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Is SS worth it?

ssledoux

ssledoux

macrumors 601
Original poster
Sep 16, 2006
4,473
4,331
Down south
I'm considering going ahead and upgrading to the Series 2 from my series 1. My daughter wants to buy an Apple Watch and will pay me what I recently paid for mine.

I'm trying to decide if going with SS is worth it.

Why or why not?
 
ssledoux said:
I'm considering going ahead and upgrading to the Series 2 from my series 1. My daughter wants to buy an Apple Watch and will pay me what I recently paid for mine.

I'm trying to decide if going with SS is worth it.

Why or why not?
Click to expand...

The stainless offers the added weight of the casing and the sapphire display, which is highly scratch resistant.

Series 2 offers a brighter screen, GPS, 50 meter water resistance.

If you find those features appealing and want to pay $200.00 additional, then the upgrade would be worth it.

I personally like my Stainless models I own. It's also easy to pair bands with high shine of the stainlesss as well.
 
For me, I much prefer the look of the SS over the aluminum. But, what really drove me to shell out the additional money was the sapphire screen. If you wear a watch every day, it's going to get bumped into things (mine has already a half dozen times in the few days I've had it). Not having to worry about the screen scratching is worth the upgrade alone to me without even considering all the other series 2 improvements.
 
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I love the look and feel of it and it's worth every single penny extra to me. Just makes it feel way more like a premium product in my book, and that's very important when pairing it with suits etc. on a daily basis
 
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Well, I sucked it up and bought it. It should arrive Monday. I got a store return in new condition; still has Apple warranty til September, so I'm comfortable taking the chance. For $449 with free shipping and no tax, I'm feeling pretty good about it.
 
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As a SS S2 owner congratulations on your purchase! I went SS for a few reasons. The sapphire glass for one. Any traditional watch I've owned had to have sapphire or it got destroyed (walls are my enemy!). The durability and look are important to me. There are plenty of ways to clean and remove scuffs from SS that won't damage it. I like the weight. If it's too light, I forget it's there and BAM - walls and other bad surfaces attack. Any band you may want will go very well with SS. Not so true with the aluminum and SB SS bodies.

Enjoy your purchase!
 
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ssledoux said:
Well, I sucked it up and bought it. It should arrive Monday. I got a store return in new condition; still has Apple warranty til September, so I'm comfortable taking the chance. For $449 with free shipping and no tax, I'm feeling pretty good about it.
Click to expand...

So you purchased an open box item from Apple, not a bad price. Especially for a stainless model. Which size Apple Watch, 38 or 42?
 
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Hell no! The price is extortionate. But if you can pick one up used then yes. In the UK it's £600 new and £200 used.
 
honglong1976 said:
Hell no! The price is extortionate. But if you can pick one up used then yes. In the UK it's £600 new and £200 used.
Click to expand...

I know you recently got a price hike in the UK, but I think it's well worth the extra cost - materials and look alone. It's the same watch on the inside, so if you're used to wearing a runners watch, fitness tracker or sports watch or something similar, a alu-sport model might be fine for you.
 
I still have my launch day SS 42mm. I bought it because I wanted it to be a piece of jewellery rather than just a fitness watch - I don't even use the fitness feature/rarely wear the Watch anymore. But it DOES look nicer, has a more premium weighty feel to it when worn. Depends what you want it to be, a fitness device or a premium watch.
 
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xDKP said:
I know you recently got a price hike in the UK, but I think it's well worth the extra cost - materials and look alone. It's the same watch on the inside, so if you're used to wearing a runners watch, fitness tracker or sports watch or something similar, a alu-sport model might be fine for you.
Click to expand...
It's the same internals and a different metal. One is lighter and scratch resistant, the other is heavy and not very scratch resistant.

All depends if you want Apple's profit to increase more or not. I love the stainless steel model but only because it didn't cost that much used. I would never pay £600 for one. Worth about £300 max.

Apple should have one set of internals for the aluminium and a better set for the steel (which they kinda do now). At least there is some justification then to the high cost.

Scrap prices
Aluminium £0.25 – £1.50 / kg
Steel (Stainless) £0.55 – £1.00 / kg

Or.. if you have loads of cash, buy one :)
 
I love my Omega SeaMaster Watch but recently bought the SB SS 42" with the Milanese with AppleCare in the UK for £798 from Apple.

I love the stunning premium look and feel of the SB, it's weighted perfectly and as others have suggested; it can be a fitness tracker and a stylish watch at the same time.

Where can they be had for £300/400?

I am now complementing whether to sell my Omega...
 
maka344 said:
I love my Omega SeaMaster Watch but recently bought the SB SS 42" with the Milanese with AppleCare in the UK for £798 from Apple.

I love the stunning premium look and feel of the SB, it's weighted perfectly and as others have suggested; it can be a fitness tracker and a stylish watch at the same time.

Where can they be had for £300/400?

I am now complementing whether to sell my Omega...
Click to expand...
https://uk.webuy.com/search/index.php?stext=apple+watch+42mm+stainless&section=
 
I see the OP has made his choice and it sounds like he got a good deal.

Appearance of a watch is a very personal thing. It matters more to some than others. But for my part, I don't think it's worth the price hike. All you get is a shinier case, and a heavier watch.

