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Scratches on ultra GPS antenna

B

bthompson

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 29, 2009
263
96
Hi there. Loving my new Ultra. I am seeing scratches on the gps ring around the side of the case. I thought it was dirty but it’s definitely small scratches. Maybe the alpine loop buckle rubbed against it? Anyone else seeing this?
 
The material on the gps antenna is very soft. Be aware. Scratched it with my fingernail
 
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Damn, it's the same material as the antenna bands on the iPad Pro's which are notorious for scratching. You would think they would have used a more durable material.
 
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Well, considering that it's a watch that's designed for potential exercises that expose it to such damage, it's not entirely out of the realm of possibility of this happening to you! It comes down to how much it would bug you, how prone it is to scratching based on that material, and how active your lifestyle is and how much of a risk such a thing would be to your Ultra. All I can say is that you'll have to find that balance, especially if this is something that will prove to be a problem with the antenna bands...
 
Mine has scratches on antenna band as well. Assume it scratches, haven’t tried to clean them off yet.
 
zdub said:
Mine came out of the box scratched to hell. Ran my finger nail over it to see if it was dirt or something and I scratched it even more lol.
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Sounds like it’s a pretty delicate surface. I looked closely at mine and in the bright sun I can see a very small dark mark on the antenna band. Sounds like that’s just the way it is going to be with this type of antenna band.
 
drew0020 said:
Sounds like it’s a pretty delicate surface. I looked closely at mine and in the bright sun I can see a very small dark mark on the antenna band. Sounds like that’s just the way it is going to be with this type of antenna band.
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Stuff like this drives me crazy. I bought two ultras with different bands, and thought I would be more careful and return the scratched one. Within a minute of taking the other one out the antenna was scratched. I guess I will have to just try to unsee this.
 
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bthompson said:
Stuff like this drives me crazy. I bought two ultras with different bands, and thought I would be more careful and return the scratched one. Within a minute of taking the other one out the antenna was scratched. I guess I will have to just try to unsee this.
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If this sort of thing bothers you then I think the only solution is to return the Ultra. I think when Apple says durable they mean the screen is protected…

I do love how durable the SS is, but the Series 8 is such a massive disappointment that I wanted to try something new. I dont care about scratches but I do like my watches looking very good (the SS has micro scratches, but I find these quite beautiful).
 
bthompson said:
Hi there. Loving my new Ultra. I am seeing scratches on the gps ring around the side of the case. I thought it was dirty but it’s definitely small scratches. Maybe the alpine loop buckle rubbed against it? Anyone else seeing this?
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Hey thanks for the post, I was hoping someone also discover the same issue. At least I know it wasn't my imagination that the GPS band was scratches. Tried to ask the same question on the Apple Community...but as usual, the issue was buried. Top-tier Apple Community Member suggested it is normal and part-of-the-finishing.

Will keep the watch, in the spirit that Apple is trying to do something new and it's a trial and error phase.
 

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I’ve noticed this on mine too on the top and thought I was going mad! I think the buckle on the alpine loop must have caught it. Im not overly keen on the band, might switch it out for a trail loop!
 
MrJM said:
I’ve noticed this on mine too on the top and thought I was going mad! I think the buckle on the alpine loop must have caught it. Im not overly keen on the band, might switch it out for a trail loop!
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Hmmm, would suggest waiting for a bit before getting a new strap...I went from Series 1 to Series 4 (that was a pretty good experience). Didn't feel the urge to get a new Series after.

When I saw Ultra, I did hesitate a bit because it screams of Iron Man Mark I. But still decided to get it, because it has a fresh / prototype feel to it.

So waiting a bit might not be a bad idea for better straps.

When it comes to watches, most Co. used Grade 2* and only in rare occasion Grade 5 titanium*

Apple mentioned it's aerospace-grade titanium, so pretty sure it's not Grade 5 (but somewhere between Grade 2 ~ 5 depending on the mix of alloy for production)

*Grade 2 is “commercially pure” titanium and provides light weight and corrosion resistance but isn't quite as strong as alloys like Grade 5. (from ABlogtoWatch)
 
That's my best bet as well...

Good thing this is just a watch...my guess is that Apple won't have applied the GPS band there if unnecessary. It might or might not be an issue if the user did actually need to get help during an emergency. I am definitely not going to try that haha. I am sure this is where Breitling Emergency thrive...and market that feature.

But I am now curious why is it there?

This might be a far fetch comparison but Boeing 737 Max had an easy fix in order to compete with AirBus, boost sales...and it wasn't a good way to bury the design's flaw.

Time will tell whether this would be an issue. A bit of awareness and research into it won't harm all the new Ultra owners :)
 
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