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The Game 161

macrumors Nehalem
Original poster
Dec 15, 2010
31,447
20,684
UK
So seeing as my nike series 5 got 3 pretty bad scratches and my other nike watch had same issue would you say SS/edition is the way to go to avoid accidents like scratching the screen/casing?
 
I would say yes. From personal experience my Gold SS doesn't show scratches on the body and has very light scratches on the screen, even after bumping into objects on occasion. My old Aluminum, in contrast, has some pretty nasty scratches and a dent in the body.
 
Completely depends on usage. My aluminium one doesn’t have a single scratch / ding or anything like that anywhere. I don’t baby it either.
 
So seeing as my nike series 5 got 3 pretty bad scratches and my other nike watch had same issue would you say SS/edition is the way to go to avoid accidents like scratching the screen/casing?

IIRC, did you not start out with SS or Ti and then switched to Nike?

If you are concerned about robustness, I would only consider the DLC coated watches. And among those, I suspect the SBSS is the mist resistant. However, I am not sure.

@Relentless Power seems to know more.

I have a SBSS with a SBML and I really have to look very hard to see the slightest hint of scratching on the watch face or case.

there might be some scratches on the underneath. However I can’t see them so it does not bother Me.

Also, I have the Belkin charger that charges the iPhone and watch both wirelessly and keeps the SBML out of harms way, if you place the watch correctly.

if I used a Sport Loop, I would even be less concerned about scratching.

I am very hard on watches and the SBSS is doing well.
 
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SBSS is a friggin tank and my go to when I’m doing any kind of high risk activity like lifting weights or any physical labor.

Im on my 2nd SBSS and have never had a blemish while other Apple watches I’ve had have had some minor level of damage besides Ceramic. Ceramic can be prone to shatter however just never dropped it from the wrong height on the wrong surface.
 
IIRC, did you not start out with SS or Ti and then switched to Nike?

If you are concerned about robustness, I would only consider the DLC coated watches. And among those, I suspect the SBSS is the mist resistant. However, I am not sure.

@Relentless Power seems to know more.

I have a SBSS with a SBML and I really have to look very hard to see the slightest hint of scratching on the watch face or case.

there might be some scratches on the underneath. However I can’t see them so it does not bother Me.

Also, I have the Belkin charger that charges the iPhone and watch both wirelessly and keeps the SBML out of harms way, if you place the watch correctly.

if I used a Sport Loop, I would even be less concerned about scratching.

I am very hard on watches and the SBSS is doing well.

Yeah I had SS originally then went Nike but I’ve decided to go back to SS

The look for the office will look nicer plus will last longer as those 3 scratches are bothering me...
 
Yeah I had SS originally then went Nike but I’ve decided to go back to SS

The look for the office will look nicer plus will last longer as those 3 scratches are bothering me...

I would recommend the SBSS as I suggested. The ceramic can also be highly durable, but can shatter if dropped. You might also want to consider the SBTi, but before doing that, try and make contact with @Relentless Power.
 
First SSSB had coating issues, Series O.

But recent releases are much better, I have a series 3 with not a mark.

Just upgraded to series 5 SSSB, handed down the series 3 to the wife to use.
 
Yes.

My Aluminum S2 and S3 each developed a bit of damage over the year I had them.
Switched to SBSS for my S4 and it was flawless when I sold it on Swappa, and my SBSS S5 is also still flawless.
 
Yes.

My Aluminum S2 and S3 each developed a bit of damage over the year I had them.
Switched to SBSS for my S4 and it was flawless when I sold it on Swappa, and my SBSS S5 is also still flawless.

That sort of leaves me in a bind. If I ever want something new (I’m on my second SBSS-S4 and now S5), I don’t see anything with the same durability as the SBSS. I may just have to accept that.
 
I would recommend the SBSS as I suggested. The ceramic can also be highly durable, but can shatter if dropped. You might also want to consider the SBTi, but before doing that, try and make contact with @Relentless Power.

I’ve seen issues with ti with scratching issues which won’t work for me...
 
Pound for pound, the SBSS is a tank and the most resilient of all. Had mine for a year and it was pristine after 12 months. I love my ceramic and it is just as scratch proof as the SBSS but if you drop it then boy.........
 
That sort of leaves me in a bind. If I ever want something new (I’m on my second SBSS-S4 and now S5), I don’t see anything with the same durability as the SBSS. I may just have to accept that.
It can be a tough $$$ pill to swallow, but for *me* it’s been worth the added expense. I did sell my S4 SBSS on Swappa to help win the upgrade cost. Hadn’t intended on a one year upgrade cycle but the always on display got my wallet open.
 
I would recommend the SBSS as I suggested. The ceramic can also be highly durable, but can shatter if dropped. You might also want to consider the SBTi, but before doing that, try and make contact with @Relentless Power.

You can’t go wrong with the space black stainless or the space gray titanium, as they both utilize the same DLC coating. I don’t think of all the generation of Apple Watches I’ve ever owned, not one scratch has been on the casing due to the DLC. [Plus, you can pair a lot of bands with the black, and it’s one more unique colors, being you don’t really see that in public much.]

