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Upgrading Ultra 2 to Ultra 3 - but does the Black finish hold up?

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batman75

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 15, 2010
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I've watched youtube videos showing the black DLC can be scratched but how bad is it? I used to have a Black Series 7 and it was very durable. The issue with the Ultra is the sharp bezel. I've definitely got some minor nicks on my natural titanium bezel. They are barely noticeable. Would those be ugly on a black watch?

Does anyone have photos of a year old Black Ultra?
 
I can say I have had a black Ultra 2 from the first day.

I have taken it on two, week long, snorkeling/beach vacations where it got dirty and sandy.

I have climbed a bunch of boulders carelessly, smashed it into numerous metal doorframes and generally abused it.

I have worn it for the entire year on the job as a railroad track worker.

It has 3 light marks on the bezel surrounding the screen, only one of which goes completely across the bezel. It has no noticeable marks or chips on the body of the watch.
 
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I've had my black AWU2 for a year. I wear it 24/7, have banged it against all kinds of things while working out/playing sports/working on cars, etc. and it doesn't have a single mark or scratch. I've hit it so hard a few times that I was sure I had broken it, but nothing. The black holds up very well.
 
Is the black color "printed" on? Thought I heard in yesterdays announcement the black was printed on or something..
 
Mactagonist said:
I can say I have had a black Ultra 2 from the first day.

I have taken it on two, week long, snorkeling/beach vacations where it got dirty and sandy.

I have climbed a bunch of boulders carelessly, smashed it into numerous metal doorframes and generally abused it.

I have worn it for the entire year on the job as a railroad track worker.

It has 3 light marks on the bezel surrounding the screen, only one of which goes completely across the bezel. It has no noticeable marks or chips on the body of the watch.
Click to expand...

Got pics to show?
 
The DLC coating on my U2 still looks like new. There is not other coating that that will hold up better. It is not indestructible but close to it.
 
A quick google search, as well as a search on the forum will show you that the black does not hold up as well as the natural and shows any imperfection with a lot more attention (just like a black automobile).

Especially around the top bezel, you will get wear. My ultra 1 has held up great in natural and I wear it to do everything. I personally wouldn't trust the black with going to the gym, fishing, doing yard work, working on cars, etc etc.

It does look really really good though!
 
I am using my black Ultra 2 as a trade in on a S11 Ti. Glad to be rid of it as I have not worn in months.
 
I ended up choosing Titanium. Since I am on a 2 year program I decided to just optimize for appearance over that time frame. Plus I have scraped my titanium on concrete and I don’t think the black will look good after that. It does hold up very well, but I dont want to take a chance. Plus natural titanium matches closer to my antique white gold eyeglass frames.
 
When it comes to watches I like all material whether Ti, SS, Gold, Ceramic to be solid. I don't like anything watch wise painted, plated, DLC, PVD etc. The weak spot of the Ultra is the sharp/edge part of the bezel. There is not much material there so it's easy for the DLC to wear off in some cases, would be cool if it had a ceramic bezel or it was more rounded. I also love the warm hue of natural Ti.
 
batman75 said:
I've watched youtube videos showing the black DLC can be scratched but how bad is it? I used to have a Black Series 7 and it was very durable. The issue with the Ultra is the sharp bezel. I've definitely got some minor nicks on my natural titanium bezel. They are barely noticeable. Would those be ugly on a black watch?

Does anyone have photos of a year old Black Ultra?
Click to expand...
12 month old U2. Got these scratches last week building a fence and moving some concrete blocks. Prior to that not a mark on it. I had a natural U1, and I think it will be more forgiving. That being said, I just ordered a U3 in black because I like the look and it is really tough.

I'm thinking a black marker can cover those up no problem...
 

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Merc66man said:
12 month old U2. Got these scratches last week building a fence and moving some concrete blocks. Prior to that not a mark on it. I had a natural U1, and I think it will be more forgiving. That being said, I just ordered a U3 in black because I like the look and it is really tough.

I'm thinking a black marker can cover those up no problem...
Click to expand...
sharpies are useless. It will wear off in a day or so.
 
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