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The Apple Watch SS scratch thread [MERGED]

My 3-day old SS watch still looks brand new :rolleyes:

However, I noticed something curious about the Milanese loop. The end piece that houses the magnet
  1. shields the pretty strong magnet very well to the outside, it has no tendency of sticking to stuff, other than the band, not even to the palm rest of my MBP (which I was mostly worried about)
  2. scratches very easily (it's scratched all over from contact with the palm rest), and shows uneven levels of polish under certain light

I think it's clear that this piece is not made from stainless steel, but is probably coated mu-metal or something similar. I'm fine with that as long as it doesn't corrode, turn black, etc.
 
All SS watches scratch, in reality the Aluminum watches are gonna hold up cosmetically better(except the DLC SS), The only way to remove scratches is by polishing, but polishing removes material, so keep that in mind.

As many here who own fine/high end watches will tell you, it's part of the game. I prefer to have the normal day to day scratches left alone. When you send in watches for maintenance or repair, they will almost always want to charge you to polish the case, and I always refuse as it takes material away, and done too many times will actually soften the look of the watch.

Wear and tear are fine, deep scratches and damage are not.
 
dotnet said:
My 3-day old SS watch still looks brand new :rolleyes:

However, I noticed something curious about the Milanese loop. The end piece that houses the magnet
  1. shields the pretty strong magnet very well to the outside, it has no tendency of sticking to stuff, other than the band, not even to the palm rest of my MBP (which I was mostly worried about)
  2. scratches very easily (it's scratched all over from contact with the palm rest), and shows uneven levels of polish under certain light

I think it's clear that this piece is not made from stainless steel, but is probably coated mu-metal or something similar. I'm fine with that as long as it doesn't corrode, turn black, etc.
Click to expand...

It's made from a different grade of stainless that's how it can be magnetic. Simple
 
Vin2015 said:
All SS watches scratch, in reality the Aluminum watches are gonna hold up cosmetically better(except the DLC SS), The only way to remove scratches is by polishing, but polishing removes material, so keep that in mind.

As many here who own fine/high end watches will tell you, it's part of the game. I prefer to have the normal day to day scratches left alone. When you send in watches for maintenance or repair, they will almost always want to charge you to polish the case, and I always refuse as it takes material away, and done too many times will actually soften the look of the watch.

Wear and tear are fine, deep scratches and damage are not.
Click to expand...

You beat met to it.... you're exactly right about polishing.

Why do you think at malls the jewelry stores attack you to polish your jewelry for free? It removes some of the gold and after a while, they sell the gold powder for a profit.

----------
Gav2k said:
It's made from a different grade of stainless that's how it can be magnetic. Simple
Click to expand...

Yes.

High grades of stainless steel are not magnetic.

Shopping for a grill this summer and want true stainless steel? Bring a magnet with you. If it doesn't stick, it's high grade (204) stainless steel.

Those $150 "stainless steel" grills are Home Depot or Kmart are not...
 
Gav2k said:
Your post made no sense. The palm rest is aluminium
Click to expand...

I'm afraid it's your post that doesn't make sense. If you don't know or understand something then express your doubt in form of a question, not an insult.

Grab a magnet and run it along the edge of the Macbook's palm rest (don't do that if your Macbook has a HDD). What do you feel? How do you think the Macbook lid stays shut?
 
The SS used in the Apple Watch is actually softer than the Al in the sport watch, but you can polish out most scratches pretty easily.
 
You don't want to polish your watch often! Each time you polish you remove a very thin layer of metal! Over time that affects the lines of your watch, granted we really don't have edges on the Apple Watch!

Also Cape Cod cloths while awesome do remove scratches the leave behind many smaller micro scratches that are seen under specific lighting conditions!

Honestly just let the patina build! I do that for my Panerai and Omega(s)! Each scuff ding scratch you will remember but it really brings amazing character to your watch!
 
I am sure it will scratch, many of us will remember shiny stainless steel iPods. I don't think it is a big deal, I still loved my iPod. By the time it is getting a bit ugly it is time for a new Apple Watch anyway.
 
Costino1 said:
You beat met to it.... you're exactly right about polishing.

Why do you think at malls the jewelry stores attack you to polish your jewelry for free? It removes some of the gold and after a while, they sell the gold powder for a profit.

Being in the jewelry business now for almost 30 years, jewelry stores polish your jewelry for free to gain your business and make sales, not for the small amount of gold dust from your ring.

