Titanium AW5 thread

[springconvert]

I’ve been using my new natural Ti since yesterday and I love it! The look is perfect, and I really am enjoying the always-on display. I’m headed out of town for a few days and will be able to really put it through its paces, but so far, so good!

 

[octozeao]

I’ve worn my 40mm titanium for about 2 weeks now and it has some small marks. It scratches just as easily as my stainless steel series 2 did. My job is very physical so I’m not at all surprised.

 

[44267547]

I’ve worn my 40mm titanium for about 2 weeks now and it has some small marks. It scratches just as easily as my stainless steel series 2 did. My job is very physical so I’m not at all surprised.
View attachment 867598

At the end of the day, it’s a smart watch that’s made of silicone and it depreciates. It’s meant to be scratched. Some (Not indicating you) are making claims that the natural titanium doesn’t scratch easily and others are showing signs of wear pending different types of encounters. Once a smart watch has its first scratch, then it kind of takes the alleviation of not worrying if it scratches again. That said, I would rather have a scratch on the casing then the display itself.

 

[octozeao]

At the end of the day, it’s a smart watch that’s made of silicone and it depreciates.

I’m with you there. I don’t baby my devices. I just enjoy them. Here is the same watch not in perfect lighting. Can’t see any damage even when I look for it. Love the way it reflects light and colour.

 

[Marco123]

I’ve decided to just order a SBSS and use it until my SBTi arrives and I’ll then decide which to keep.
The main reason on which one I pick will be on what looks best with the SB link bracelet.
Are there any owners of both which can give advice?
Thanks.

 

[Donnation]

I’ve decided to just order a SBSS and use it until my SBTi arrives and I’ll then decide which to keep.
The main reason on which one I pick will be on what looks best with the SB link bracelet.
Are there any owners of both which can give advice?
Thanks.

In my opinion the SBSS looks much better with the Link Bracelet. Again this is just my opinion but I feel like the SBTi looks almost identical to the Aluminum and doesn't look as good with the link bracelet.

 

[Monkswhiskers]

At the end of the day, it’s a smart watch that’s made of silicone and it depreciates. It’s meant to be scratched. Some (Not indicating you) are making claims that the natural titanium doesn’t scratch easily and others are showing signs of wear pending different types of encounters. Once a smart watch has its first scratch, then it kind of takes the alleviation of not worrying if it scratches again. That said, I would rather have a scratch on the casing then the display itself.

I was precious about my SS until it got a few scratches, now I don't care and am enjoying it developing a nice patina, personalisation! Apple might bring next year's Series 6 out with pre-distressed case options ...for an extra £150.

 

[Gee Tee]

At the end of the day, it’s a smart watch that’s made of silicone and it depreciates. It’s meant to be scratched. Some (Not indicating you) are making claims that the natural titanium doesn’t scratch easily and others are showing signs of wear pending different types of encounters. Once a smart watch has its first scratch, then it kind of takes the alleviation of not worrying if it scratches again. That said, I would rather have a scratch on the casing then the display itself.

You do talk some rubbish 😂. It’s ok to love a scratched watch now?? 😂 Every time someone puts a picture up of a scratched Ti or even mentions to the group about the likely hook of it scratching you are there to reaffirm to the group what you think everyone should know. It’s hilarious 😂.

 

[deeddawg]

Yeah, you’re talking a difference of 7g between both with the titanium (Approximate weight is 41g) and stainless Apple Watch (Approximate weight is 48g), you can’t really differentiate that holding it in the hand, I sorta/Kinda can, because I’m so used to the weight of the stainless over the years, but it’s very similar, but you can tell the stainless has a little bit more of a ‘denser’ feeling to it. But to the average user purchasing the difference between a titanium/stainless weight, they’re pretty much indistinguishable.

Yep. 6.1g (44mm) or 5.5g (40mm) weight difference per Apple - https://support.apple.com/kb/SP808

Less than a quarter ounce.

Just enough to discern a difference doing a direct comparison if you're really looking for it, but not noticeable in actually wearing the watch.

