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Sapphire screen SCRATCHED

I

iToph

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Oct 23, 2014
525
751
Awwww man! I just noticed a big fat scratch on the sapphire screen of my Apple Watch. How is this even possible? I thought sapphire is (nearly) unscratchable?! I can't feel any unevenness while touching it with my fingernail. It when I move the watch around, the "scratch" shimmers kind of silver... Not even my steel case has any noticeable scratches, I can't complain it to my self how this should have happened ...

What do you think?

IMG_5690.JPG
 
It could be a real scratch in the sapphire, but that would require contact with a material that is higher on the hardness scale than sapphire. There aren't many materials harder than sapphire.

Or it could be a mark that can be buffed off. I suggest vigorous cleaning with a microfiber cloth and possibly some phone display cleaning fluid.

My wife once whacked her Sport model against our stucco wall which left ugly marks. She was convinced she had ruined the glass (it sure looked like it). I was able to remove the marks completely through the same approach. She got lucky since hers is Ion-X not sapphire, but that gives you an idea.
 
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If its just a scratch on the oleophobic coating, that can't be removed, then perhaps its eligible for a warranty replacement
Without having to pay the AppleCare deductible!!!!

http://cdn.macrumors.com/article-new/2015/04/Out-of-Warranty-Apple-Watch-800x574.png

"I dont have signs of extreme abrasion and there is no chips or or multiple cracks " = free repair??

Anything is worth trying.

They only cover for condensation of the heart rate monitor, pixel anomalies , debris under the screen or the back cover coming off with no signs of prying
 
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rigormortis said:
If its just a scratch on the oleophobic coating, that can't be removed, then perhaps its eligible for a warranty replacement
Without having to pay the AppleCare deductible!!!!

http://cdn.macrumors.com/article-new/2015/04/Out-of-Warranty-Apple-Watch-800x574.png

"I dont have signs of extreme abrasion and there is no chips or or multiple cracks " = free repair??

Anything is worth trying.

They only cover for condensation of the heart rate monitor, pixel anomalies , debris under the screen or the back cover coming off with no signs of prying
Click to expand...

Not really because the oleophobic coating, and hence the scratch, will wear down over time. Warranty and AC+ don't cover normal wear and tear.

Might not even be a scratch but a residue that can be scrapped off.
 
JayLenochiniMac said:
Not really because the oleophobic coating, and hence the scratch, will wear down over time. Warranty and AC+ don't cover normal wear and tear.

Might not even be a scratch but a residue that can be scrapped off.
Click to expand...

Yeah thats what they said with staingate and we all know how that ended. I did not say it would work. I said it was worth a shot. They replaced my ipad with a shattered screen free of charge and I have the invoice to prove it

dog bites ipad.jpg
 
JayLenochiniMac said:
Someone got a very similar scratch and proceeded to remove it by removing the oleophobic coating. It's a scratch in the coating rather than sapphire crystal.
Click to expand...
Maybe splitting hairs, because if I saw that on my watch, I'd not care that much if its the coating or the sapphire - the result is the same a scratch on the display.

I didn't know the sapphire (I assume the sport as it too) has a an olephobic coating.
 
Just looking at the image I am betting the scratch goes deeper than the coating if there is one.

While the sapphire screen is quite scratch resistant a friend of mine tripped into a brick wall and his 42 SS watch screen ended up with some long nasty scratches on the sapphire face of his AW. I will see if he can resend my an image.
 
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To the OP: You can use a clean microfiber towel dampened with isopropyl alcohol and wipe. It may take a bit of rubbing but this will remove the oleophobic coating (not a big deal since it wears away anyway). If it is just the coating this will remove the mark.

EDIT: I have always done this on my iPhones and iPads since to me the coating makes finger prints look 'greasy'.
 
Okay. Thanks to all of you guys, I will remove the coating this weekend and let you know if the problem is solved.

Yesterday I called the apple support and the guy one the phone kept saying that the sapphire screen can easily be scratched (for example if you hit a wall or something, what definitely has not happened to me). So I tried to explain him that only harder materials then sapphire can scratch the actual screen (as #redman042 said), but he was resistant to my explains.
 
