Which Apple Watch color Stainless Steel did you get?

[ron1990]

I really do not know which color to buy. (Because of the fact that I do not have an Apple store it's a bit hard to get an impression based on photos only).

black - looks classic, clean and smooth looking. But it is not as noticeable as the other colors (Missing "wow effect" of 750$ watch) and Maybe less suitable to fit with other bands.

Silver - a bit boring (just as boring as the silver iPhone XS MAX).

Gold - very prestigious, Fancy and eye-catching.

I am upgrading from a series of 4, black-colored aluminum.

 

[Apple_Robert]

Get the color you like. Everyone has different preferences and likes. Asking random people what color they got will not help you arrive at a logical conclusion about which color you should get.

 

[ron1990]

Get the color you like. Everyone has different preferences and likes. Asking random people what color they got will not help you arrive at a logical conclusion about which color you should get.

I can not decide between the gold and the black.
I'm afraid the gold is a little feminine.
So I ask for your opinion

 

[Apple_Robert]

I can not decide between the gold and the black.
I'm afraid the gold is a little feminine.
So I ask for your opinion

Have you gone to the store and looked at them in person? If not, do so.

Gold is not feminine or masculine. Gold is a color.

 

[ManicMarc]

Some of the bands are definitely feminine (modern buckle) but the watch itself is neutral. I wear 38mm and I'm a guy.

 

[ron1990]

Have you gone to the store and looked at them in person? If not, do so.

Gold is not feminine or masculine. Gold is a color.

Unfortunately there is no Apple store in my country
So I can not go and look in person.

 

[wolfie]

The gold is not feminine. I had it. It is really understated and does not show as strong as gold jewellery. In fact, in some lights, it showed to be nearly the same as stainless steel. It’s just enough tint to give a bit of class.

I ended up returning it as the Hermes pull was too much for me to resist. Also, was worried about durability of gold. Scratch it, and that’s it. Stainless steel can be polished.

 

[44267547]

Black stainless, simply because of the DLC (Diamond like Carbon) coating and it looks stellar. I wanted the added protection, and personally, there are multiple bands that match really well with this casing color.

 

[bigjnyc]

Silver, if you’re going to get the black then you might as well get the sport..... never understood why anyone would get the stainless steel in space gray? You can’t really dress it up, it doesn’t look good with silver, or brown bands. Kind of defeats the purpose of spending more on stainless steel.

 

[EdMan]

I had the Black stainless but took it back and got silver. I just felt that the silver would match more bands and I like that it offers a little more flexibility to me. I love them both but give a little more favor to the silver.

 

[nepatriot]

DLC on space black resists micro-swirls and minor scratches. Regular SS does not. While SS can be polished out, paste can get stuck in the grove around the crown and space around the button. For me, my normal watches are all SS, so SB is different.

The only negative to SB, and the ALU black, is they look like androgynous fitness trackers with any standard Apple band. That can be fixed traditional watch straps sold by traditional watch back makers.

 

[JWGold]

My previous Apple Watch was Space Black. While the DLC on the watch held up fine, the link bracelet was a mess after just a few short weeks. The clasp and underside got scratched up just from using a computer keyboard (nothing strenuous). Obviously, the bracelet isn’t DLC like the watch. It seemed like it was just black paint over steel. The silver scratches on black looked horrible. I went back to Apple and they actually gave me a new bracelet. I then sold the watch and bracelet and got a stainless steel Apple Watch. The stainless steel bracelet still scratches, but you can polish it with polish and the scratches themselves don’t look nearly as bad.

 

[44267547]

While SS can be polished out, paste can get stuck in the grove around the crown and space around the button.

That’s unnecessary to use any type of polishing paste on the Apple Watch, not when the cape cod cloth can execute the same tasks by removing minor scratches/scuffs/haze, and eliminates any type of usage with paste that would clog any of the ports on the Apple Watch.

Obviously, the bracelet isn’t DLC like the watch. It seemed like it was just black paint over steel..

False. Read the link below direct from Apple‘s website. The black stainless link bracket _does_ contain a diamond like carbon coating (DLC) layer.

https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MJ5K2ZM/A/42mm-space-black-link-bracelet

“Crafted from the same 316L stainless steel alloy as the case, the Link Bracelet has more than 100 components. The machining process is so precise, it takes nearly nine hours to cut the links for a single band. The custom butterfly closure folds neatly within the bracelet. And several links feature a simple release button, so you can add and remove links without any special tools. An additional diamond-like carbon (DLC) layer gives the space black stainless steel its distinctive finish.”