 

[44267547]

Yep. 6.1g (44mm) or 5.5g (40mm) weight difference per Apple - https://support.apple.com/kb/SP808

Less than a quarter ounce.

Just enough to discern a difference doing a direct comparison if you're really looking for it, but not noticeable in actually wearing the watch.

It’s funny, because I actually find the ceramic to be the heaviest, but yet it weighs less than stainless. So I sometimes I think it’s all a placebo effect on the mind, because you really can’t discern a difference in terms of a few grams of weight in between these watches.

I was precious about my SS until it got a few scratches, now I don't care and am enjoying it developing a nice patina, personalisation! Apple might bring next year's Series 6 out with pre-distressed case options ...for an extra £150.

When I did own the regular stainless, I thought it was a miracle when I purchased the Cape Cod cloth, because it literally restores it back to factory condition. The problem with the non-DLC coated 316 stainless, it takes very little to scratch it, but that’s the nature of stainless in general, which is why I opted for the DLC on any Apple Watch moving forward.

 

[supertomtom]

I’ve decided to just order a SBSS and use it until my SBTi arrives and I’ll then decide which to keep.
The main reason on which one I pick will be on what looks best with the SB link bracelet.
Are there any owners of both which can give advice?
Thanks.

It’s up to personal preference. I had a S3 SBSS and now a S5 SBTi. I also have a Gold SS S4 which I love the look of and use it for more formal occasions, it just looks luxurious.

But for black, I personally much prefer the look of titanium, I find the matte brushed finish gives the illusion that the watch looks thinner and sleeker than SBSS. I also appreciate the lighter weight (not a bit deal but I do notice it).

Both looks nice with the space link bracelet IMO. Give them both a try and see what works best for you.

 

[Robbenisland]

I’ve decided to just order a SBSS and use it until my SBTi arrives and I’ll then decide which to keep.
The main reason on which one I pick will be on what looks best with the SB link bracelet.
Are there any owners of both which can give advice?
Thanks.

I had both - now on the ceramic. I first thought the SB link will not work well with the SBTi as the brush is vertical on the band vs. horizontal on the watch. Also the sides of the band are shiny - which fits perfectly with the SBSS. After I received the SBTi I did like it a lot and even more than the SBSS. Some pics attached.

 

[happyprozak]

I received my 44mm titanium watch yesterday which is about a week sooner than the estimate when I originally placed my order. Here are a few of my thoughts on the watch in general and specifically the titanium edition.

My First Apple Watch

I tried the S0 many years ago when it first came out and it was nice but I returned the watch. The lack of an always on display was the main reason for not keeping it and when Apple announced the S5 with the AOD, it was an instant buy for me. My biggest hurdle was deciding which model to get.

Appearance

I had a lot of doubts about the titanium. I never handled the model in a store as I could only see them in the display counter. From afar the watch does not stand out noticeably from the aluminum but once it's in hand and on your wrist it looks vastly different. If you want your watch to stand out to others then the ceramic or stainless steel would be better options. If you only care about what it looks like to you on your wrist then you shouldn't worry about it looking too similar to the aluminum model.

Durability

All the reports of scratching was a concern to me as I like to keep my things looking new but I already knew watches were a different type of item because I explored the world of mechanical watches a few years ago. In this world, scratching your watch is pretty much guaranteed. They joke that the only way to keep it new is to not wear it. Mind you, entry level mechanical watches tend to start at about $1,000 USD, with some exceptions, and people have very high standards. They try to keep their watches looking good but it's accepted that wearing the watches will inevitably lead to a "patina".

Mechanical watches require maintenance and most people have their watches polished so they come back looking new after a servicing. Enthusiast and collectors though balk at polishing because when you polish metal you are removing part of the metal casing. This actually devalues a watch. It is more valuable looking worn. That's not to say being worn makes it more valuable. If the watch was kept as a collectors item and was not worn then it would of course be more valuable than a worn piece.

Out of the Box

As soon as I took out the watch I noticed there was a mark on the top right of the casing. I won't bother photographing it because it would be very hard to do so. It reflects light differently and that's the only way you can tell it's there.