Also, regarding the ceramic Apple Watch, I see others like yourself bring up the point that it can shatter (Which is a probability of ceramic), but has anyone ever dropped a ceramic Apple Watch where it has shattered? I’ve never read anyone experiencing this yet, so I’m not entirely confident that it would just ‘shatter’ if it was dropped, it would depend on the ‘surface type’ it’s dropped on, from what height, etc.
 
You can’t go wrong with the space black stainless or the space gray titanium, as they both utilize the same DLC coating. I don’t think of all the generation of Apple Watches I’ve ever owned, not one scratch has been on the casing due to the DLC. [Plus, you can pair a lot of bands with the black, and it’s one more unique colors, being you don’t really see that in public much.]

Also, regarding the ceramic Apple Watch, I see others like yourself bring up the point that it can shatter (Which is a probability of ceramic), but has anyone ever dropped a ceramic Apple Watch where it has shattered? I’ve never read anyone experiencing this yet, so I’m not entirely confident that it would just ‘shatter’ if it was dropped, it would depend on the ‘surface type’ it’s dropped on, from what height, etc.

@Relentless Power, I seem to recall that on the ceramic thread, there was somebody who dropped their AW and had a picture of the white part shattering. I think it was around January 8th 2020.
 
I had a SB SS and I switched it out to SB Ti.

Both had DLC and I prefer the SB Titanium version more. It's lighter so you can feel the haptic feedback more, and it comes with the rare grey sports band which is what I now use all the time.

No scratches on the body or the screen.

My coworker has the aluminum and he has several tiny scratches that would annoy the heck out of me. If you can afford the extra $250, go for it.
 
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I had a SB SS and I switched it out to SB Ti.

Both had DLC and I prefer the SB Titanium version more. It's lighter so you can feel the haptic feedback more, and it comes with the rare grey sports band which is what I now use all the time.

No scratches on the body or the screen.

My coworker has the aluminum and he has several tiny scratches that would annoy the heck out of me. If you can afford the extra $250, go for it.

That’s the thing, I can’t stand scratches on the Apple Watch. I can deal with a scratch on a phone or another tech device, but on the Apple Watch, that’s why I opted for the stainless model, as I really wanted the sapphire display to prevent that (I can’t stand screen protectors either). But the major benefit if you have the regular 316 L stainless, you can just remove the scratches with a cape cod polishing cloth.

With the space black titanium/stainless, the DLC is the real ‘game changer’ that the majority of consumers have no idea what it is and Apple really doesn’t market it at all.
 
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That’s the thing, I can’t stand scratches on the Apple Watch. I can deal with a scratch on a phone or another tech device, but on the Apple Watch, that’s why I opted for the stainless model, as I really wanted the sapphire display to prevent that (I can’t stand screen protectors either). But the major benefit if you have the regular 316 L stainless, you can just remove the scratches with a cape cod polishing cloth.

With the space black titanium/stainless, the DLC is the real ‘game changer’ that the majority of consumers have no idea what it is and Apple really doesn’t market it at all.

whats DLC?
 
That’s the thing, I can’t stand scratches on the Apple Watch. I can deal with a scratch on a phone or another tech device, but on the Apple Watch, that’s why I opted for the stainless model, as I really wanted the sapphire display to prevent that (I can’t stand screen protectors either). But the major benefit if you have the regular 316 L stainless, you can just remove the scratches with a cape cod polishing cloth.

With the space black titanium/stainless, the DLC is the real ‘game changer’ that the majority of consumers have no idea what it is and Apple really doesn’t market it at all.

Yeah, same here. My current iPhone has few hairline scratches and it bugs me.

With that said, if the sapphire crystal glass was available in the aluminum model for, let's say, $100 upgrade then I may have considered the aluminum model. But as it stands, aluminum looks and FEELS cheap to me. I'm already paying so much for the watch, might as well pay a bit more to get what looks and feels great.

But the sapphire crystal is the key here. I am purposefully harsh on my SB Ti, and no scratch anywhere.

DLC is indeed a game-changer for me! I'm keeping this watch for the next 3 years (so until Series 8), unless Series 6 or 7 has amazing improvement in the battery life.
 
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I’m very impressed with my S3 SSSB. Had an aluminum S3 for 2 years and it started showing wear and tear not too long after I started wearing it. Not a criticism, since the work I do means it gets banged around. This SSSB is on a whole other level though. Been wearing it for almost six months and while I thought I had managed to scuff the sapphire against stainless steel steps on a vehicle, I just buffed it out with some scouring powder and a q-tip. Literally said wow and laughed out loud. The watch looks brand new again. Unreal.

Disclaimer: I AM NOT advocating anyone to use scouring powder, in this case Bon Ami, on their AW. I did but I have AC+, so felt if I really messed up, I could just replace it. The scuff was bugging me, badly.
 
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