 

[ron1990]

I really do not know which color to buy. (Because of the fact that I do not have an Apple store it's a bit hard to get an impression based on photos only).

black - looks classic, clean and smooth looking. But it is not as noticeable as the other colors (Missing "wow effect" of 750$ watch) and Maybe less suitable to fit with other bands.

Silver - a bit boring (just as boring as the silver iPhone XS MAX).

Gold - very prestigious, Fancy and eye-catching.

I am upgrading from a series of 4, black-colored aluminum.

 

[44267547]

I really do not know which color to buy. (Because of the fact that I do not have an Apple store it's a bit hard to get an impression based on photos only).

black - looks classic, clean and smooth looking. But it is not as noticeable as the other colors (Missing "wow effect" of 750$ watch) and Maybe less suitable to fit with other bands.

Silver - a bit boring (just as boring as the silver iPhone XS MAX).

Gold - very prestigious, Fancy and eye-catching.

I am upgrading from a series of 4, black-colored aluminum.

If you’re not sure, opt for the silver stainless. The reason being, it virtually pairs almost with any band, and has that classic look with the 316 L stainless. I don’t find the Silver stainless ‘boring’, that’s where the bands assist, they help give it more sophistication and character. And just my opinion, I don’t find the gold stainless as prestigious, I see it being like any other watch, where you’re purchasing a traditional color that’s been around forever.

 

[nepatriot]

That’s unnecessary to use any type of polishing paste on the Apple Watch, not when the cape cod cloth can execute the same tasks by removing minor scratches/scuffs/haze, and eliminates any type of usage with paste that would clog any of the ports on the Apple Watch.

You've never used a Cape Cod cloth. If you did, you would know that it has polish paste infused into it. The cloth is discarded when the paste wears out. During use, it can leave the watch covered in a semi-liquid film. You have to be careful while holding the watch and polishing not to let your hand rub the crystal, because any paste that gets on the glass can rub off the AR.
[doublepost=1550323553][/doublepost]

If you’re not sure, opt for the silver stainless. The reason being, it virtually pairs almost with any band, and has that classic look with the 316 L stainless. I don’t find the Silver stainless ‘boring’, that’s where the bands assist, they help give it more sophistication and character. And just my opinion, I don’t find the gold stainless as prestigious, I see it being like any other watch, where you’re purchasing a traditional color that’s been around forever.

"Pairs"?

 

[44267547]

You've never used a Cape Cod cloth. If you did, you would know that it has polish paste infused into it. The cloth is discarded when the paste wears out.

No need to be dismissive, anyways, you gave bad advice (It happens), I simply made a better suggestion and told you that paste is a generally a bad idea, which in fact, it is. A cape cod cloth does not use _any_ type paste like substance that is thick, it’s merely an oily substance residue that can be wiped away, and it does not leave any paste residue behind, which indicates to me, you likely don’t have experience with these cloths for posting something inaccurate.

For the record, also a poor assumption on your behalf, because I have used Cape Cod cloths _many_ times and suggested them over any paste substances that you did. Again, paste polishing is not smart to use for the Apple Watch, simply because it can clog the ports or become lodged in between the casing and the display.

But thanks for the discussion.


Hence the pictures:

 

[nepatriot]

I really do not know which color to buy. (Because of the fact that I do not have an Apple store it's a bit hard to get an impression based on photos only).

black - looks classic, clean and smooth looking. But it is not as noticeable as the other colors (Missing "wow effect" of 750$ watch) and Maybe less suitable to fit with other bands.

Silver - a bit boring (just as boring as the silver iPhone XS MAX).

Gold - very prestigious, Fancy and eye-catching.

I am upgrading from a series of 4, black-colored aluminum.

Another way to look at it:

Silver, otherwise known as polished SS, is most traditional for a watch, especially a sport-orientated watch, like a diver. Somehow IMHO does not quite look right on an AW. Perhaps because the AW is not a watch at all: t's a wrist device, that among other features tells time.

Gold is most polarizing. Gold-tone, not as popular as polished SS, is, when used, found on "dress" or fashion watches. Perhaps this is because in the more distant past, gold watches used real gold. In more modern times, due to gold costs, just about all gold watches in the last 50 -70 years are really gold color, not real gold. Perhaps because of that, on anything less than a $20,000 watch, a gold equaled "fake" or tacky.