A Few Hours In

I've only worn the watch a few hours and I can already see 2 other tiny marks in other places. I have to move the watch around under a light to notice them because they reflect light differently than the rest of the casing.

Someone else on this thread said something to the degree that they were worried about scratching their watch but after seeing the scratches they became less concerned. People have posted pictures of their scratched watches but I'm curious what they look like in person. Are they faint and only showing when they catch the light at certain angles? I've seen a stainless steel model in person that is full of micro scratches. You have to look close to see them. From a distance they are difficult to notice. Will it be similar for the titanium?

Conclusion

Currently my opinion is that you should not buy the titanium if you are overly concerned about scratching the casing. The titanium model may be only slightly less prone to scratches than the stainless steel version without the benefit of being able to polish the titanium version the way you can with the stainless steel version.

At the same time, it's a beautiful watch and even luxury titanium watches that cost much more will scratch with daily wear with only 1 luxury watch manufacture having developed a very hard clear coating for titanium.

It's just the nature of the beast.

 

[spinedoc77]

Re packaging anomalies...

Both Titanium watches I have I collected in-store, and the outer boxes were open, however the inner boxes (i.e. the box that contains the actual watch, and the box that contains the separate strap) were sealed.

The first watch I changed the bundled band online, and it was explained to me that the box is opened behind the scenes in store to swap the band over.

The second, however, I left the bundled band as the default listed on the Apple website (i.e. Space Black with Anchor Grey Sport Loop). But it still came unsealed in the store.

What do they come with by default then!?

You can change the bundled band? I was under the impression you got to choose the 2nd band, but would always get the grey band in the box.

 

[spinedoc77]

A few more.. 😉 definitely a lovely finish the Ti

View attachment 866433View attachment 866434View attachment 866436

I absolutely love the combo of the Ti and the brown leather strap, I just wish I could find the leather strap in stock anywhere. Adding it to a Ti on the Apple store app adds almost 2 months to the ship date!!

 

[spinedoc77]

As I suggested above there is some obvious trolling and BS in this thread. Titanium cannot be scratched by plastic full stop. I've been switching straps daily since I bought my watch using rubber, plastic and metal lugs and there really isn't a single mark on it. I'm sure it will pick up the odd knock and scratch with time just as my previous steel and aluminium watches did but for anyone thinking about picking up a Ti please don't think it is in any way more sensitive than the other metals. It isn't.

The watch in the photos above has a few scratches but they weren't caused by changing a plastic strap. That watch has obviously had a not insignificant impact with an abrasive surface. The significant damage in the photos earlier in the thread can also only have been caused by prolonged and severed abrasion against another metal surface. Anything short of a diamond would also have suffered under those circumstances. I really don't understand the desire to plant doubt in peoples minds and the paranoia other owners exhibit. Maybe some are spending more money than they can afford and have buyers remorse or others simply can't afford them and feel the need to talk them down to feel better, I don't know but its a bit weird really.

I find the scratching issues a bit odd as well. I tried very hard to scratch a Ti watch in store with the sharp end of a metal link bracelet and found I couldn't scratch it. My scratch attempts were parallel to the bottom of the watch, and I'm noting that most of the scratch pictures here seem to be smaller more vertically oriented scratches, not sure if that has anything to do with it.

 

[markol]

I absolutely love the combo of the Ti and the brown leather strap, I just wish I could find the leather strap in stock anywhere. Adding it to a Ti on the Apple store app adds almost 2 months to the ship date!!

In Canada, it seems like the brown leather loop delivery date is moving up. It used to be end of November/early December delivery but they seemed to have moved it up to end of October/early November now.... even though my order from last week still shows original delivery dates........ is that normal? or should I cancel and rebuy

 

[testcard]

Nomad have released Silver and Black Titanium Bands to match AW5 titanium.

