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Who has owned both SS & aluminum AWs?
- Thread starter Luba
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Steel is definitely classier and more flexible.
Curious if anyone has been able to dress up an aluminium silver model.
Midnight blue or cocoa bands?
I like the contrast of light and dark.
As much as I love the scratch resistance of my S0 SS, I think I might get the Nike version this time. I’ll keep the SS for formal occasions and maybe upgrade it in a couple years.
Owned both and not really happy ...
Had a SS v1 which I then gifted. It is still holding up well. The SS does scratch but the glass is blemish free.
Now I have a Al Nike version black. The body is blemish free but the glass is not. It scratches far too easily. I added a screen protector but still scratched the edge.
An Al body with Sapphire Glass would be a better design IMO.
I have owned both hands down SS model. I had space grey alluminum and silver. They space grey coating was coming off on the back and depending on what you do in life the coating scratches easly and starts coming off around the edges together. Even the silver is easier to nick since it’s just alluminum I have seen the screens scratch way to easily also including mine. Now on my SS model it has been through hell and back from hit on concrete the wall doors unloading trucks and much more not one scratch on the screen and for the body just the normal stainless steel scratches. Because it shines so well you dont even notice from a person looking at you but looking at a alluminum model getting trashed is noticeable.
What a dilemma . . . having trouble selling my steel AW2 for $300 although have an offer for $250. I want AW3 because it will be faster although I don't know how 70% faster is going to translate into real life speed. I'm not interested in LTE for the foreseeable future so I'll probably settle for either the space gray or silver aluminum, if I can sell my AW2.
I definitely feel the steel AW looks better and can match up with the most number of bands. I didn't know the Ion glass could scratch so easily. Seems like one incident of trauma and the Ion glass screen will get scratched. I saw a demo space gray AW in an Apple Store and it was chipped through so that the aluminum underneath was visible. Looked bad. The silver aluminum with its matte look might be less good-looking, but it seems to be a safer choice. Much less noticeable if the silver aluminum got chipped, I would think.
I definitely feel the steel AW looks better and can match up with the most number of bands. I didn't know the Ion glass could scratch so easily. Seems like one incident of trauma and the Ion glass screen will get scratched. I saw a demo space gray AW in an Apple Store and it was chipped through so that the aluminum underneath was visible. Looked bad. The silver aluminum with its matte look might be less good-looking, but it seems to be a safer choice. Much less noticeable if the silver aluminum got chipped, I would think.
The dilemma is often dictated by cost...at least for me. If I had enough disposable income, I wouldn't think twice and get a SS.
But as I don't, I also struggle with the remaining options. I just ordered a silver aluminum one for many of the reasons you pointed out. It also is similar to SS in that it can be matched up with bands. The only downside IMO, is that it's probably the 'cheapest' looking of all the finishes.
I'm going to hijack my own thread
. . . yes, dictated by cost because most of us don't have unlimited or almost unlimited funds. At $700 per year for the steel AW a Rolex or even a Patek Philippe doesn't seem so expensive. I'm looking for a way to slow down the cost. Maybe with AW4 or AW5 it'll be fast and there won't be any other features we want. We would then keep AWs for years at a time. I remember the gains from a new iPhone in the beginning were big, now a two year or three year old iPhone is still quite usable. Right now, I feel getting an aluminum AW every year is doable for me or steel every other year is doable, but getting a steel AW every year is not doable and feels very uncomfortable wallet-wise.
I am on the original Stainless steel model so I am definetly upgrading. Only way I will upgrade after this is one of two things. Face time is added to the watch or a bigger screen is introduced.I'm going to hijack my own thread
that applies with any electronic device these days but yes the SS models take a big hit when a newer model comes out as they technically do the same as their much cheaper Aluminium counterparts
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I dont understand all these people saying how much nicer the SS is. I think they’re just trying to justify their purchase. I own both, and interchange them daily at work, and while people are always coming up to me and talking about the AW, not ONE single person has ever noticed that they are two different watches. Even among people that own an AW. Not one, and i deal with at least 100 people a day, every day.
That being said. I would wear the “cheap” aluminum watch hiking, swimming, camping etc and it still looks almost brand new. The SS, which i only wore to work and dinner/nights out Looks worse somehow.
Also, whoever said something about the resale prices is correct. I tried selling both, as i just ordered a S3, and nobody even wanted the SS, everyone wanted the regular unless they were around the same price
I think the SS is a waste of money. If you want a nice watch that people are going to notice, go get yourself a rolex or something. I guarantee nobody notices that your SS is “nicer” with your suit than if you were wearing the cheaper one. Only us Apple geeks on the internet even notice.
