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Ultra Durability - First Scratch

drew0020 said:
Sorry to hear that. Hopefully you can buff it out. Durability still worries me. I’ve yet to bang it against a door, but it’s only a matter of time. Previously my SS have always withstood that sort of thing with no issues whatsoever. I am going to make a decision, but seeing this helps :)

Let me know if you can buff it out. That may help me too ha!
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The odds are super-high that if you start trying to do anything more than softly rub with a clean microfiber and water you're going to make whatever mark you're trying to eliminate - and the whole surrounding area - very noticeable, and it's not likely to matter whether you're using Cape Cod cloths, Barkeeper's Friend or a ScotchBrite pad. :oops:

Even if the case is raw titanium with no anodizing or surface coating, you will *never* match the look. I refinish knives with titanium scales ("handles"). If they are going to be refinished to hide snail trails, rub marks and other use and wear marks, you have to refinish the entire surface (and do both sides). Even if you use the same finish media that was used the first time, differences in the tank pressure or spraying from a couple of inches closer or further away makes a big difference in how it looks.

This is not like trying to polish up one of the bright stainless steel watches.
 
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p8blr said:
Nah I'll just leave it. With the bead-blasted looking finish I'm honestly not sure if it could be buffed out and not end up with a glossy finish. Probably have to resort to what that one guy did with a Dremel tool to his Ultra to make a brushed finish lol.
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I saw those pics. I really wanted to ask how he kept whatever media he on the little buffing wheel, not to mention all the lint and cruft that a cloth wheel produces, out of the case openings. :rolleyes: But I didn't...
 
parseckadet said:
Apparently you don't. The issue on that machine wasn't the base metal, but the application of the paint/coating that was flaking off, exposing the metal.
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Apparently you only went by what you were told and didn't repair or service them.
 
Xand&Roby said:
Ceramic is better for a Watch for every day, obviously you don’t need to use a hammer on it. Personally I use the Ceramic for heavy works, and the soft aluminum (just ‘cause it’s gold/copper and for me it’s a beauty) for other purpose.
Titanium is a material from which I would stay away for sports equipment, but the world of watches has singular fashions.
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Love the durable ceramic comments when someone just posted on MacRumors that they cracked the ceramic back of their Ultra by accidentally dropping it in the bathroom.
 
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Typically increasing durability usually means a slight increase in overall potential for scratches.

You have to consider whether a largely invisible scratch is much worse than a cracked display. Hopefully you won't need to ponder too long about that dilemma, though. :D
 
Are you sure that’s not material from your door knob? I’m not trying to doubt you. I just know that that material transfer can happen.
 
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PaladinGuy said:
Are you sure that’s not material from your door knob? I’m not trying to doubt you. I just know that that material transfer can happen.
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Very true. I have a titanium S6 and there have been a number of times I've thought I'd scratched it but with a little warm water on a soft cloth, found it was residue material from what ever it had brushed up against.

I'm less worried about the Ultra compared to the S6 though. The outdoor design of the Ultra makes any marks more acceptable... battle scars whereas the S6 is a watch that looks like it should be in perfect nick.

The Garmin Fenix watches I've had were far worse, the paint would scratch off so easily they were covered in them after a year. The glass was always perfect though (sapphire like the Ultras). Again, battle scars. I guess that's why Apple went for bare metal rather than painted.
 
I'm impressed by these micro pictures. I'm not sure I'd even see the OP imperfection without it. Are these from an iphone?
 
It IS a fashion statement and status watch - don't kid yourselves. Even a Rolex will get scratches if you wear it every day.
 
ArchEtech said:
It IS a fashion statement and status watch - don't kid yourselves. Even a Rolex will get scratches if you wear it every day.
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If you truly believe an $800 Apple Watch is a status symbol, then I have a bridge to sell you. I'm with you as far as the scratches go, but there is nothing about this watch that screams status. And I say that with one on my wrist right now.
 
