Second thoughts about Aluminum...

[44267547]

I know I’m repeating myself from other threads, but I just don’t like the aluminum. It is durable, lightweight and the most popular choice because it’s the most affordable choice from Apple. Personally, I just don’t like how it feels on my wrist, Its almost too light. With the stainless, you receive the Sapphire display, and the black stainless which is very resilient, as the DLC coating to protect it even more around the casing.

 

[mono1980]

I've had a Black SS series 0 for over three years now. Aside from wiping some grime off now and then it looks like the day I bought it. At the time of the pre-order I figured I'd save a few bucks and get the Aluminum. Since then, I've seen a friend's aluminum S0 up close and its a wreck. It actually seems to have corrosion around the speaker ports and lots of scratches.

What would be my best bet for finding a Black Stainless 44mm in stock to exchange my Aluminum that arrives Friday for? I can't queue up on Friday morning. I do work about 3 blocks from an apple store and drive by a second much larger one (Mall of America) so is there a stock reporting website that actually works? I could wait for one to pop up and go swap it out sometime in the first two weeks. Or should I just order one now?

I bought an aluminum series 3, 42mm watch last year and I had the same concerns you have. However, after wearing my watch for 12+ hours every single day, even swimming with it, etc, I have zero scratches on it anywhere. It looks brand new. I'm actually fairly amazed by it all, and it's been a lot more scratch resistant than my iPhone X, for example. So I wouldn't actually worry too much about getting the aluminum version.

 

[jammybastard]

I'm very annoyed that the new SS are LTE only and no GPS. I have no interest in the LTE.
WTF!?
Much love for the the SS.

I'm on my second series 3.
My first was aluminum.
I randomly hit it on a corner during a normal day, which caused a small divot in the aluminum, causing the screen to pop off and the watch to come apart completely.
Luckily Apple replaced it.
I sold the replacement and bought a refurb SS.
That watch has gone around the world with me twice in the past year, survived a variety of conditions, and still looks brand new except some fogging inside the glass from my workouts.

Now I guess I'll wait and see if they release a GPS only SS in a few months.

 

[gymratjudy]

I'm very annoyed that the new SS are LTE only and no GPS. I have no interest in the LTE.
WTF!?
Much love for the the SS.

I'm on my second series 3.
My first was aluminum.
I randomly hit it on a corner during a normal day, which caused a small divot in the aluminum, causing the screen to pop off and the watch to come apart completely.
Luckily Apple replaced it.
I sold the replacement and bought a refurb SS.
That watch has gone around the world with me twice in the past year, survived a variety of conditions, and still looks brand new except some fogging inside the glass from my workouts.

Now I guess I'll wait and see if they release a GPS only SS in a few months.

That is exactly why I put off get a stainless until next year. I didn't need nor wanted LTE combined with the fact that I was just being given the choice of the black sport band which I already have.

 

[Cnasty]

I had the SBSS before and while I enjoyed it, it didn't go well with many bands and it always felt like I had the SG aluminum model.

I enjoy the versatility of the SS with many bands and formal attire for my career.

That being said, I have had Series 3 Nike and enjoyed the aluminum weight and form factor for the cheaper price. I have a Series 4 Nike on order but I think I am about to put in an order for the Gold SS and return or sell mine.

That gold is too nice to pass up imo this time around.

 

[squirrrl]

I had the SBSS before and while I enjoyed it, it didn't go well with many bands and it always felt like I had the SG aluminum model.

I enjoy the versatility of the SS with many bands and formal attire for my career.

That being said, I have had Series 3 Nike and enjoyed the aluminum weight and form factor for the cheaper price. I have a Series 4 Nike on order but I think I am about to put in an order for the Gold SS and return or sell mine.

That gold is too nice to pass up imo this time around.

If the SS was at the same or similar price point as the aluminum, I think most would go for that, but I'm guessing many others are in my boat as we can barely justify spending $400+ for the aluminum, let alone nearly double for the SS. For those of you with the disposable income to do it, go for it!

 

[gymratjudy]

If the SS was at the same or similar price point as the aluminum, I think most would go for that, but I'm guessing many others are in my boat as we can barely justify spending $400+ for the aluminum, let alone nearly double for the SS. For those of you with the disposable income to do it, go for it!

I would have been willing to pay an extra $150 but at double the price it was a no. I had actually preordered the SS and as soon as I went back to bed I changed my mind and got up and cancelled the order and instead ordered the Nike SG. I'm going to save the $$ for next year's version.

