Digital Crown VERY tight (Series 6 SBTi Cellular)

[christophermn]

Howdy, everyone. My Series 6 SBTi came yesterday. Right out of the box, the Digital Crown was so tight that I had to force it to spin. I ran it under warm water per the Apple recommendation on how to "Clean and dry the Digital Crown". It got somewhat better but it's still so tight that it will not move unless I press my finger tight to the DC and push.

This is the 7th AW I've owned, and while some of the DCs have been a bit tighter or had a bit more wiggle, none have been anything like this.

I plan to give it some time to wear in before requesting a replacement.

Anyone else have this problem? If not, at least this post will help document it for anyone else.

The Series 6 is otherwise proving to be a nice upgrade.

 

[deeddawg]

Doesn't sound normal.

My SBTi S6 crown spins easily and freely.

If it were me, I'd maybe give it a day or two max, then seek replacement.

 

[44267547]

Howdy, everyone. My Series 6 SBTi came yesterday. Right out of the box, the Digital Crown was so tight that I had to force it to spin. I ran it under warm water per the Apple recommendation on how to "Clean and dry the Digital Crown". It got somewhat better but it's still so tight that it will not move unless I press my finger tight to the DC and push.

This is the 7th AW I've owned, and while some of the DCs have been a bit tighter or had a bit more wiggle, none have been anything like this.

I plan to give it some time to wear in before requesting a replacement.

Anyone else have this problem? If not, at least this post will help document it for anyone else.

The Series 6 is otherwise proving to be a nice upgrade.

I’m wondering if the seal behind the crown is pinched. (The seal basically is an added barrier for water resistance.) I know other members had similar instances where the seal was pinched and when they ‘forced‘ the crown, it snaps the seal and the crown will turn very loose.

In short: Return it.

 

[christophermn]

Thanks for the thoughtful replies. I requested an Express Replacement Service through my AppleCare+ plan.

The support technician did say that this would count as one of my two 'incidents' on the AppleCare+ plan. That doesn't sound right, since it wasn't accidental damage, and I wasn't charged a service fee (just the temporary credit hold until I return the bad watch).

In any event, if your digital crown is this tight, the correct answer is to get a replacement.

 

[rdavis41]

Thanks for the thoughtful replies. I requested an Express Replacement Service through my AppleCare+ plan.

The support technician did say that this would count as one of my two 'incidents' on the AppleCare+ plan. That doesn't sound right, since it wasn't accidental damage, and I wasn't charged a service fee (just the temporary credit hold until I return the bad watch).

In any event, if your digital crown is this tight, the correct answer is to get a replacement.

It's also 2 a year now with Applecare+. I don't see how this should be a warranty service incident, especially being so close within product release. Just a simple swap out, but then again we are in the Tim Cook era, so who knows...

 

[christophermn]

Apologies for the late follow-up, but... I did contact Apple for a replacement. It came, the Digital Crown was fine, and I sent the other one back.

Other than waiting a few extra days to get a fully functioning AW, it was hassle-free. Apple paid for shipping on both ends.