How to Change the Color of Apple Watch Series 3's Red Digital Crown

[69Mustang]

I have a set of these coming but would prefer professional paint or such. Anyone know of a type of vendor I could go to that would paint that well without having to disassemble?

Depends on what you want to paint. Full case? Disassembly is probably best*. Just the dot? Honestly, you're probably better off scuffing the surface of the dot and painting it yourself with auto touch up paint. Comes in small tubes at any autoparts store. 10 minutes of prep and 2-3 minutes of application time.

*best if you're determined to paint the entire case. I think it's a bad idea because watches get incidental dings all the time. In short order that new paint job would look pretty crappy.

Maybe an auto body shop?

They would either 1. laugh at you because the job would be so small that it would cost more in labor than the customer is charged for the service. 2. charge an excessive amount just to cover the labor.

i'd prefer a good hobby shop - the guys behind the counter should know a ton about all the various enamel paints they carry, and have the skill to do it for you too.

Auto body guys will be all about spraying large surfaces, using with dull paints that need to be covered with clear coat.

This. A hobby shop is probably the only professional place where it would be worth the time of the person assisting.

 

[jonnysods]

Actually the notch is growing on me. I too thought it was hideous

If they could black out the edge of the screen for videos that would go a long way

 

[Dj64Mk7]

How about a seasonal song? (Even if it's the wrong season)

#Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer
Was the one with LTE
All of the other reindeer
Got their data locally
All of the other reindeer
Used to laugh and call him names
They never let poor Rudolph
Join in any reindeer games

Then one foggy Christmas Eve,
Santa's iPhone died
Rudolph with his nose so bright
Helped them all get home that night

Then all the other reindeer
As they shouted out with glee
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer
Thank goodness you have LTE!

(Personally I still think it looks stupid though and I'm not sure adding stickers is going to help that much).

Thanks for making me chuckle!!!

 

[Tycho24]

I’m probably the only one but i like the red dot

Seems highly likely..!
I’m sure that the top industrial designer of this era created a product for the wealthiest company in the world, and his design decision to differentiate the more expensive version of said product was to adorn it in such a fashion that literally you & you alone like and appreciate.

Wait..... no.
Get over yourself.

 

[kstotlani]

There's no buttering this up: Apple made the crown red so that others would know you have the 'more expensive' LTE Apple Watch. It's why they make iPhones with external features unique to a new device - just so you may feel relieved in that others know you have 'the new one'.

Or maybe you have multiple apple watches and then you know exactly which one to pick up for a run. I know of people who have more than one Apple Watch. Not sure why but they must have their reasons.

 

[jamface]

How is it possible that the notch is "growing on you"? Do you have an iPhone X already? Or have you simply made up your mind that Apple's sloppy design still merits your parting with over $1,000 of your money?

Well, where did your opinion of it come from?

 

[hobocamp456]

Can't believe they put a red dot on the watch

The next brace update will be the removal of the red dot. That's it though.

 

[576316]

Haha yep. I have the more expensive stainless steel model, and I'd like to keep that as I like the design. I might have upgraded but purchases in the past year of AirPods, Nintendo Switch, iPad Pro 10.5" 256GB, iPhone X 256GB, and I'm in the middle of transitioning to a new camera system (Canon to Sony) so I don't have as many discretionary technology funds at the moment. I keep a tight budget so I can get the tech I want each year while saving for retirement. Next year I'm wanting to get either a well-spec'd iMac 5K, iMac Pro, or that modular Mac Pro to replace my aging 2012 rMBP at home, so that's going to eat up a good chunk of the budget, and I'll probably pick up an Xbox One X once the price drops, and have been wanting to get a 4K TV at some point, so who knows, the Apple Watch might get pushed back another year, lol. It can be painfully slow—especially for third party apps—but I mostly use it for notifications, exercise tracking, checking the weather, checking my calendar, and sending quick text replies. It's adequate for that, and I'm really looking forward to upgrading it at some point, and I really like my Apple Watch, but compared to the other things I felt it was the least important to upgrade. I think I also lucked out and got one that has a great battery. I'm also hoping next year we can get a design upgrade with a little bit bigger display, or a display with roughly the same square area, inside of a circular display, as a design option because I prefer round watch faces.