I think today gold does not mean gold the metal, but rather gold as simply a color. Being older, I wouldn't be caught dead in a gold watch, because to me I would never wear a fashion or dress watch. But I think it looks good on an AW.... just not one on me.

SBSS DLC. While black watches often can look cool, especially military style watches, I've never owned one. Mostly because of practicality: they are less flexible where they can be worn, and black is a coating that can (and does) wear off. Looks bad when the SS under is exposed, IMHO. The Apple coating is newer tech and more fused, and harder than traditional coatings. I think it looks good on an AW, but the Apple back rubber

Color is subjective, so really no one can answer for anyone else. At the end of the day, all that matters is what strikes your fancy.

One good thing about an AW not being a watch: as a piece of tech, it's like your iPhone. A real watch costs thousands of dollars and lasts a life time ... or more: all it does is tell time. An AW you replace like a phone: it's out dated after a year, and unable to keep up with the latest tech after a few years. So, you get to try another color every few years.

 

[CreepyAF]

i had the gold stainless steel before i switched to black. i love the understated nature of the black, but miss the beautiful color of the gold. the gold is definitely more bling, and feels richer. the way it catches the light and reflects the surroundings in that bronze hue is just mesmerizing...

on the other hand, the gold seemed to pair with less bands, even though it's technically a neutral color. and i can relate to the OPs sentiment that the gold seems more feminine - when compared to the black, i think it is, too. especially with the stone sport band. but with a dark band it would look dapper on anyone.

 

[parseckadet]

I went with the Black for a few reasons. First and foremost was the DLC. It’s been proven out at this point to be very good at resisting scratches. I’ve seen plenty of pictures of release day series 0 watches that still look brand new. I don’t want to baby my watch, and have and will wear it while doing yard work, working my cars, and all sorts of activities.

Second, because of the screen, you’re going to have a big black square on your wrist no matter what. While there are plenty of traditional watches with black faces, most of them aren’t as in your face about it as the Apple Watch. So my approach is to embrace the black and have the whole thing have a uniform look. Then I use bands for the times I want the watch to stand out.

Finally, I like that the black watch has the ability to blend in with my attire if I want it to. Since I’m a guy, when I’m really dressing up that means wearing a suit, and I favor darker suits. So I have the choice of wearing a black band and having the watch blend in, or wearing a band that matches my shirt or tie and having it stand out more. Having the ability to do this by the occasion is good in my eyes. Am I going to a funeral? Black band that doesn’t call attention to the watch is good. Business meeting? Black again, because I want people focusing on what I’m saying, not my watch (and letting their opinions of the Apple Watch potentially affect their opinion of what I’m saying). A nice dinner or date night? I’ll wear a band that matches my shirt and calls a little more attention to the watch.

Another way to look at it:
SBSS DLC. While black watches often can look cool, especially military style watches, I've never owned one. Mostly because of practicality: they are less flexible where they can be worn, and black is a coating that can (and does) wear off. Looks bad when the SS under is exposed, IMHO. The Apple coating is newer tech and more fused, and harder than traditional coatings. I think it looks good on an AW, but the Apple back rubber

I’m not quite sure what you’re trying to say here. Are you suggesting that the DLC will wear off? There are cheap black watches, which are just painted, and that paint wears off. But it’s pretty well documented at this point that Apple’s process is not that. The DLC is very tough, and doesn’t wear off easily. Hell, I’ve hit mine hard enough to trigger the fall detection, and there’s still not a scratch on it. You can’t compare Apple’s process to that used on some Fossil or G-Shock. It’s a night and day difference. I suggested you google “Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD)” if you want to learn more about it.

Also, what does this sentence even mean?
“I think it looks good on an AW, but the Apple back rubber.”
What?

 

[pasadena]

I went with the silver. I found the black... too black (!). The gold on AW4 is not nearly as golden as it used to be. It's a more subdued, kind of copper gold. Not "in your face" gold. Actually very pretty. I don't like the color of gold, never wore gold jewelry, but I did spend quite a lot of time looking at the Gold SS Watch and thinking that it's beautiful. I didn't buy it because I still like the silver better, and because it's more versatile, especially for me. But the gold is beautiful - just don't expect a " true" gold, yellow shade.