That being said. I would wear the “cheap” aluminum watch hiking, swimming, camping etc and it still looks almost brand new. The SS, which i only wore to work and dinner/nights out Looks worse somehow.
Also, whoever said something about the resale prices is correct. I tried selling both, as i just ordered a S3, and nobody even wanted the SS, everyone wanted the regular unless they were around the same price
I think the SS is a waste of money. If you want a nice watch that people are going to notice, go get yourself a rolex or something. I guarantee nobody notices that your SS is “nicer” with your suit than if you were wearing the cheaper one. Only us Apple geeks on the internet even notice.
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FaceTime I don't see happening for the Apple Watch, which will require implementation of a camera. I don't see Apple venturing on to that path, but it's possible. Ultimately, I do agree though I would like to see a larger display, perhaps a 44 mm. I do think Apple might offer a third option in the near future. Hopefully the band port is retained for at least one more Apple Watch version if they decide to change it eventually.
It would be nice if Apple put sapphire on the aluminum case. I get the SS/BSS simply because of the glass. Have owned both and unfortunately the daily wear and tear has caused scratches on the aluminum model because of the cheaper glass. It's a deal breaker for me to not go with SS/BSS for this simple fact.
There seems to be a lot of this type of logic on this forum - if *I* don't like it then people must be delusional in liking it.
I ordered the ceramic. The one that will drop in value the most, I'm sure. I'm buying it because I found the aluminum was ugly to look at. I found it unappealing after a few weeks owning one. No one said that to me. If it's something I'm wearing then I would like it to look good to me. If you're buying it for others to appreciate then good for you.
For me it's not even about other people noticing it, it's about having the sapphire crystal
I scratched the hell out of my Apple Watch Sport, and it looks awful, the sapphire crystal is such an improvement
And I also have a Space Black watch so it blends so nicely with the OLED display and black bezel, it's one piece―uniformity
I agree with you. I have owned silver and spacegrey alluminum and to me in my opinion after awhile they look cheap and scratch easily. The Stainless steel ones are the ones I own now and I get lot's of compliments asking about it. I have wore it through every type of activity you can think of and have bumped it on everything you can think of in the last year or so not one scratch on the screen. The body has the normal Stianless steel micro scratched but on the silver one they blend in very well nobody can tell. I think it looks more professional and class in stainless steel and don't regret buying it along with the new series 3 LTE model in stainless steel. Yes it costs more and yes it does the same thing but to me I will pay the extra for the better looks and less chance for damage to make me happy. I don't want to settle for less because it's cheaper on something that I will wear and look at every day.
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I agree with you %100 percent on this from experience.
Every picture I see of the stainless steel model I see I think it looks fantastic. I'm still wondering if I made a mistake going with ceramic over stainless steel - I'll find out when it arrives.
I think if you like the look of the aluminum then that's great because you can save some money!
I have never looked into the ceramic one is it more damage resistant than the stainless steel one? Is it light like alluminum or heavy like stailess steel. I'm sure it has to have some benefits.
It is a little lighter than the stainless steel model and 4 times stronger so it shouldn't scratch. Ceramic is subject to shattering than scratching, similar to sapphire, but that'll have to be a really large impact.
Has anyone owned the black stainless steel model. I debated on getting it over and over but upon review I have heard and seen the coating come off so I stuck with silver. The black looks real sharp.
I think it'll be difficult for the coating to come off. I have the space black link bracelet and it still looks brand new. I'm just not a fan of a totally monochrome look so I never considered the space black watch, but if scratching is your only concern I think you shouldn't worry.
I wanted it so bad but saw pictures and posts about the coating come off. From time to time at my job I help my guys out when needed and unload trucks and I never take my watch off. If I work on my motorcyle or car I never take the watch off. I don't take it off for anything but a shower. It will take lots of bumps. I will do some more research and maybe ask my apple store if they have any on Friday my silver one is reserved for pickup. I will get there more than likely a hour early or so out of excitment ect.
I have the space black SS S0 with black link bracelet. It is flawless still to date and I have not babied it at all. For me the most stylish set-up there is. Value loss, however, is horrendous. I am playing with upgrading to a space grey aluminum w/o LTE and pair it with the same link bracelet. I have to check how this will look together. If I don't like it I will just keep the SS S0 for at least another year.