I know for a fact that something in a brick wall with scratch the sapphire screen and it is not paved with diamonds. It is, however, more scratch resistant than the non-sapphire models
 
rigormortis said:
Yeah thats what they said with staingate and we all know how that ended. I did not say it would work. I said it was worth a shot. They replaced my ipad with a shattered screen free of charge and I have the invoice to prove it

View attachment 640016
Click to expand...

That was back in 2011. Apple's internal policies have changed a lot since then. Back then it was normal for a "one time" free repair on the first instance of damage. Those days are long gone.
 
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maflynn said:
Maybe splitting hairs, because if I saw that on my watch, I'd not care that much if its the coating or the sapphire - the result is the same a scratch on the display.

I didn't know the sapphire (I assume the sport as it too) has a an olephobic coating.
Click to expand...

Scratches in the oleophobic coating are supposed to be extremely fine and only noticeable under certain lights and angles. It's possible that it was actually something external scrapped on and the member proceeded to remove it and the coating at the same time.

Yes, both SS and Sport are reported to have an oleophobic coating.

iToph said:
Yesterday I called the apple support and the guy one the phone kept saying that the sapphire screen can easily be scratched (for example if you hit a wall or something, what definitely has not happened to me). So I tried to explain him that only harder materials then sapphire can scratch the actual screen (as #redman042 said), but he was resistant to my explains.
Click to expand...

You're not alone. We've had our share of BS from these so-called "Apple specialists".
 
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Brian Y said:
That was back in 2011. Apple's internal policies have changed a lot since then. Back then it was normal for a "one time" free repair on the first instance of damage. Those days are long gone.
Click to expand...
Not necessarily. My wife dropped her 6s in the toilet and it was done. Got it to turn back on but power button wasn't working and it was sluggish. Took it in...told them what happened...and the Genius replaced it saying the power button was failing. I have AppleCare+ on the phone. They didn't make me pay the deductible. He thanked me for my honesty. Also had that happen on a 4s (wife did the same thing) on a phone that was not under AppleCare.

Bottom line...be honest...ask for what you want...see what happens. Worst they can say is no...and then you know where you stand.
 
So I just had my space black sapphire screen watch replaced under warranty due to a scratch i noticed across the top left of the face...it was quite notable especially in sunlight. I have apple-care+ but spoke to the rep on the phone and told her that I have many sapphire watches (which I do) and none of them have a scratch. I specifically upgraded to the stainless steel model with the same expectation and am a bit disappointed (all said nicely of course). She had the watch replaced/fixed (picking up today) with no deductable charged from my applecare+. She was very nice as well. You can try calling someone else and have the sapphire screen expectation stated as compared to other sapphire watches. Im just not sure if apple replaces the watch or the screen only, so we will see once i pick it up.
 
My sapphire screen on my stainless steel watch scratched quite badly when I fell in April (broke my finger). I guess with enough force, concrete will scratch sapphire.
 
I had a similar one soon after I got my Watch (at launch). Now that it's been well over a year I just looked and I can't see it anymore. My thought is, like others have mentioned, it was in some of the coating on the outside of the Watch and it's worn down/off over time.
[doublepost=1469158986][/doublepost]
bigdog5142 said:
Not necessarily. My wife dropped her 6s in the toilet and it was done. Got it to turn back on but power button wasn't working and it was sluggish. Took it in...told them what happened...and the Genius replaced it saying the power button was failing. I have AppleCare+ on the phone. They didn't make me pay the deductible. He thanked me for my honesty. Also had that happen on a 4s (wife did the same thing) on a phone that was not under AppleCare.

Bottom line...be honest...ask for what you want...see what happens. Worst they can say is no...and then you know where you stand.
Click to expand...

Bottom line: quit using it in the toilet! lol
[doublepost=1469159094][/doublepost]BTW: I wouldn't remove the coating on purpose. Either take the Watch in to Apple or just live with the scratch and hope it wears away as the coating comes off...
 
cwosigns said:
My sapphire screen on my stainless steel watch scratched quite badly when I fell in April (broke my finger). I guess with enough force, concrete will scratch sapphire.
Click to expand...

It has nothing to do witH force. Concrete is not hard enough to scratch sapphire. Sapphire can shatter, but it won't be scratched. Now what is possible is that there was diamond in the concrete mixture. Or if work was done on the concrete, like it was sawed at one point. Diamonds from the saw can flake off.

Long story short, the concrete did not scratch your screen.
 
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