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WatchPlate Review (Gold Plating Apple Watch)

TypeMRT said:
What I'm saying is you can leave the gold-plating intact. Apple has to service the unmodified part. So if the battery dies at 50% or the buckle fails, those have nothing to do with the gold-plating. If the screen stops responding or the digital crown stops spinning, then maybe it is the gold-plating but Apple still has to do the diagnosis and prove it.
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Apple doesn't have to do anything. I think I can just about guarantee that if you have your watch taken apart and submerged in a chemical bath and gold plated, your warrantee is toast. I would think that this would be obvious to everyone.

By the way, I think it looks great gold plated, but don't kid yourself into thinking that your warrantee will still be in effect. It won't.
 
Looks really great. Congrats guys that gold Milanese looks really nice! I'm also really curious if he can do a black Milanese that would be amazing. I'd be in for one of those for sure.
 
phpmaven said:
Apple doesn't have to do anything. I think I can just about guarantee that if you have your watch taken apart and submerged in a chemical bath and gold plated, your warrantee is toast. I would think that this would be obvious to everyone.

By the way, I think it looks great gold plated, but don't kid yourself into thinking that your warrantee will still be in effect. It won't.
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Yes, except WatchPlate doesn't take it apart at all but tape up all exposed parts that shouldn't be plated. That's why you'll still regain the warranty once you remove the gold plate (but why would anyone want to? Just eBay it with the defect and someone will most likely bid it up to at least the retail price).
 
I don't like the Milanese band plated. Too blingy. Reminds one of Jersey Shore or some such.

:D

I do like the look of the cases and buckles plated. Yellow gold just really isn't something I'm into.

Though, I will admit that the Edition with the red band is gorgeous. I wanted it when I tried it on. LOL.

It's the color combo.
 
JayLenochiniMac said:
Yes, except WatchPlate doesn't take it apart at all but tape up all exposed parts that shouldn't be plated. That's why you'll still regain the warranty once you remove the gold plate (but why would anyone want to? Just eBay it with the defect and someone will most likely bid it up to at least the retail price).
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Assuming you can remove every bit of evidence that it was plated, you might be able to get away with that.
 
phpmaven said:
Assuming you can remove every bit of evidence that it was plated, you might be able to get away with that.
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Exactly. Highly unlikely in my opinion.

I think people should, and are, going in to this with the expectation that they lose their warranty.
 
zmunkz said:
I got the watch today and my Milanese band (my sport band is being sent separately) and it looks fantastic! I am really pleased with the results.

I've made a silly little video to show the results, in an attempt to earn the $100 rebate he offered for early buyers/reviewing, so check it out:

https://youtu.be/e8P3hfLipzk

I also attached a few of the pictures (low-res...) that show it best. The watch face supports a slight yellow/gold color for the Chronogram and it look sick with the gold... I had a lot of trouble getting a picture that really shows that, I think you just have to see it for yourself.

Ryan, excellent job my friend! There were a couple of little communication / shipping hiccups, but Ryan was great sorting everything out and communicating with me, and I have full confidence that in no time he will be running a streamlined operation.

I'll post more pics when my sports band arrives!
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I need one but live in the UK and this thing does not just measure my heartbeat, I use it more than I do my heart.
 
I kind of want to get this done, but I just have one question really.

The watches have to be taken apart so it can be dipped, correct?
 
JayLenochiniMac said:
No, it's not taken apart. The parts that are not plated are taped up and the whole watch gets dipped.
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This^^

Also, since the process relies on electrical conductivity, they do not need to worry about the screen during the process, so you don't even have to worry about imperfect tape lines. I've taken a bunch of macro photos of the watch, and the plating lines are really perfect.

Also, interesting side effect, I still have no scratches on this thing... I wonder if the gold is actually better at hiding/avoiding micro scratches compared to the SS?
 
I guess two more questions

If my SS is already slightly scratched, will this affect the coating process? i.e., should I try to polish away some of it before sending it in

Is the gold plating more resistant to scratches than the SS? Or does that not matter, and it will scratch/scuff at the same ease
 
SonRK said:
I guess two more questions

If my SS is already slightly scratched, will this affect the coating process? i.e., should I try to polish away some of it before sending it in

Is the gold plating more resistant to scratches than the SS? Or does that not matter, and it will scratch/scuff at the same ease
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The coating layer is 35 microns, which is really thin... if you have scratches it will not "smooth them over" if that is what you had in mind. However, I do not know if polish is a good idea, it may interfere with the electroplating process.

As for the scratch resistance, I do not know the answer. I thought gold was a softer metal in general, but if you look around watch forums, stainless steel watches seem to be known for scratching the most (at least scratching visibly) compared to gold ones.

I see no "micro" scratches on mine at all, but I can't say if it will stay that way or not. However, my guess is it will do a better job than SS.
 
Hopefully my Gold plated watch will arrive tomorrow. It was shipped on Friday with priority shipping. I will definitly use it also for running, fitness and showering and I'm really excited how the Gold will react. Of course I will send some pictures of the results.