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Asiatic Black Hebrew said:
If you truly believe an $800 Apple Watch is a status symbol, then I have a bridge to sell you. I'm with you as far as the scratches go, but there is nothing about this watch that screams status. And I say that with one on my wrist right now.
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It might not be for you. Apple products are status symbols. A $1000 watch made of Titanium is a status symbol. Just like a $3000 whatever brand watch is. It may not be to watch enthusiasts, but that doesn't mean a regular person doesn't think a $1000 smart watch doesn't show something off to someone.

In reality, smart watches are really a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. We carry phones around with us everywhere. A watch provides absolutely nothing that a phone can't on its own provide, other than being a fashion statement. That is fact. I still love my Ultra!
 
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Snide said:
Millions of runners (and especially) open-water swimmers would disagree.
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You don’t need a smart watch for that. Are people answering texts and phone calls during their swim or marathon run. You don’t need a smart watch. You could carry your phone and do the same thing. I stand by my statement.
 
ArchEtech said:
You don’t need a smart watch for that. Are people answering texts and phone calls during their swim or marathon run. You don’t need a smart watch. You could carry your phone and do the same thing. I stand by my statement.
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Please advise how to carry a phone while swimming. I stand by my statement.
 
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ArchEtech said:
It might not be for you. Apple products are status symbols. A $1000 watch made of Titanium is a status symbol. Just like a $3000 whatever brand watch is. It may not be to watch enthusiasts, but that doesn't mean a regular person doesn't think a $1000 smart watch doesn't show something off to someone.

In reality, smart watches are really a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. We carry phones around with us everywhere. A watch provides absolutely nothing that a phone can't on its own provide, other than being a fashion statement. That is fact. I still love my Ultra!
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I wouldn’t say that’s true, one of the major reasons these tech companies got into watches is because unlike a phone, the watch has constant contact with your skin/body, from there they want to derive new applications.

Right now the most obvious things we see are the heart rates, but as sensors and technologies improve, it will be able to monitor more things.

Nonetheless it could just be a bridge product, Elon Musk thinks eventually humans will all have sensors, antennas, and chips implanted in our body, and wouldn’t need to wear anything on our wrist or carry a phone.
 
I forgot to mention the obvious in my post above...I specifically choose my SS Graphite or SBSS for swimming, in case I ever need a rescue for whatever reason. Although I don’t have cell service activated, it is still possible to call 911. Here’s a real-world example, from the South End Rowing Club’s “Scared Straight” page:


5D714246-77A4-4B48-9470-C19E87737E55.jpeg
 
I used to do a lot of sailboat ocean racing in and out of SF Bay and the currents and back eddies at the approaches to GG bridge are no joke. We used to work these back eddies to gain racing advantage. Personally have rescued some people swept out on paddleboards. AW is a great idea for this. Conditions can turn treacherous very quickly.
Sorry for what seems like a thread hijack!
 
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Ya I don’t believe it cracked just from dropping it any more than the guy that shows burn marks on his leg and says the ultra burned his wrist.
 
Update! I thought I’d share my latest incident lol. I was working on the floor in my garage and felt my watch rub the cement floor. Boom, another scratch. Several actually. I think my series 3 looked so good after many years because the screen was always the first thing to make contact (and I always used a screen protector) and now the big bezel on Ultra will collide first. I still love the ultra, probably my favorite Apple device in ages, but I predict it’s going to look very “weathered” in the next few years…
 

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I have had my watch on 24/7 for almost a month other than charging times.

I have not a single scratch on my watch. I can’t help but wonder if people are taking greater risks with the Ultra with the idea it’s some armored indestructible device as opposed to treating it as nice as any $1000 electronic piece of hardware.

I’ve bumped it, dropped it, lifted weights, mowed the lawn, hiked, normal stuff. No scratches. Are people like “well I’m going to crawl under my car on the bare concrete but I don’t need to take off my ultra like I would with my series 7!” Then they are disappointed.
 
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