Series 7 Titanium SB vs Series 9 (keeping Series 4)

[roland.g]

As the title sort of says, I have a Stainless Steel Series 4 Space Black (which I upgraded whenever that was from the original Stainless Steel Silver model) and the DLC Space Black coating has held up amazingly well. But as many know the DLC Space Black is reserved this year only for the Series 8 Hermes at $1400 or whatever price it is.

So my dilemma is whether to upgrade to a Series 7 Titanium in Space Black which has that DLC coating, not knowing if Apple will offer it again and if so when and knowing that the Series 7 should last me a good 4 years.

OR

To keep rocking my Series 4 and wait to see what the Series 9 might bring next year.

Any thoughts?

 

[Total Respray]

If you really need to upgrade, the S8 offers no tangible benefit over the S7 unless you need retrospective cycle tracking so I agree with your thought process. But if you go for an S7 will you get upgrade-itis again when the S9 comes out? I’m in a similar position - I have an alu S4 and realise it still gives me 80-90% of the benefit that an S7/8 would, so I’ll wait for the S9. (Like you I’m not a fan of the colour options - I don’t really want a starlight case but that will be an issue for future me.) So, if your S4 is still looking good, maybe stick with it unless you find a great deal on the S7. Black Friday is not far off…

Btw - the space black and graphite S8s look identical on the Apple website, but perhaps you‘ve noticed a bigger difference in person.

 

[roland.g]

So I had the original Apple Watch in Stainless and it looked great, but scratched because of the shiny finish. When I upgraded 4 years later or whatever it was to the AW S4, I went with the Space Black Stainless. Because I like the heavier Stainless models, the better glass, and because the Space Black DLC coating was so tough and durable. 4 years later my AW S4 SB looks like I bought it yesterday. I don't think there is a blemish on it.

However, one of the best features of my watch is the edge of screen and the case are imperceptible where they meet because the shine and finish of the casing matches the screen.

I just actually saw a couple YouTube vids of the unboxing of last year's AW S7 "Watch Edition" Titanium Space Black, which has the DLC coating and is durable, BUT the titanium Space Black apparently is not the same Space Black as my AW S4 because it is brushed. Kind of a major bummer. Maybe I should just enjoy it because it will look nice, but a big part of me to pass. If I'm going to give up the that look, I might as well keep my Space Black AW4 a while longer. I do like the idea of the always on display and the larger face, etc., but I'm not all that keen on the finish.

As far as upgrade-its. If I get the S7 I expect to keep it 3-5 years. If I keep my S4, I'll likely keep it for another year or two or three if it keeps taking upgrades and runs well.