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zmunkz said:
The coating layer is 35 microns, which is really thin... if you have scratches it will not "smooth them over" if that is what you had in mind. However, I do not know if polish is a good idea, it may interfere with the electroplating process.

As for the scratch resistance, I do not know the answer. I thought gold was a softer metal in general, but if you look around watch forums, stainless steel watches seem to be known for scratching the most (at least scratching visibly) compared to gold ones.

I see no "micro" scratches on mine at all, but I can't say if it will stay that way or not. However, my guess is it will do a better job than SS.
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Hey zmunkz,

did you already use your Gold plated watch for fitness, swimming or showering? I'm interested in how this will effect the Gold.
 
JayLenochiniMac said:
There are ways to do it. They'll be obligated to service it once removed.
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Not a chance. Since they dip the whole watch you can't completely isolate the gold plating. If by some miracle you can remove the plating and return the watch to original state, as soon as apple opens it up they'll see a few specks of gold on the inside and you are done. Out the cost of the watch, the cost of the plating, and the cost of removing the plating. Not worth it IMO.
 
Rulez28 said:
Hopefully my Gold plated watch will arrive tomorrow. It was shipped on Friday with priority shipping. I will definitly use it also for running, fitness and showering and I'm really excited how the Gold will react. Of course I will send some pictures of the results.

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Hey zmunkz,

did you already use your Gold plated watch for fitness, swimming or showering? I'm interested in how this will effect the Gold.
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Showered with my plated 38mm leather on Friday, no issues.
 
dacreativeguy said:
Not a chance. Since they dip the whole watch you can't completely isolate the gold plating. If by some miracle you can remove the plating and return the watch to original state, as soon as apple opens it up they'll see a few specks of gold on the inside and you are done. Out the cost of the watch, the cost of the plating, and the cost of removing the plating. Not worth it IMO.
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Hey Guys,

we can in fact remove ALL signs of gold plating. I can't say if apple will honor the warranty or not, but all evidence that it was ever plated are easily removed.

Ryan
 
dacreativeguy said:
Not a chance. Since they dip the whole watch you can't completely isolate the gold plating. If by some miracle you can remove the plating and return the watch to original state, as soon as apple opens it up they'll see a few specks of gold on the inside and you are done. Out the cost of the watch, the cost of the plating, and the cost of removing the plating. Not worth it IMO.
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You can in fact remove it by chemical means, but this service will cost you $$$ so might as well eBay it with the defect and recoup at least the retail cost, as you'll be left with an unplated replacement unit either way.
 
Reading this Wired article:

http://www.wired.com/2015/05/cheap-risky-way-gold-plate-apple-watch/

Though they, too, are keeping their process under wraps, each Watch is unboxed, documented, inspected, and thoroughly cleaned before plating. Any scratches or imperfections on the stainless steel are polished away before plating, which is overseen by a team of three people who take as long as 70 minutes to do the job. Then the watch is inspected again before shipment to the customer.
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This is talking about a competitor to WatchPlate. It says basically that they will polish it before plating. Does WatchPlate do something similar? (As a question to Rian I suppose)
 
Rulez28 said:
Hey zmunkz,

did you already use your Gold plated watch for fitness, swimming or showering? I'm interested in how this will effect the Gold.
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Just the first of those 3... No problems at all. I would be surprised if water reacted with the gold in any strange way, assuming the watch is dried off after it gets wet
 
Hey Folks,

yesterday I noticed that the microphone of my Apple Watch doesn´t work anymore after gold plating. I can´t call Siri, dictate messages and answer calls. The speaker works fine.

Does anybody noticed the same after gold plating? :(
 
Rulez28 said:
Hey Folks,

yesterday I noticed that the microphone of my Apple Watch doesn´t work anymore after gold plating. I can´t call Siri, dictate messages and answer calls. The speaker works fine.

Does anybody noticed the same after gold plating? :(
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But it worked for the 5 days or so after gold plating if you noticed it yesterday? If so, my guess is it's a random hardware failure that can strike anytime. Unfortunately, it's a risk with voided warranty that one must decide on when choosing to gold plate.
 
Rulez28 said:
Hey Folks,

yesterday I noticed that the microphone of my Apple Watch doesn´t work anymore after gold plating. I can´t call Siri, dictate messages and answer calls. The speaker works fine.

Does anybody noticed the same after gold plating? :(
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Yours might just be an exception seeing how no one else appears to be effected. Have you tried resetting your watch?
 
Rulez28 said:
Hey Folks,

yesterday I noticed that the microphone of my Apple Watch doesn´t work anymore after gold plating. I can´t call Siri, dictate messages and answer calls. The speaker works fine.

Does anybody noticed the same after gold plating? :(
Click to expand...

Unless you specifically signed off that you knew this process would potentially void your warranty, you might have a case against watch plate for damage to your watch. Looking at their order form, I didn't see any explicit warnings or checkboxes indicating a legal waiver of your rights. You may be able to use this loophole to your advantage.
 
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