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How do you feel about and deal with scratches and scuffs?

gdourado

gdourado

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Apr 22, 2010
468
66
Hello, hope you are all doing well.
I am back on the Apple Watch after trying one on two separate occasions in the past. Now i think my life is organized in such a way I will finally benefit from owning a Watch.

The thing is it is the third day I have the Watch and I already did a very tiny scuff on the body.
I take it to the gym, sleep with the Watch and use it all day everywhere. I guess I must have bumped it against something and scuffed it.
Now this annoyed me and I am thinking about getting a case for it, like a spigen thin or such.
But I don’t know about using a case that adds bulk to the Watch and kind of ruins the design.

But at the same time, I don’t want the Watch to get more scuffed.

So, I am curious…
How do you feel about scuffs and scratches on your Watch?
How do try to prevent them?

Thanks.
Cheers!
 
Hate them on my phone, live with them on my watch. I used to get the sapphire and steel watches for this reason. Then for a while I used the normal version with a case. Recently I made peace with the fact that I’m clumsy and my watches are going to get banged up a bit.

I will say, the case/cover I used in the past was much less bulky than I feared. There are some svelte and inexpensive options out there, you may be surprised.
 
I don't mind scuffs and scratches - I have had both aluminum(black of some sort and silver) and stainless (in gold, ss, and black of some sort) - I have never really noticed anything on any of them but I have had watches in the past that got banged up - to me a watch is a tool I use daily and it gets worn. I have put screen protectors on the screens because I bang them up and that interferes with reading the face
 
I don't like them on either really. I tend to go for the TI AW with the sapphire glass and this time went for the Ultra for the extra features for when I'm out climbing in the mountains etc... again sapphire glass.

I use a screen protector on my iP12 Pro. Love the flat screen as it's now possible to have it right up to the edge!
 
I don’t like scratches and scuffs (who does?), but have accepted them as a cost of using my devices.

I don’t like screen protectors or cases, so I do not use them for my Apple Watch nor my iPhone.

I remember when I first got my Apple Watch, a few weeks later, I noticed a scratch on the glass. I am not 100% sure where it even came from, I suspect from working on my car, or working on some project.

Depending on what I’m doing, I may take off my Apple Watch, but most times I just forget, so I have had my Apple Watch banged up on the side of a motor, covered in oil, and dirt.

It is just my lifestyle to be rough with my AW, and when it comes down to it the Apple Watch is just a disposable device, not meant to last forever. Honestly, I’ve had it for almost three years and I’m surprised it has lasted that long.
 
First scratch: Oh no!

Second and subsequent scratches: Anyway…

That said, all of my Apple Watches have been impressively durable considering I don't go out of my way to baby them in the slightest. I can name off the top of my head all the damage my various Apple Watches have suffered:

Series 0, aluminium: Pitting and corrosion on the backside of the case, which was a known issue for that generation. UV damage to the display caused it to look brown when the backlight is off. Battery swelled and popped the display off. Replacement battery also swelled and popped the display off. This device is now permanently retired.

Series 3, aluminium: Deep gouge on the bottom-right of the backside of the case, from accidentally slamming it into a doorframe.

Series 6, graphite stainless steel: Hairline scratch on the bottom left of the case, cause unknown. Small, barely noticeable scratches on the display's sapphire from sliding along the road for 80 metres after a motorcycle crash.

Ultra: Nothing so far.
 
Anything worn on the human body will get some damage no matter what. Putting A case on it ruins the looks to me but each owner has to make that choice.
 
They're fine on other peoples' watches🤣

Sadly inevitable, especially with the materials and increased size of the AWU. Think of it as patina and a growing collection of hopefully good memories👍 I do keep an old AW3 for times when I know there are risks - it has paint splatters on it at the moment!
 
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I've always stuck with silver SS and naturalTi polished to mirror shine, because I can't stand scuffs and scratches. For the iPhone, I don't care as much. No screen protectors or skins or cases, on any of my devices.
 
Scuffs, scratche, stains are just part of life. No matter how careful one is that first scratch or scuff on the new car, watch, dress shoes, whatever happens. A coffee stain on a favorite shirt, inevitable. Shed a tear and move forward. These are just physical objects. Life is more enjoyable when you don’t go OCD on things. Take a walk in the park or woods and smile at the squirrels working to fill their winter pantry.
 
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I’ve only owned aluminum, but I have owned every generation (except 8 as of now). I’ve never had a scratch on the body of my watch, and any scratches on my glass were too small to notice. I’m not crazy active, but I have camped, hiked, swam in various bodies of water, and worn them all for 16ish hours/day.
 
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gdourado said:
Hello, hope you are all doing well.
I am back on the Apple Watch after trying one on two separate occasions in the past. Now i think my life is organized in such a way I will finally benefit from owning a Watch.

The thing is it is the third day I have the Watch and I already did a very tiny scuff on the body.
I take it to the gym, sleep with the Watch and use it all day everywhere. I guess I must have bumped it against something and scuffed it.
Now this annoyed me and I am thinking about getting a case for it, like a spigen thin or such.
But I don’t know about using a case that adds bulk to the Watch and kind of ruins the design.

But at the same time, I don’t want the Watch to get more scuffed.

So, I am curious…
How do you feel about scuffs and scratches on your Watch?
How do try to prevent them?

Thanks.
Cheers!
Click to expand...
I honestly buy the premium material models since I’ve seen so many bashed Apple Watch screen from the aluminum model. usually I see it from workers at restaurants and grocery stores. Hence why I update every few years and not yearly. The upgrades are so small it’s not worth it to do yearly but worth it for the premium material. At least for me.