Mine is an SS too, but I’ll be switching to Sport. I don’t use any of my leather bands anymore, always just my Sport bands and I only use it for fitness now. So SS isn’t necessary any more.
[doublepost=1505752655][/doublepost]

I think the real question is, when is the next Major revision of the Apple Watch releasing? Now that we have seen three models of the same physical design, what does Apple have in mind for new hardware changes and when. That's what I would like to know. I don't know that we will see a third year in a row for the Apple Watch.

I’d love a round Watch, or god forbid just a nice thin one. But didn’t Apple make it thicker this time around? Can’t see us getting a thin version any time soon.

I could potentially see them doing a screen-less wrist tracker to compete directly with FitBit but I don’t think that’s likely.

 

[thisisnotmyname]

Depends on what you want to paint. Full case? Disassembly is probably best*. Just the dot? Honestly, you're probably better off scuffing the surface of the dot and painting it yourself with auto touch up paint. Comes in small tubes at any autoparts store. 10 minutes of prep and 2-3 minutes of application time.

*best if you're determined to paint the entire case. I think it's a bad idea because watches get incidental dings all the time. In short order that new paint job would look pretty crappy.



They would either 1. laugh at you because the job would be so small that it would cost more in labor than the customer is charged for the service. 2. charge an excessive amount just to cover the labor.


This. A hobby shop is probably the only professional place where it would be worth the time of the person assisting.

I went ceramic again so I just want consistent white from case to band to crown.

Someone else said auto body shop, I just thought this would be too small a job for them but you’ve said auto touch up paint too. Maybe auto paint industry is the place to turn (I haven’t painted anything so I’d rather outsource than do it myself).

Edit: just saw you replied to him too. I’m not concerned about the price if it’s something they can/will do well.

 

[44267547]

The simplest way to overcome the notch on the iPhone X is to not buy it.

On a side note, you're likely correct. If somebody wasn't really interested or undecided with LTE, I would suggest the Series 2 Apple Watch. It's still powerful, has most of the functionality of the Series 3 features, with the exceptions of LTE and Siri Voice feedback. And, if somebody searches, they can find Series 2 new in the box discounted at least $100 off from some retailers.

I’d love a round Watch, or god forbid just a nice thin one. But didn’t Apple make it thicker this time around? Can’t see us getting a thin version any time soon

Jeff Williams claims the Apple Watch Series 3 casing is the exact same thickness as the Series 2 (Both 11.4 MM), but the ceramic backing is somewhat thicker, which He stated is equivalent to "Only two sheets of paper thicker."

 

[bunnicula]

There's no buttering this up: Apple made the crown red so that others would know you have the 'more expensive' LTE Apple Watch. It's why they make iPhones with external features unique to a new device - just so you may feel relieved in that others know you have 'the new one'.

They did it for inventory reasons, I'd imagine. Can you see people trying to figure out which watch is which at a glance if they're open?

Come on. It's not any sort of exclusivity thing. They do that with Hermes and Edition.

And, the externals on an iPhone rarely change more often than every two years. Maybe people should just enjoy their crap and not care what other people think of it?
[doublepost=1505754157][/doublepost]I'm amazed at how hard people are freaking over the red dot. When Series 0 launched, it was "why does my watch not have a dot like the others and how can I get a different color dot to convince people that my plated SS is really an Edition" and now it's "dear God, that red dot that used to be on the 15k yellow gold and red band Edition is HIDEOUS AND MUST BE COVERED."

Come on, folks. It's a small, red dot. It's not gonna clash with a band unless you have OCD.

There are people walking around with watches RIGHT NOW that have a red Watchdots sticker on them. This whole Watchdots thing isn't new.
[doublepost=1505754342][/doublepost]

I’m probably the only one but i like the red dot

Nah. I like it well enough. It's different and I've had SS with a black dot for 2 years, so why not change?

I like change. Change is good. It's a small, red dot, not an entire watch.

 

[jotwee]

Do they have anything to cover the iPhone X notch?

yawn

 

[newyorksole]

I’m probably the only one but i like the red dot

I'm a guy who doesn't mind the notch on the iPhone X, but think the red dot is dumb. Like, there's nothing else they could think of?