Metal Apple Watch Bands | NOMAD®

The Nomad metal Apple Watch bands have been engineered to be as light as possible while giving you the confidence of a high-end metal link bracelet. Designed with our custom lugs, stainless steel and high-grade titanium bands pair effortlessly with any Apple Watch.

hellonomad.com

 

[Marco123]

Thanks for the pics of the SBTi with the black link bracelet.
Those photos do look really good but I think the shiny sides of the bracelet clash with the case.
But I’m really beginning to think that I’d prefer to buy an edition watch when the tech has matured and you know that it’ll get a lot more years of support than it currently gets especially with the money these watches are losing too, the re-sell and trade in prices are absolutely awful.
Personally I feel that considering the series 5 uses the exact same CPU as the series 4, we could be looking at a bigger jump with series 6 with maybe a design change too.

 

[happyprozak]

I find the scratching issues a bit odd as well. I tried very hard to scratch a Ti watch in store with the sharp end of a metal link bracelet and found I couldn't scratch it. My scratch attempts were parallel to the bottom of the watch, and I'm noting that most of the scratch pictures here seem to be smaller more vertically oriented scratches, not sure if that has anything to do with it.

I use to wear a mechanical watch and I scratched and marred the casing despite being careful. Most of the time I didn't even know how it happened so I'm not surprised that someone may misattribute the cause of the scratches.

It's certainly possible the coating is what is being scratched and not the actual metal casing. I remember complaints from many years ago that iPhones were scratching too easily but it wasn't the glass that was scratching, it was the oleophobic coating. Another possibility is that the manufacturer is having trouble controlling the quality of the coating and we are saying varying results with varying effects.

With all that said, bare titanium is easy to scratch and we don't know anything about the durability of the coating Apple is using.

Those from the mechanical watch world have known about the low scratch resistance of titanium for a long time. It is easy to be confused about the durability of titanium in a watch because titanium is advertised as stronger than stainless steel but there are different types of strengths in metals and titanium is actually weaker in scratch resistance than stainless steel. The type of strength advantage that titanium holds over stainless steel would never play a role in a watch because we don't put watches under that type of stress.

 

[Marco123]

I think you’re correct happyprozak. All these different materials are making the Apple Watch buying experience far to complex.
They should just cut it down to aluminium in different colours, gps or cellular and include sapphire glass in all models.
Titanium, SS and ceramic is absolutely pointless in something that is useless after a couples of years.
Especially when it contains a constant depreciating battery and the insides are identical in all models including the cheapest.
if Apple offered better trade-in prices or something similar to the iPhone upgrade program it might be an easier pill to swallow.

 

[Norre8]

I absolutely love the combo of the Ti and the brown leather strap, I just wish I could find the leather strap in stock anywhere. Adding it to a Ti on the Apple store app adds almost 2 months to the ship date!!

Me too; but think I’ll like it more with the SBSS or SBTI

 

[Gee Tee]

I absolutely love the combo of the Ti and the brown leather strap, I just wish I could find the leather strap in stock anywhere. Adding it to a Ti on the Apple store app adds almost 2 months to the ship date!!

Its 2 day delivery here from Apple in the UK for the brown strap. You in the US?

 

[Donnation]

Nomad have released Silver and Black Titanium Bands to match AW5 titanium.

Metal Apple Watch Bands | NOMAD®

The Nomad metal Apple Watch bands have been engineered to be as light as possible while giving you the confidence of a high-end metal link bracelet. Designed with our custom lugs, stainless steel and high-grade titanium bands pair effortlessly with any Apple Watch.

hellonomad.com

View attachment 867789

These have been out for a while. Not a huge fan of their bands. The leather on their bands is cheap and stiff and the lugs they use on all of their bands give the watch an odd shape imo.

 

[AJ44]

I think you’re correct happyprozak. All these different materials are making the Apple Watch buying experience far to complex.
They should just cut it down to aluminium in different colours, gps or cellular and include sapphire glass in all models.
Titanium, SS and ceramic is absolutely pointless in something that is useless after a couples of years.
Especially when it contains a constant depreciating battery and the insides are identical in all models including the cheapest.
if Apple offered better trade-in prices or something similar to the iPhone upgrade program it might be an easier pill to swallow.

I’m not sure how offering less choice is better for the consumer.

I disagree that Ti and Ceramic are pointless period however I would agree that they are pointless for “most” consumers but are very good for a smaller subset of consumers that are very profitable for Apple.