 

[SHKLMRE]

I’m torn. I have a current SBSS s3 watch and I love the look, but I definitely prefer the regular SS look, I have a SS s0 that I still wear ocassionally. I definitely want a series 4, but can’t justify the $750 price tag over the $429 price tag, especially since I know i will probably upgrade it in a years time.

 

[newtestleper]

I'm also starting to have second thoughts about my aluminum watch order. However I found armorsuit will have a full body protector film available on Amazon for about $13 so may just get that and stick with the original order.

I bought one of those for my soon-departing S3. Even though it’s useless for this week’s arrival, I don’t think anyone buying my old watch would appreciate it being on there. Not even sure I’ll bother including it.

 

[sean000]

My series 0 still looks perfect after 3 years, and it's a little too perfect. One of the things I actually like about the SS is the patina of micro-scratches that the SS case develops. I know some people buff those out of the case, but I think it adds some beausage (a portmanteau I picked up from Grant Petersen of Rivendell Bicycle Works).

I will probably stick to the aluminum this round. I can afford the S4 aluminum, but I can't justify the SS right now.

 

[Fireproof!]

I think it just depends on how hard on your watch you are going to be.

I had a Series 0 Stainless for a while. Got some tiny scratches on the SS bezels. Kind of bugged me. Didn’t try too hard to polish them out, but I possibly could’ve.

Then when Series 2 came out, I got the Space Gray Aluminum. Really liked the look (i’m a big matte black kind of guy) and also was looking forward to the lighter weight. I played soccer in it (practice, not games), worked out in the gym, swam with it, etc. And it currently looks brand new. No scratches on the case or the screen.

Really like how it looks with all my current bands.
So I put in an order for a 44mm S4 in Space Gray Aluminum.

YMMV and all that.

 

[perezr10]

The stainless steel was sold out by the time I got my credit card info entered so I bought an aluminum. I also had regrets and ended up ordering a stainless steel watch the next day. Even if I have to wait for it, the sapphire screen that remains perfect is worth it.

Here’s my 3-year old Gen 1 Apple Watch after a good cleaning last week.

 

[44267547]

I’m torn. I have a current SBSS s3 watch and I love the look, but I definitely prefer the regular SS look, I have a SS s0 that I still wear ocassionally. I definitely want a series 4, but can’t justify the $750 price tag over the $429 price tag, especially since I know i will probably upgrade it in a years time.

I see the Apple Watch very much becoming like iPhone in the future come Becoming increasingly more expensive, now that the technology is becoming more complex with Health sensors, cost of materials, etc. The stainless Apple Watch is not going to be everybody’s first choice, because it will be offputting because of the price. Really it becomes a choice of aesthetics of what somebody wants with the stainless between the aluminum.

 

[democracyrules]

I've had a Black SS series 0 for over three years now. Aside from wiping some grime off now and then it looks like the day I bought it. At the time of the pre-order I figured I'd save a few bucks and get the Aluminum. Since then, I've seen a friend's aluminum S0 up close and its a wreck. It actually seems to have corrosion around the speaker ports and lots of scratches.

What would be my best bet for finding a Black Stainless 44mm in stock to exchange my Aluminum that arrives Friday for? I can't queue up on Friday morning. I do work about 3 blocks from an apple store and drive by a second much larger one (Mall of America) so is there a stock reporting website that actually works? I could wait for one to pop up and go swap it out sometime in the first two weeks. Or should I just order one now?

Getting alumunium Watch is okay if you want to upgrade often since it is not that durable. SS or SBSS is better to get if you want to keep it for a while due to better durability.

 

[mackie8]

U can always get aluminum plus apple care plus if incase screen becomes totally scratched up...
I love the weight of aluminum

 

[jnick]

U can always get aluminum plus apple care plus if incase screen becomes totally scratched up...
I love the weight of aluminum

I have to chime in here and will try and post some pictures later. I have a Series 0 Aluminum space gray watch. I got it on release day in 2015. A co-worker of mine told me to go with the SS strictly due to the sapphire glass but I simply couldn't justify the cost.

Fast forward to today - I don't know if I would ever buy another aluminum watch again. I can live with the casing getting scratched as 'wear and tear' however, the glass on my watch is pretty much destroyed with scratches. Inside, I notice it...but I can live with it. However, go outside, in the sun...good luck seeing anything on the screen.

For the simple fact that the SS models have sapphire glass alone - I'm going SS. I keep second guessing myself about swallowing the cost of the SS model but then I look down at my Ion-X glass and know I will have zero regrets.

