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Graphite Black Milanese Loop

thegiftofdom

thegiftofdom

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 28, 2020
75
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This has for sure been posted a bunch of times, I am sure, but I’m new here and am still learning on how to navigate the forums. I have an aluminum space grey S6 coming in this week. I’ve heard horror stories about how the previous black/grey milanese loop scratched the sides of the Apple Watch. Does anyone know if this holds true for the new Graphite Black Milanese loop?
 
The hard vapor deposition coating on the Milanese band is the reason for issues on the space black and stainless watches, with the hardness of the band coating matching that if the Space Black and being harder than the stainless finish. Hard to say if it will be an issue with the anodized aluminum on the aluminum watch. They are known for scratching easily from mechanical bumps but should hold up reasonably well for mild abrasion.
 
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First off, welcome to the forums!

To answer your question, I am not sure anyone knows for sure yet (as it would require someone to deliberately try to scratch their watch). Apple does list the new graphite Milanese loop as being PVD coated rather than DLC like the graphite watch body. However (and this is big however), it is not uncommon for Apple’s site to have missing/incorrect information right around the time of a product launch. Apple doesn’t list any of the stainless/Ti watches as having a sapphire screen this year even though they do, and does not mention that the space black Ti watch also has a DLC coating. So, it is not clear yet whether the graphite Milanese is PVD or if it uses the same DLC as the watch itself.

If the band is PVD, it probably won’t be a scratch risk. My wife has a gold stainless S4, which is PVD, and her Milanese loop has never scratched the watch. If the graphite Milanese turns out to be DLC, I would treat it as the same level of scratch risk as the old space black Milanese.
 
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Toratek said:
The hard vapor deposition coating on the Milanese band is the reason for issues on the space black and stainless watches, with the hardness of the band coating matching that if the Space Black and being harder than the stainless finish. Hard to say if it will be an issue with the anodized aluminum on the aluminum watch. They are known for scratching easily from mechanical bumps but should hold up reasonably well for mild abrasion.
Click to expand...

Interesting. I may steer clear from it, or maybe just get a similar 3rd party loop. I guess for now I will have to wait and see.
 
MacDevil7334 said:
First off, welcome to the forums!

To answer your question, I am not sure anyone knows for sure yet (as it would require someone to deliberately try to scratch their watch). Apple does list the new graphite Milanese loop as being PVD coated rather than DLC like the graphite watch body. However (and this is big however), it is not uncommon for Apple’s site to have missing/incorrect information right around the time of a product launch. Apple doesn’t list any of the stainless/Ti watches as having a sapphire screen this year even though they do, and does not mention that the space black Ti watch also has a DLC coating. So, it is not clear yet whether the graphite Milanese is PVD or if it uses the same DLC as the watch itself.

If the band is PVD, it probably won’t be a scratch risk. My wife has a gold stainless S4, which is PVD, and her Milanese loop has never scratched the watch. If the graphite Milanese turns out to be DLC, I would treat it as the same level of scratch risk as the old space black Milanese.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the welcome!!! Interesting. I kept reading about the coating on the loop and I am really hoping that it is not on the new graphite loop. I’m a big fan of the Milanese look and it would be a big letdown if it still had the DLC coating. I think once there is a more concrete confirmation as to what the coating is, I’ll make the jump, but for now, i’ll stick with the regular old sport band.
 
I have a black Milanese loop with a silver aluminum series 5, no scratching for me, cant speak for stainless watches though.
 
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anthony13 said:
I have a black Milanese loop with a silver aluminum series 5, no scratching for me, cant speak for stainless watches though.
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I believe that the issue only presented it self in stainless watches and Space Grey aluminum, but I might be wrong!
 
thegiftofdom said:
I believe that the issue only presented it self in stainless watches and Space Grey aluminum, but I might be wrong!
Click to expand...
The DLC coating on the space black Milanese is strong enough to scratch the ceramic back of the watch, the sapphire screen on the SS, and even the DLC coated space black watch itself. The glass on the aluminum watches would be even more vulnerable. Of course, it can all be avoided with a little care when putting the band on or taking it off. But the scratch risk is definitely there with the SB Milanese. The jury is still out on whether the graphite Milanese will pose the same risk.
 
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anthony13 said:
I have a black Milanese loop with a silver aluminum series 5, no scratching for me, cant speak for stainless watches though.
Click to expand...

Huge difference. The new Graphite Milanese is PVD (Versus DLC.) Which by theory, the watch casing is a harder material composition over the PVD Graphite Milanese band, and shouldn’t pose the issue the DLC Milanese band can.
 
thegiftofdom said:
Well, looks like the verdict is in. I will not be getting the loop.

https://www.reddit.com/r/AppleWatch/comments/iwtnru
Click to expand...

I’m not here to sway your decision, but here’s the thing, and this isn’t a knock to you, but it’s not that difficult to use caution when you take the band off and how you rest the watch when laying it down. If you don’t allow the band to come in to contact with the watch while you’re not wearing it, it’s not a problem. You have to be tactful, but it’s doable. It’s only a problem if you’re sloppy with how you set the watch down with the Milanese loop attached. If it’s on your wrist, then it’s never a problem. See my point? (That’s rhetorical)

If you’re somebody that’s complacent, then yeah, this particular band probably isn’t for you. But if you truly want the band and you use caution, it’s not a problem. Just sayin’.
 
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I asked and the poster says the Watch is Graphite too. That’s disappointing, however the poster did wrap the watch strap around the face, which is a high-risk thing to do.