Granted over a long period of time you can clean out a buffing/polishing machine to collect enough dust for a small return.
Click to expand...
 
I'm not a fan of the SS watch but damn I wish they made the glass on the Sport sapphire. I would easily have paid $100 more for that.
 
dotnet said:
I think it's clear that this piece is not made from stainless steel, but is probably coated mu-metal or something similar.
Click to expand...

Mu-metal doesn't do much to shield continuous (DC) magnetic fields, so I don't think that's to thank.

But this is an interesting observation you've made about the handrest of your laptop. Depending on what model and what hand you wear your watch on, a spinning hard disk might be right under your wrist. So, will we have to endure CorruptedHardDiskGate?

FWIW, I tend to remove my watch or slide it well up my arm when using my laptop, to prevent scratching the laptop. I've seen laptops all marked up by watches over the years... unfortunate. Guess that means I'll have to get used to re-entering my password on my Watch (once I have one, ahem) every time I get up from using my rMBP...
 
i was going to get the sports edition but got the Stainless Steel version because its stronger and has a better glass
 
Yes, SS does scratch. My watch has fine scratches on it after wearing it for a day. I will have to get used to them or polish occasionally.

Saw the 9to5 video posted above as well. Check it out if you have questions or concerns about owning a SS watch.
 
Stainless Steel Scratches

I really couldn't tell if it was a scratch or a ding...i'm guessing a scratch because I was able to polish it out. This was on my 38mm Stainless Steel Watch. I've had it 2 days and only had the 1 area that looked really bad....still getting used to having a watch and not banging it on things accidentally.

Anyway I polished it using the Mothers Mag and Aluminum Polish like in the video above and here are the before and after screenshots. Still loving my watch and happy I was able to repair the ding.
 

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eXoenDo said:
I really couldn't tell if it was a scratch or a ding...i'm guessing a scratch because I was able to polish it out. This was on my 38mm Stainless Steel Watch. I've had it 2 days and only had the 1 area that looked really bad....still getting used to having a watch and not banging it on things accidentally.

Anyway I polished it using the Mothers Mag and Aluminum Polish like in the video above and here are the before and after screenshots. Still loving my watch and happy I was able to repair the ding.
Click to expand...

Be careful mate, polishing it removes the metal and can make the surface uneven.
 
shenfrey said:
Be careful mate, polishing it removes the metal and can make the surface uneven.
Click to expand...

Thanks! I hopefully won't need to do it again, I think it's mostly just getting used to having something on my wrist there and being careful not to bang it on stuff. I did check the surface and it appears to still be even, doesn't look or feel weird after but definitely a good thing to point out and keep in mind.
 
eXoenDo said:
Thanks! I hopefully won't need to do it again, I think it's mostly just getting used to having something on my wrist there and being careful not to bang it on stuff. I did check the surface and it appears to still be even, doesn't look or feel weird after but definitely a good thing to point out and keep in mind.
Click to expand...


Also as many others have pointed out SS does scratch, and it scratches easily. Your best course of action is to just accept the fact that it will scratch and enjoy your watch. Everybody's SS watch will be scratched after a few days of use, it's something you wear all day, everyday. Certainly continue to polish it, but not every time you see a scratch. Watch owners tend to get their watches polished every 6-12 months.

----------
EngenZerO said:
You don't want to polish your watch often! Each time you polish you remove a very thin layer of metal! Over time that affects the lines of your watch, granted we really don't have edges on the Apple Watch!

Also Cape Cod cloths while awesome do remove scratches the leave behind many smaller micro scratches that are seen under specific lighting conditions!

Honestly just let the patina build! I do that for my Panerai and Omega(s)! Each scuff ding scratch you will remember but it really brings amazing character to your watch!
Click to expand...

This ^

Least SS owners have the comfort of knowing their screen won't scratch :)
 
izzle22 said:
Costino1 said:
You beat met to it.... you're exactly right about polishing.

Why do you think at malls the jewelry stores attack you to polish your jewelry for free? It removes some of the gold and after a while, they sell the gold powder for a profit.

Being in the jewelry business now for almost 30 years, jewelry stores polish your jewelry for free to gain your business and make sales, not for the small amount of gold dust from your ring.

Granted over a long period of time you can clean out a buffing/polishing machine to collect enough dust for a small return.
Click to expand...

Not saying that all jewelry stores do it for profitability. Even Rick Harrison on Pawn Stars admitted to doing that. Of course, now we're comparing high end jewelry stores to seedy pawn shops...Not apples to apples.
Click to expand...
 
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