Or it proves how overpriced it is. I love mine but it does seem to be b
very high in price compared to an iPhone. Most 2-3 year old Apple watches can’t be sold for more than 1-200.....even the stainless models. You’ll be lucky to get $300 for a S4 stainless and it cost $700+ brand new. That’s terrible compared to a one year old iPhone or iPad.

This leads me to wonder why the resale is so bad? Is it because the technology is improving at such a fast pace?

Which leads me to ask: will the resale value improve for next-generation if the tech is levelled off?
 
This leads me to wonder why the resale is so bad? Is it because the technology is improving at such a fast pace?

Which leads me to ask: will the resale value improve for next-generation if the tech is levelled off?

It depends. The resale value is not horrible for the Apple Watch, but it varies on which model you own. If you own the aluminum model, the stainless steel model even though it’s more expensive, actually would it be worth just as much as the aluminum when you go to resell it at the time when another Apple Watch Model launches. The materialistic value of the Apple Watch doesn’t hold value, even though the watch itself is _very_ popular, it’s probably a ‘safer bet’ to purchase the aluminum model, as you wouldn’t take as much as a financial hit as a stainless steel owner would if they tried to resell it.
 
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I don’t understand all the complaints about resale value. Trying to compare it to the iphone is a waste of time. They are different products, with different demand levels and different margins and revenue streams.

Just treat the AW as a disposable item when you are ready to dispose of it, for whatever reason. Regard the resale value, whatever it might be as a bonus. Life would be more serene, if not regarding resale value as a right. Treat it as if there’s no resale and make upgrade decisions based on features w/o reference to resale.

Alternatively, gift it to a deserving friend or family member, who has been there for you.
 
This leads me to wonder why the resale is so bad? Is it because the technology is improving at such a fast pace?

Which leads me to ask: will the resale value improve for next-generation if the tech is levelled off?
Good point. I’m guessing that resale is going to increase due to Apple wanting People to upgrade. Indeed the watch got really good really fast. So to avoid a steep drop off in adoption soon Apple will have to have incentives. Like they did last year for iPhone. Also, the series 4 is still be sold by a lot of online retailers at a measly $50 discount on most models.
 
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I don’t understand all the complaints about resale value.

It’s not that complicated, the Apple Watch is not a cheap product, as a matter fact, it’s one of the most expensive smart watches on the market, let alone for the stainless/titanium edition. And then when consumers are ready to upgrade to the next Gen and they find out that the resale/trade- in value is abysmal, I can see why that would be upsetting to some.

Especially for those who own the stainless and titanium watch models, those take the worst hit in terms of ‘resale’ value, which can shock some, because it’s also the most expensive models.
 
First of all, relatively speaking all Apple Watch models, Aluminum and Steel, hold their value pretty much the same, i.e. about 50% resale value after one year. Second of all, I would guess that from the S5 onwards the value will hold a little better because the Watch seems quite "feature complete" now and AOD makes a big difference to the "look" of the Watch.
 
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It’s not that complicated, the Apple Watch is not a cheap product, as a matter fact, it’s one of the most expensive smart watches on the market, let alone for the stainless/titanium edition. And then when consumers are ready to upgrade to the next Gen and they find out that the resale/trade- in value is abysmal, I can see why that would be upsetting to some.

Especially for those who own the stainless and titanium watch models, those take the worst hit in terms of ‘resale’ value, which can shock some, because it’s also the most expensive models.

To me, it is a matter on “tone” or “energy” The trade in is whatever it is. Feeling that “Apple screwed me over” or feeling “entitled” to a better trade in, or in some way, Apple “let me down”, which is common on these forums, in my mind, just makes the AW experience or anything Apple, more stressful than need be.

When I changed from a S4 to S5 AW, I chose to give my S4, to a family member. I did not rant against Apple.
 
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It’s not that complicated, the Apple Watch is not a cheap product, as a matter fact, it’s one of the most expensive smart watches on the market, let alone for the stainless/titanium edition. And then when consumers are ready to upgrade to the next Gen and they find out that the resale/trade- in value is abysmal, I can see why that would be upsetting to some.

But that is the case with most consumer electronics. My LG OLED TV is a year old and it's worth a fair bit less than I paid for it on the resale market. Same with my UHD Blu-ray player.

Honestly, of all my tech, Apple holds its value the bestt, but still loses a fair amount over a handful of years - especially if the latest version is substantially better (which it often is, considering the rapid pace of development). I did get $125 for my Series 0 stainless steel watch, which pleasantly surprised me.
 
But that is the case with most consumer electronics. My LG OLED TV is a year old and it's worth a fair bit less than I paid for it on the resale market. Same with my UHD Blu-ray player.

Honestly, of all my tech, Apple holds its value the bestt, but still loses a fair amount over a handful of years - especially if the latest version is substantially better (which it often is, considering the rapid pace of development). I did get $125 for my Series 0 stainless steel watch, which pleasantly surprised me.
How did you get 125 for a S0? According to Apple they’ll only give me $70 for my S3 Stainless Steel.
 
I don’t understand all the complaints about resale value. Trying to compare it to the iphone is a waste of time. They are different products, with different demand levels and different margins and revenue streams.

Just treat the AW as a disposable item when you are ready to dispose of it, for whatever reason. Regard the resale value, whatever it might be as a bonus. Life would be more serene, if not regarding resale value as a right. Treat it as if there’s no resale and make upgrade decisions based on features w/o reference to resale.

Alternatively, gift it to a deserving friend or family member, who has been there for you.
How can you dispose the worthless disposable item to a deserving friend or family member?
Are your friends and family worthless?
 
The high-end apple watch (SS, ceramic, titanium) have a very bad resale value compared to aluminum because it's hard to sell a used S4 more than a brand new S5 even if it's stainless or titanium.
So when the S6 will be on the market, you will never be able to sell your S5 SS more than the entry level S6.
People prefer to have the last one with more feautures than the old "luxury" one.
You just have to be aware that high end AW are just for pleasure and cost a lot.
It's just a "luxury" choice
 
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