Many cite the sapphire screen as a differentiator. Before I bought one, I thought it might make a difference too. But having had a S0 aluminium watch for more than 2 years now, I can confirm that the screen (and watch) is incredibly durable and scratch resistant. I can't see any marks on mine, and I haven't been careful.

I pair it with a milanese loop for work, but use a sports band for working out. When I use the milanese loop, many Apple Watch owners mistake it for the SS model. The aluminium matches the loop's material. It's only when looking at the join between the band and the watch that you notice the contrast in the metal's appearance. And that's not how anyone looks at a watch.
 
I would advise to pop in to a store. You can get a really good deal. Online it's hit and miss.

I purchased an A grade Apple Watch SS S0 for £180. It was £230 but I told them it's not worthy of Grade A and they agreed and sold it to me for £180.

A week later I picked up a grade B milanese loop for the watch. It was genuine. Box was opened. I didn't check it. Went to my car and it was sealed inside and never used. Basically brand new for £45. Should have been Grade A.
 
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Thanks for the input. I think I'll be pleased with my choice. If not, there's always ebay. ;-p

I actually bought the open box on eBay. The reason I'm not worried about it is because I can return it within 30 days if it has any issues (and that would include anything cosmetic when it arrives), AND because it still has the apple warranty, so if it should have a functional issue, I know it'll be replaced.

I think the overall look for me is going to be better, as I'd like to wear mine with a link bracelet. I want the function for various activities, but I also want the overall look. I've always worn silver watches with a stainless (or similar) finish, so I think I'm really going to like the look. I definitely loved it in store, and the apple employee who helped me had a stainless that she wore with a turquoise sport band (which I have and it's my favorite), and it looked really good. That will likely be the band of choice unless I need to dress it up.

Oh, and it's a 38mm. No way I could pull off 42 on my wrist I don't think.
 
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Went to look at the US webuy site and they have no modern buckle, large, in black. At all. :( Boo.

Anyway, yes, I do think SS is worth it. I've bumped my watch face against things and it's still perfect; by now, a glass face would have picked up a lot of micro scratches. Or I might have shattered it; one of the bumps was a harder one, so it's hard to say. The casing itself does have micro scratching that I could attempt to polish, but it hasn't been a big deal.

I would be more likely to consider a sport watch in the future if they also had sapphire crystals, but sapphire is somewhat difficult to make in the sizes needed so I can see why it's only offered on Stainless and Edition watches.
 
OriginalAppleGuy said:
As a SS S2 owner congratulations on your purchase! I went SS for a few reasons. The sapphire glass for one. Any traditional watch I've owned had to have sapphire or it got destroyed (walls are my enemy!). The durability and look are important to me. There are plenty of ways to clean and remove scuffs from SS that won't damage it. I like the weight. If it's too light, I forget it's there and BAM - walls and other bad surfaces attack. Any band you may want will go very well with SS. Not so true with the aluminum and SB SS bodies.

Enjoy your purchase!
Click to expand...

I've had a bad day, so I'm in a picky mood .... it's sapphire crystal. It can't be sapphire and glass :)

If I have a better day tomorrow, I'll apologise for being picky :)
[doublepost=1488388143][/doublepost]Stainless vs Aluminium
  • Stainless feels more premium
  • Has sapphire screen
  • More bands match it
  • Scratches can be buffed out easily
Stainless vs Space Black Stainless
  • More bands match it
  • Scratches can be buffed out easily

So stainless is the way to go
 
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I wasn't prepared to pay the extra and SS really is expensive over here anyway. Plus I wanted a gold version. By all accounts though it's heavier and has better glass so it has bonuses.
 
ssledoux said:
I'm considering going ahead and upgrading to the Series 2 from my series 1. My daughter wants to buy an Apple Watch and will pay me what I recently paid for mine.

I'm trying to decide if going with SS is worth it.

Why or why not?
Click to expand...

Wait, are you scamming your own daughter lol? you bought an apple watch, used it for a while and are going to charge her the same amount you paid for it, even though you got use out of it? lol thats awful.
 
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MrGimper said:
I've had a bad day, so I'm in a picky mood .... it's sapphire crystal. It can't be sapphire and glass :)

If I have a better day tomorrow, I'll apologise for being picky :)
[doublepost=1488388143][/doublepost]
Click to expand...

LOL - I appreciate the correction. I was having a brain fart and knew glass wasn't right but couldn't help myself typing it.
 
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bigjnyc said:
Wait, are you scamming your own daughter lol? you bought an apple watch, used it for a while and are going to charge her the same amount you paid for it, even though you got use out of it? lol thats awful.
Click to expand...

I bought it used (well it was a store return, so basically new condition), and used it for 2 weeks. She's not paying me the full amount anyway, but she's a married adult whose husband makes plenty of money; I'm not giving it to her.

I mean I could sell it for what I paid for it on ebay, and she could buy a different used one, but what's the point of that?
 
ssledoux said:
I bought it used (well it was a store return, so basically new condition), and used it for 2 weeks. She's not paying me the full amount anyway, but she's a married adult whose husband makes plenty of money; I'm not giving it to her.

I mean I could sell it for what I paid for it on ebay, and she could buy a different used one, but what's the point of that?
Click to expand...

Ah ok you only used it for 2 weeks that makes sense then, I was mostly kidding by the way
 
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