The jumps from series 3 to series 5 (alway on display)to ultra (battery and processor speed bump) have been worth it. Each jump has been noticeable.
 
You people who are always so worried about the tiniest scratch on your watch invariably have cars with dings and scratches all over them. Funny what people choose to care about and what they choose to beat to ****.

Watches get used. They show wear. The wear is the character, the patina, of the thing. Nothing stays perfect. And let’s be real, these smart watches are disposable. I won’t own my watch for more than a year or two, and I suspect you won’t either. You won’t be handing it down to your first born. So wear it. Use it. Let the thing tell the story of its use, of the adventures you had.

Or put it in a zip lock bag and keep it in the box. It’ll stay perfect that way.
 
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I hate Scuffs and scratches so I buy the stainless steel version. Then every 3 - 6 months I buff them all out.

Now that my ultra is polished titanium, I Can remove scratches from this one too.

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As long as it’s not on the screen, or looks like I was attacked by an alien, I would worry about surface blemishes - I don’t.

I prefer to keep my stuff looking relatively new.
 
I don’t mind them. Wore my SBSS series 4 for almost 4 years without a case and I plan to do the same with my AWU. I have a case and screen protector on my phone for two reasons:

1. I’m more likely to drop it because it’s not strapped to my wrist.
2. I like to be able to securely attach my phone to my bike, and the Quadlock case I’m using allows me to do that.

I own several pocket knives that are more expensive than my AWU, and they’ve got marks and scuffs in the finish. But I enjoy carrying and using them and that is the price you pay.

Reyden said:
How to destroy an aesthetically beautiful object 😂
Click to expand...

Nah the Apple Watch Ultra is ugly regardless. I love mine anyway. If that person likes the polished look better than the blasted Ti finish, more power to them!
 
Reyden said:
How to destroy an aesthetically beautiful object 😂
Click to expand...

Ha! Yeah, it’s like taking a 4x4 truck and putting on lowering springs and 22” rims. It defeats the purpose. But I absolutely love the look.

Back to the subject of this thread. If you don’t like scratches, polished metal is your friend. Because you can then buff the scratches out whenever you want.
 
perezr10 said:
If you don’t like scratches, polished metal is your friend. Because you can then buff the scratches out whenever you want.
Click to expand...
The ability to polish out scratches was among the primary reasons my three pre-Ultra AW’s were silver SS, but to me the sapphire screen mattered the most. I was certain about wanting the larger size, so the only choice I’ve ever had to make was which band to get. I enjoyed that simplicity of choosing an Ultra this year.

I’m preparing myself to accept scratches and scuffs on the Ultra body and move on, but am truly hoping I can avoid scratches on the screen. In another thread about scratches, someone shared a pic of a very ugly and prominent screen scratch on their Ultra and my heart sank. I strongly considered returning the Ultra after seeing that (I had been on the fence for a couple days), in order to avoid having to worry about something that I never worried about with my previous AW’s. But in the end, that flat screen is my favorite aspect of the Ultra and the primary reason I ended up keeping it after some more soul searching.

And I’ll keep in mind that this is not a forever watch and will be replaced eventually and I’ll get a new one to scuff up!
 
CharlesShaw said:
The ability to polish out scratches was among the primary reasons my three pre-Ultra AW’s were silver SS, but to me the sapphire screen mattered the most. I was certain about wanting the larger size, so the only choice I’ve ever had to make was which band to get. I enjoyed that simplicity of choosing an Ultra this year.

I’m preparing myself to accept scratches and scuffs on the Ultra body and move on, but am truly hoping I can avoid scratches on the screen. In another thread about scratches, someone shared a pic of a very ugly and prominent screen scratch on their Ultra and my heart sank. I strongly considered returning the Ultra after seeing that (I had been on the fence for a couple days), in order to avoid having to worry about something that I never worried about with my previous AW’s. But in the end, that flat screen is my favorite aspect of the Ultra and the primary reason I ended up keeping it after some more soul searching.

And I’ll keep in mind that this is not a forever watch and will be replaced eventually and I’ll get a new one to scuff up!
Click to expand...
Forever watch? I doubt you’ll own it two years. Just enjoy it. It’s a sapphire glass screen. Same thing you’ll find on a 50k Patek. Wear it.
 
I bought Apple Watch 1 .. got the stainless / sapphire because I didn't want any scratches, but got a scratch anyway ... waited to AW3 and got a new one same style never had a scratch ... next update was AW7 aluminum green mainly for the color ... OMG scratches everywhere ... the glass is like plastic ... Now I got the Ultra and don't expect many scratches, although the flat sides do concern me a bit
 
So many people have Apple Watches around the world, but, nobody else has the same exact scratch/scuff pattern as yours. Makes it unique and separates it from the millions of others out there. In other words, think of it as a finger print and only something you can identify right away.
 
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I don’t like scratches/scuffs, and try my best to avoid them. But of course they come in small amounts. I tried the screen film protector route, as many folks on these forums spoke highly of them, I think it was ”LK” brand (?) but they just came off one by one, and I’d finished my 8-pack of them in no time.

It might seem funny but what bugs me more than scratches (or, as much as) is dust or other particles that collect in nearly all sides of the watch, I have to use an old toothbrush to get them out and maybe it’s just aesthetic, but also dust or etc. gets in the side round button often too (crown) so that not only is a hassle visually but it can hinder the wheel from turning.
 
Itinj24 said:
So many people have Apple Watches around the world, but, nobody else has the same exact scratch/scuff pattern as yours. Makes it unique and separates it from the millions of others out there. In other words, think of it as a finger print and only something you can identify right away.
Click to expand...
This is a great way of looking at it!
 
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