Side note: I work in IT. My day-to-day is not very rugged or demanding (ex: construction). My first scratch happed while at an aquarium. From there, I began losing count.

[EDIT: Pic posted - And there are still others that i couldn't get to show up in one shot via one angle]

 

[Robdmb]

I am considering going the opposite direction. I have an original S0 SS (screen is flawless after 3+ years) and a SS on preorder but may cancel for the base sport without LTE. Two thoughts: 1) i could more easily justify yearly upgrades; 2) I am rarely if ever without my phone so not sure the LTE will be a big benefit to me.

 

[jhfenton]

Side note: I work in IT. My day-to-day is not very rugged or demanding (ex: construction). My first scratch happed while at an aquarium. From there, I began losing count.

Wow. You work in IT, but your Watch looks like you've spent 3 years hitting with a hammer. I can't begin to imagine how one would do that to a Watch.

My original Space Grey aluminum looks almost like new after 1+ years on my wrist and 2 years on my now-15-year-old son's wrist. And my S2 Gold aluminum looks almost like new after 2 years on my wrist.

I thought I had scratched the screen on my S2 Watch a few weeks ago installing a new sink in our kitchen, but the mark rubbed right off the screen with a microfiber cloth. Otherwise, I've never had a close call.

 

[Fireproof!]

Holy cow, @jnick - I can’t imagine beating up on my watch like that, just working in IT.

As I mentioned above - I workout with mine, swim with it, even did soccer practice with it to monitor calorie burn, etc. I basically have warn it non-stop.

Here it is - got it the day Series 2 were released:

 

[maflynn]

Side note: I work in IT. My day-to-day is not very rugged or demanding (ex: construction). My first scratch happed while at an aquarium. From there, I began losing count.

I too work in IT, and I also have a S0 alu model, and I don't think I have a single scratch on mine - I'm not sure what you're doing that I'm not but man that's a lot of scratches. My watch has held up admirably, even when I wear taking karate classes (and get thrown about)

 

[2kcN8Qpw]

I too work in IT, and I also have a S0 alu model, and I don't think I have a single scratch on mine - I'm not sure what you're doing that I'm not but man that's a lot of scratches. My watch has held up admirably, even when I wear taking karate classes (and get thrown about)

In a similar industry. I have the same wear experience as maflynn, and I don't baby my watch (got an S0 Alu a couple of months after it came out and wore it almost daily). Would have to say that jnick's picture is a bit extreme.

 

[Newtons Apple]

My black stainless looks like new. No way I would go with the aluminum. I see friends with them and they look bad.

 

[jnick]

I too work in IT, and I also have a S0 alu model, and I don't think I have a single scratch on mine - I'm not sure what you're doing that I'm not but man that's a lot of scratches. My watch has held up admirably, even when I wear taking karate classes (and get thrown about)

I wish I knew what happened too! I can account for two of the scratches.

1. My wife and I took the little one to an aquarium and while watching the seals swim, i crossed my arms on the stone wall barrier and leaned forward, resulting in the one corner getting scraped (where you see the damage to the aluminum body as well).

2. Running network lines in the ceiling of one of the buildings, trying to get a cable through a tight spot, my watch made contact with a concrete support girder.

One thing I've learned, the Ion-X glass loses every time against stone/concrete. With that said, I couldn't tell you where the rest came from. i don't recall hitting or damaging it. Those two instances, you feel it, as weird as that sounds. The scraping sound is horrid and the contact between the watch and surface just resonates to the wrist.

A co-worker of mine has gone through the S0 SS, S2 SS and S3 Ceramic (just because he has to have new toys). Every one of his watches is in pristine condition to this day. We do the same line of work and should add, he also works on cars.

It would be worth taking a look at this video. I linked to the start of the scratch resistance test.

Ugh, the forum keeps changing my URL. Skip to 41 Seconds.

 

[dojoman]

All the scratches on the watches are basically anecdotal evidence. I thought DLC coating on SBSS would pretty good protection from scratches but I found these two scratches on the side. I never drop it or even remember banging into anything. Screen is perfect though.

 

[jnick]

All the scratches on the watches are basically anecdotal evidence. I thought DLC coating on SBSS would pretty good protection from scratches but I found these two scratches on the side. I never drop it or even remember banging into anything. Screen is perfect though.

Scratches on the body don't phase me, wear and tear is expected. My issue is when the screen is scratched and you're in certain lighting conditions, it becomes hard to use/see the contents of the display.