 

[Scottsoapbox]

or a black sharpie for free.

 

[justperry]

Do they have anything to cover the iPhone X notch?

is the red dot an inlay or is it paint? I’m hoping some acetone will wipe it away.

This might remove it better than acetone

 

[OldSchoolMacGuy]

I generally agree with your sentiment, but you're wrong about Mercedes. They stick that big ass tri-star on everything from their cheapest to their most expensive. I'll just add this to my collection of evidence that we (MR forum members) are bad at car analogies.

Again, your point... spot on. Car analogy... needs work.

This came from a university study discussed in New York Times best-seller Invisible Influence: The Hidden Forces that Shape Behavior.

More expensive Mercedes cars, for example, have a smaller emblem on the hood. For every $5,000 increase in price, the logo shrinks by a centimeter.

[doublepost=1505758152][/doublepost]

What you're saying makes sense, but I'm currently looking on MB's website and I can't seem to verify your claim about the Mercedes logo being biggest on the smallest model. The logo on the front of the A-Class looks exactly the same as the logo on the front of the AMG GT. I believe logo is the same size on all BMWs too. Have you got any links to back this up because it'd be very interesting if true.

The research may have been from before the current MB models were released? Who knows.

 

[Smith288]

Tsk about a “look at me” feature.

 

[sclawis300]

How is it possible that the notch is "growing on you"? Do you have an iPhone X already? Or have you simply made up your mind that Apple's sloppy design still merits your parting with over $1,000 of your money?

All hail the final say on what looks good to another person.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

$500 watch with a sticker on it. Hmm.

Maybe not. Why is this an article. At all!

Edition is what, $1K watch with a rubber wrist band on it. So, $500 watch with sticker not that far fetched. At any rate it's a disposable AW not a fine watch to be handed down for decades so if a silly sticker erases one's pain of a silly red dot so be it. I'll probably consider it if I upgrade, though not convinced a sticker will have much staying power.
[doublepost=1505759286][/doublepost]

How is it possible that the notch is "growing on you"? Do you have an iPhone X already? Or have you simply made up your mind that Apple's sloppy design still merits your parting with over $1,000 of your money?

If that is your verdict how is it your conclusion possible since you haven't had any iPhone X screen time either? Why can't OP make a decision based on photos when you can? Different people like different things and that's OK.

 

[Jett0516]

I’m probably the only one but i like the red dot

But to everyone else...it looks like a bad wart.

 

[BornAgainMac]

There's no buttering this up: Apple made the crown red so that others would know you have the 'more expensive' LTE Apple Watch. It's why they make iPhones with external features unique to a new device - just so you may feel relieved in that others know you have 'the new one'.

I want a gold sticker that shows that I got the more expensive sticker to hide the fact that I got the more expensive watch.

 

[avanpelt]

I do not have one as of yet but have been looking at them online and it’s not as bad as when I first saw it.

Well, where did your opinion of it come from?

All hail the final say on what looks good to another person.

If that is your verdict how is it your conclusion possible since you haven't had any iPhone X screen time either? Why can't OP make a decision based on photos when you can? Different people like different things and that's OK.

Fair enough, guys. I was off-base with my comment. I apologize, @teflonthadon.

 

[M.PaulCezanne]

I laughed out loud (for many reasons) when I saw this. Hell of a web designer for dot stickers.

Apple might make some dot sticker making web designer a millionaire. What a wonderful world.

 

[Vjosullivan]

I agree. I was shopping for Mercedes GL and they did tell me that the large big lighted logo comes in the expensive version.
[doublepost=1505747819][/doublepost]My question is opposite: once I buy the watch, can I remove the red dot?

Give it a few months and there’ll be a “limited edition” higher end still model that comes without the red dot, specially aimed at people who want to show off the fact that they’re not showy, nor mugs for gimmicks. But it’ll cost an extra hundred dollars.

 

[samlikesmac]

I can’t believe y’all are so pressed about a red dot that’s a few mm wide. There was already a red dot on the gold edition Apple Watch when it first came out so there’s nothing “new” about it per se. Also the LTE Advanced logo has the color red in it so that might be a reason they chose red. It really pops. I for one think it looks interesting.