How does the aluminium watch hold up over a year?

[Gibson88]

I’m really torn what model S5 to get, I’m more than happy with the LTE Space Grey watch but I’m worried about the glass and casing holding up. Their is a part of me thinking I should get the SS but I don’t know if I really need it.

can anyone help me out with their experience, maybe some photos?

Cheers.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I’ve had a gold aluminium AW for 3 years and it’s held up absolutely fine. A couple of hair line scratches on the face but it’s been well used. I think there is a misconception on here that the aluminium is dreadful and can’t stand up to daily use. Nothing could be further from the truth.

 

[deeddawg]

Really depends on you.

I tend to bang my watch into stuff. Doorways. Counters. Doors. Furniture.

My aluminum S2 & S3 got kinda scuffed up over a year's use, and it annoyed me to see the dings and scuffs on the edges of the display.

So I ponied up for an SBSS S4 - since I was buying cellular anyway the price difference wasn't as bad as otherwise. That watch is flawless after a year. Well worth it for me.'

Just remember -- anything extra you spend for a stainless steel watch is not going to come back to you in resale. Or if it does it'll be minimal. Consider it a sunk cost.

 

[gymratjudy]

I have gotten the SG aluminum each year and have never had any marks on the body or glass. I tend to upgrade every year and then pass the older version to my daughter. So no issues for at least 2 years. I do put on a screen protector though.

 

[BillGates1969]

Out of a S0, S2, S3, S4 & now S5, I have only had a Aluminium S4 - the rest were/are Stainless.

All the stainless were spotless on screen and case (the silver SS ones i used a cape cod cloth on), the aluminium had a few light scuffs on the screen (hold it at an angle to see it but they were there) and on annoying scuff on the case - not really noticeable, but once you see it you can not unsee it. I did that on day 3 of having it.

So glad I have gone back to SS.

To me a watch is part of my attire so i like it to look smart (not saying aluminium is not smart) - I have come from a Rolex that I no longer wear much to my other half's despair (it was a 40th Birthday pressie), so the extra for the SS is worth it in looks alone I personally feel.

That is just me, we all have different reasons and budgets etc.

In fairness the Aluminium was a lot more robust than I thought it would be reading all the horror stories on here!

 

[PBz]

Great comments and I agree. Been down this path several times.
If it matters, reselling an aluminum will be easier than the SS and you will take less of a hit. If you keep your AW this does not matter.

Alum, over a year will likely get some of the little screen marks at best At worst it will get some real nicks. Don’t do yard work in it. I saw one from just tree branches that looked like it had been to a war zone. I also agree that the recent alum screens seem to be a bit tougher/resistant to scratches. I wore the alum for about a year and dont’ think I had any scratches or nicks. I am careful with it.

The SS will be MUCH less likely to scratch. The screen of the SS looks much better IMO with great clarity.

The alum looks more casual while the SS looks closer to jewelry. In SS, the silver can be ‘polished’ while the black cannot.

Weight difference isn’t that big. Alum is crazy light and SS is light.

If you have never owned an AW and are not sure you will stick with it the alum could be the better option. If you KNOW you will keep/wear the AW the SS could be worth the extra $$.

One option to consider is Apple Refurbished. They are like new and carry the same warranty. You can add AC+ to them as well (I would). If you go to Apple.com and scroll all the way down you can find the Refurbished section. You may have to check back for the right watch to be available. Right now, the AW4 44mm SS is $589.

 

[Jerec]

I’ve had aluminium Series 3 for over 2 years and the body is perfect, even after all my banging to doors and other stuff. The glass is another story - few really small scratches, but nothing serious considering how hard I hit things sometimes. For me it’s just a thing to use for 3 years maximum and buy a new one, because of the battery, speed and new features.

 

[BaddAdvice]

Having ALU for the Series 1, 2, and 3 I was totally happy as I didn’t see any noticeable dings to the body or scratches to the face; and I’m a total clutz when it comes to banging my watches into door jambs and the like. Then, it finally happened, nailed my S3 against a door jamb and did a number to the screen. Like others said, once you see it, you can’t unsee it. So, I grabbed a S3 SBSS and have worn that for a few years without any dings on the case or the screen, and I continue to be a clutz, so it’s stood up to my abuse.

I skipped the S4, but just recently picked up an S5. I bough a Space Gray ALU first, to see if the S5 was enough of an upgrade for me. It was, so I sourced an SBSS and took the Space Gray back. I’m happy.

Except, when purchasing the SS, I took a look at Apple’s buy-back for the S3 SBSS - $70. Yeah, no thanks Apple. A $750 initial investment returning less than 10%? Sucks, but that’s how it goes, I suppose.

Anyway - if you are rough on your watches and/or can’t stand seeing scratches, the stainless steel, especially the SB version, would probably be your best bet if you can swing the price.

 

[akash.nu]

I’m on S4 aluminium since last year and not a single scratch is to be seen on it. I’ve worn it on my many hiking trips, trail biking and also wear it to the gym regularly. So

 

[iZac]

on my S3 aluminium I got a ... grain of sand lodged into the Digital Crown unbeknownst to me. When I went to spin it, I noticed some resistance and didn't really think about the cause. Spinning harder I caused a small gash on both the crown and the crease of the case.

This is very specific and the only damage to the case over 2 years.

I did however get a few scuffs on the glass from general clumsiness. This all happened on the curves though, so they never really noticed.

 

[44267547]

Interestingly enough, one member actually used a Cape Cod cloth to polish aluminum casing and overall it looked really nice after the fact. [Albeit, the watch didn’t have any scratches before the polishing.]

I Polished My Space Grey Aluminium Apple Watch

So...for ages now I’ve been wondering what effect a Cape Cod cloth would have on a Space Grey Aluminium watch. I’m waiting on my titanium model to arrive this week and giving my Series 4 to a family member. I was polishing/buffing my silver iPhone 11 stainless steel edges and decided to give it...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[Strelok]

My screen is scratched a lot from about 2 years of use now. I would get the SS.

 

[bevsb2]

I've had 3 aluminum watches kept for a year each and not a single scratch on the face or case. I wear the watch all the time but am careful. My series 0 watch was SS and while the face was fine the case had multiple minor/micro scratches all over it, not completely removed with the Cape Cod cloth.

 

[kcmo]

My Series 4 aluminum looks perfect after 9 months of daily wear!

 

[Sebby]

I’m really torn what model S5 to get, I’m more than happy with the LTE Space Grey watch but I’m worried about the glass and casing holding up. Their is a part of me thinking I should get the SS but I don’t know if I really need it.

can anyone help me out with their experience, maybe some photos?

Cheers.

I bought aluminium the last 2 times but have gone back to stainless this time. The case is fine but I found the screen scratches white easily, which annoyed me.