I wore a SB Milanese on SB Black Watch for quite some time and only got tiny micro scratches with more ‘normal’ useage. At the time I wasn’t aware on any risks, so I wasn’t babying the Watch (fun anecdote - before I realised what was happening I managed to scratch two iPhones by resting the watch on top of the screen overnight!).

ETA: when I get my new Watch I will be sending the old (S4) Space Black back to Apple. I will try to scratch the SB Watch using the Graphite strap to see what happens.
 
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Relentless Power said:
I’m not here to sway your decision, but here’s the thing, and this isn’t a knock to you, but it’s not that difficult to use caution when you take the band off and how you rest the watch when laying it down. If you don’t allow the band to come in to contact with the watch while you’re not wearing it, it’s not a problem. You have to be tactful, but it’s disable. It’s only a problem if you’re sloppy with how you set the watch down with the Milanese loop attached. If it’s on your wrist, then it’s never a problem. See my point? (That’s rhetorical)

If you’re somebody that’s complacent, then yeah, this particular band probably isn’t for you. But if you truly want the band and you use caution, it’s not a problem. Just sayin’.
Click to expand...

You make a good point. I may just be overreacting.
 
danmart said:
I asked and the poster says the Watch is Graphite too. That’s disappointing, however the poster did wrap the watch strap around the face, which is a high-risk thing to do.

I wore a SB Milanese on SB Black Watch for quite some time and only got tiny micro scratches with more ‘normal’ useable. At the time I wasn’t aware on any risks, so I wasn’t babying the Watch (fun anecdote - before I realised what was happening I managed to scratch two iPhones by resting the watch on top of the screen overnight!).

ETA: when I get my new Watch I will be sending the old (S4) Space Black back to Apple. I will try to scratch the SB Watch using the Graphite strap to see what happen.
Click to expand...

Ha! I definitely will not be wrapping the loop around the face anytime soon, I‘m thinking I may possibly get it now, definitely going to give it some thought.
 
Relentless Power said:
I’m not here to sway your decision, but here’s the thing, and this isn’t a knock to you, but it’s not that difficult to use caution when you take the band off and how you rest the watch when laying it down. If you don’t allow the band to come in to contact with the watch while you’re not wearing it, it’s not a problem. You have to be tactful, but it’s disable. It’s only a problem if you’re sloppy with how you set the watch down with the Milanese loop attached. If it’s on your wrist, then it’s never a problem. See my point? (That’s rhetorical)

If you’re somebody that’s complacent, then yeah, this particular band probably isn’t for you. But if you truly want the band and you use caution, it’s not a problem. Just sayin’.
Click to expand...
Exactly. I’ve had my SBSS/Milanese band since launch last year. The watch is still in perfect condition. I was aware of the issue and took care to not let the band touch the watch. Not a difficult thing to do. Just be mindful.
 
One thing we can infer from all this: the Graphite Milanese is likely DLC rather than PVD coated if it is able to scratch the watch. I suspected the description on Apple’s product page might be an error, as it seemed unlikely Apple would develop a completely different process to coat the milanese band. Apple has never (to my knowledge) publicly acknowledged the scratching issue with the SBSS Milanese, so there would be no reason for them to ”fix” it with the Graphite.

At the end of the day, it seems that both the Graphite watch and Milanese band have the same DLC benefits and risks as the SBSS variants they replaced. The watch should be nearly impervious to scratches in normal use. But, the Graphite Milanese will be able to scratch the watch (and other softer materials like glass). Treat it with the exact same care as you would have the SB Milanese loop.
 
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I can't help but have the opinion that it is such a feminine looking bad, and that's the sole reason for me not picking it up. I'm sticking with the link band personally.
 
Not feminine at all.
 

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shenfrey said:
I can't help but have the opinion that it is such a feminine looking bad, and that's the sole reason for me not picking it up. I'm sticking with the link band personally.
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I wouldn’t call it feminine. But, I do find the silver and gold variants too “bling” for my tastes. The space black version on the other hand is really sleek in my opinion. I definitely don’t feel feminine wearing it.

Haven’t seen the graphite version in person yet so I don’t know how I feel about the newcomer. Early pictures I have seen make it look closer to the silver version than to the black version it replaced. I won’t be interested in that case. Of course it’s all moot since I’m not updating this year...
 
MacDevil7334 said:
I wouldn’t call it feminine. But, I do find the silver and gold variants too “bling” for my tastes. The space black version on the other hand is really sleek in my opinion. I definitely don’t feel feminine wearing it.

Haven’t seen the graphite version in person yet so I don’t know how I feel about the newcomer. Early pictures I have seen make it look closer to the silver version than to the black version it replaced. I won’t be interested in that case. Of course it’s all moot since I’m not updating this year...
Click to expand...
I am wearing the new Graphite. I can see the silver but it really isn’t that noticeable looking at the watch as one normally would. The contrast is not something that draws attention to your wrist from afar. In my opinion, it is more subtle and distinguished.
 
I wear the silver, gold, and black variants of the Milanese band regularly with my Space Black Series 4. I've used Milanese bands frequently for the past two years and haven't noticed any major scratches from them on the watch body. I wouldn't call any of them feminine, either.

My graphite Milanese loop has arrived, so I'll be retiring the black band when my Series 6 shows up.
 
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Have the ss graphite with Milanese and treated it like a baby and not only did it micro scratch the rear sensor panel but it effing scratches the sapphire screen. so pissed off i had a mint series 4 with rubber sport case and band should’ve kept it and now i have to waste 50 restock fee with verizon. do not get the milanese band! Plus the series 4 upgrade to the 6 to me is pointless except for the always on screen and useless oxygen sensor lol gimme a break
 
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