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I bought SS primarily because Apple did the right thing and used the proper crystal. Once I bought my first Rolex and experienced how nice it is to have a tough scratch resistant material, it's worth the money. All Apple watches should have them. Even if it does raise the price a bit.
 
Here are two videos to prove the point.

Drop test with Sapphire: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkQ-1WgWN1s

Sapphire didn't experience any scratches/cracks on the display, just slight marks on the side.

Scratch test with Sapphire vs Sport (tested by Consumer Reports): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1Prazcy00A

Sapphire had no scratches and Consumer Reports used the toughest level of scratching available to them (drill bit), whereas the Sport model easily scratched.

The first video only tested a Sapphire watch, and the second one pretty much echoed what we knew: The Sport watch will scratch easier than the SS version.

The question is, which "shattered" more easily? I've subscribed to the CR channel, so I hope they will test this.
 
I've owned nice watches for over 30 years. The one watch component that's very hard to protect is the face. I learned long ago to bite the bullet and purchase sapphire watch crystals. No different with the Apple watch. Forget the marketing hype about "ion implanted" glass or whatever. Nothing beats true sapphire, and it's worth the extra $$$ if you plan on wearing the watch on a regular basis.

I was going to get the sports watch but then i tried on the SS and looked better but also i may drop the watch
 
Already debunked for the Sport in drop tests. The glass shattered upon impact, the sapphire survived without a mark.

I could care less about how good glass will be in a few years. What matters is how good it is now.

I've never seen a $350+ watch that didn't have a sapphire. Apple took the cheap way out, or in their defense -- in order to ensure sufficient sapphire yields, and its customers will pay for it.

I've only seen a drop test on the glass sport. Can you provide a link to a sapphire drop test? Thanks.
 
Did you really just try to compare the price of an off contract phone to an on contract phone? LULLLLLZ. iPhone 5s was $199 with contract when it came out brand new. iPhone 5s is now $149 with contract brand new.

There I fixed it for you

oh silly me ...

:apple::apple::apple:
 
Here are two videos to prove the point.

Drop test with Sapphire: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkQ-1WgWN1s

Sapphire didn't experience any scratches/cracks on the display, just slight marks on the side.

Scratch test with Sapphire vs Sport (tested by Consumer Reports): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1Prazcy00A

Sapphire had no scratches and Consumer Reports used the toughest level of scratching available to them (drill bit), whereas the Sport model easily scratched.

From Business Insider related to this test: "The publication notes that the Watch Sport's scratch-resistance was still impressive, however."

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-watch-scratch-test-2015-4#ixzz3YkJEchla

I can understand that we each like to justify our smart purchase decision but those who have the Sport... do not fret!! http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-watch-scratch-test-video-2015-4 The Sport holds up very well in this test!
 
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She's had her silver Sport model since Friday. Today she noticed a small and very straight scratch from the top left corner towards the middle of the screen.

She's not even sure how it happened. It's very, very thin and quite hard to see unless you look at it at just the right angle but it's definitely there. Makes me wonder what our watches will look like in a couple years!

Hopefully they bring the sapphire to all models in the future, or if the 2nd or 3rd gen look good enough we'll step it up to the stainless steel next time.

Anyone else have any scratches yet?

I have a SS Panerai watch which I've had for 6 years now. No scratches, but under a bright light, I can see very very fine hairline scratches around the bezel - no bid deal. The point of this is that I learned that there are different grades of SS. I don't think Apple uses the higher quality of SS despite their high price tag on these watches.
http://www.hho4free.com/stainless_steel_types.htm#Grades of Stainless
 
She's had her silver Sport model since Friday. Today she noticed a small and very straight scratch from the top left corner towards the middle of the screen.

She's not even sure how it happened. It's very, very thin and quite hard to see unless you look at it at just the right angle but it's definitely there. Makes me wonder what our watches will look like in a couple years!

Hopefully they bring the sapphire to all models in the future, or if the 2nd or 3rd gen look good enough we'll step it up to the stainless steel next time.

Anyone else have any scratches yet?
Look on the bright side, she didn't scratch your watch. #
 
Lol that video is funny. I can't tell if the kid really just didn't expect it to break, or if it's just bad acting . Either way it's pretty funny.

In any event a 5 foot face plant onto concrete is going to be a pretty dramatic experience for any material.

The video is 100% fake. If you look, you'll see that he "artfully" inserted alternate angles of the drop. The demolished phone was inserted and made to look like a pristine was being dropped. To be done properly, it should be one continuous shot.

Plus, the angle at which the main action is shot would preclude the alternate angle being simultaneously shot without the photographer being in the frame.

He also oversold the damage. It would have been more believable if the watch had a few fractures. This one clearly had been hit by a hammer.

It's amateurish as this sort of thing goes, and the nimrod who posted it is probably getting a big kick out of the one million+ hits. I guess some folks are attention starved.

You are correct, though, even though fake, that sort of drop would be exceedingly unfortunate and unlikely. And besides, I've owned watches for decades, and cannot remember a single instance where I've dropped on one a hard surface.
 
The video is 100% fake. If you look, you'll see that he "artfully" inserted alternate angles of the drop. The demolished phone was inserted and made to look like a pristine was being dropped. To be done properly, it should be one continuous shot.

Plus, the angle at which the main action is shot would preclude the alternate angle being simultaneously shot without the photographer being in the frame.

He also oversold the damage. It would have been more believable if the watch had a few fractures. This one clearly had been hit by a hammer.

It's amateurish as this sort of thing goes, and the nimrod who posted it is probably getting a big kick out of the one million+ hits. I guess some folks are attention starved.

You are correct, though, even though fake, that sort of drop would be exceedingly unfortunate and unlikely. And besides, I've owned watches for decades, and cannot remember a single instance where I've dropped on one a hard surface.

Yeah I like his first gasp… terrible acting. And it's interesting how he manages to keep everything in frame, continues recording, and then goes ahead and uploads the video. If that were real I could see his little project going south pretty quickly and not ever ending up on his channel
 
(1) ... It is not natural sapphire ... it is MAN MADE ... synthetic sapphire.

...

(3) ... also .. they call it sapphire GLASS. Naysayers say it technically not a glass .. however .. it also technically is not sapphire.

Still ... they call it a glass.

Consider who these "they" are.

There's no technically about it. Synthetic sapphire is sapphire. It's a crystalline solid. The chemical structure is identical to the stuff found in nature. It's not a glass. It fits no definition of a glass, save for the fact that it has a high degree of optical transparency. No one who is a materials scientist calls it a glass. Apple doesn't call it a glass. People who describe it as a glass (generally internet article writers who probably don't have a science/engineering background) do so incorrectly and not just "technically". This is important because amorphous and crystalline materials have differing properties, and it's misleading to convey that the sapphire used on the Apple Watch and Watch Edition models is any any way a form of glass.

Glass is an amorphous solid, meaning the atoms/molecules lack long-range order (similar to a liquid phase substance). Amorphous is the antonym of crystalline. Here there are also some misnomers — "crystal" chandeliers and "crystal" champaign flutes are not crystalline materials, they are in fact amorphous glass. It's just that we've gotten into the habit of calling heavy lead ion glass "crystal."

Interesting materials science fact: Most gemstones possess optical clarity in at least some portion of the visible light wavelength range. However, this makes them outliers. Most materials become more opaque as crystallinity increases (and conversely, transparency often increases with increased amorphous character).
 
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