And I really don't think it's too feminine. But then I'm not a guy, so...

 

[JWGold]

False. Read the link below direct from Apple‘s website. The black stainless link bracket _does_ contain a diamond like carbon coating (DLC) layer.

https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MJ5K2ZM/A/42mm-space-black-link-bracelet

“Crafted from the same 316L stainless steel alloy as the case, the Link Bracelet has more than 100 components. The machining process is so precise, it takes nearly nine hours to cut the links for a single band. The custom butterfly closure folds neatly within the bracelet. And several links feature a simple release button, so you can add and remove links without any special tools. An additional diamond-like carbon (DLC) layer gives the space black stainless steel its distinctive finish.”

Have you actually owned one? I have and I can tell you it was not DLC. It may have been stainless steel with Particle Vapor Deposition (PVD), but it was not DLC. The bracelet didn’t even have the same luster as the watch, and when I took it back to Apple to complain, they eventually replaced it, and I got rid of it because I knew it was only a matter of time before the new one got scratched up too. I’ll post pictures if I can find them. Don’t necessarily believe everything Apple puts out there.

Edit:

This is not mine, but this is exactly what mine did. This isn’t how DLC is supposed to wear. Anyone who is familiar with the properties of DLC can tell you, this is not DLC. It is more likely PVD.

 

[44267547]

Have you actually owned one? I have and I can tell you it was not DLC.

Yes, and my experience is well documented throughout the Apple Watch forum with DLC/the black stainless steel Apple Watch and space black link bracelet.

I can tell you it was not DLC. It may have been stainless steel with Particle Vapor Deposition (PVD), but it was not DLC.

I’m familiar with PVD versus DLC, so are you implying that Apple is blatantly wrong with their description then saying otherwise? I mean, I understand you said not to believe everything Apple says, but they wouldn’t blatantly put something out there that wasn’t true, unless someone could prove otherwise. If it was me, and you truly didn’t believe what Apple was saying, then I would have the Apple Watch band tested for the DLC strength/bond through a certified metallurgist.

Regardless, here are my thoughts. Is the entire link beyond DLC coated? I don’t think it is. I think that the sides of the link bands are DLC coated, but not the top and bottom of the link band. My Link band does not look anything like the picture you posted, but I don’t wear my black stainless link been regularly either, as I have switched bands out frequently.

 

[JWGold]

Yes, and my experience is well documented throughout the Apple Watch forum with DLC/the black stainless steel Apple Watch and space black link bracelet.



I’m familiar with PVD versus DLC, so are you implying that Apple is blatantly wrong with their description then saying otherwise? I mean, I understand you said not to believe everything Apple says, but they wouldn’t blatantly put something out there that wasn’t true, unless someone could prove otherwise. If it was me, and you truly didn’t believe what Apple was saying, then I would have the Apple Watch tested for the DLC strength/bond through a certified metallurgist.

Regardless, here are my thoughts. Is the entire link beyond DLC coated? I don’t think it is. I think that the sides of the link bands are DLC coated, but not the top and bottom of the link band. My Link band does not look anything like the picture you posted, but I don’t wear my black stainless link been regularly either, as I have switched bands out frequently.

Bottom line: I honestly don’t care. I had the black link bracelet for three months, and in that time I had a bunch of unsightly scuff marks from just wearing the watch at work and never from outdoor activities. I’m saying it didn’t wear like DLC, but if it was DLC, then I wasn’t impressed by Apple’s DLC process and therefore I got rid of it as soon as I could.

 

[44267547]

Bottom line: I honestly don’t care. I had the black link bracelet for three months, and in that time I had a bunch of unsightly scuff marks from just wearing the watch at work and never from outdoor activities. I’m saying it didn’t wear like DLC, but if it was DLC, then I wasn’t impressed by Apple’s DLC process and therefore I got rid of it as soon as I could.

It’s not PVD, and there’s no indication that it is. Being Apple list it as DLC, it may not be as thick/strong as the coating that was used on the space black Apple Watch, and I’m not inclined to believe that Apple is misleading anyone saying otherwise either. So unless you have a direct source proving that the space black link bracelet isn’t DLC, then really I think your opinion is unfounded, as I said, unless the bracelet was tested for DLC by a certified metallurgist, it would be the _only_ way to know other than what Apple said based off the website description I provided you.