Why I am going from gold back to aliminum (discoloration issue)

[5105973]

***EDIT, Update: I was successfully able to remove most of the marks with a treated jewelry cloth from Tiffany’s online store. The description say to use the cloth only with their silver jewelry but I used it with no harm to the gold finish. Just don’t touch the oleophobic coating on the crystal to be on the safe side.**

I’ve mentioned in several conversations in different threads that I am going from a series 4 gold Apple Watch to a Nike Space Grey Watch this time. I thought it might help some people get a sense of why I’d do that if I post a picture that tells the story.

I’ve mentioned that my gold finish has experienced some sort of tarnishing. It actually doesn’t appear to have any scratches, but the finish looks dreadful anyway. I’ve been asked if it’s due to hand sanitizer but the answer is that the damage predates any use of hand sanitizer. I’ve had this watch for almost 2 years now. The first tiny signs of discoloration appeared around 8 months into ownership.

I will go ahead and post the picture of my Series 4 Gold next to my Series 2 Space Grey sport watch (which despite much more rugged use and use in swimming pools has NO damage of any kind visible. Not even to its Ion X crystal).

FYI, The back of the sport watch is ceramic and ion X. The back of the gold watch is sapphire and ceramic.

I treated my gold watch gently, thinking to keep it for 4 years. By contrast, I was rough as heck on the sport watch, swimming and doing yard work with it on. I rarely took it off.

The stains shown do NOT come off. They’re permanent. There is a light line on the surface coating of the other side of the watch. There’s nothing, not one single mark on the other side of the aluminum watch.

I am guessing the marks were caused by slight soap residue from when I wash my hands and a little bit of splash up happens, because that corroded side is closest to my hand. I’ve never used any soaps or chemicals directly on it except for very recently, to see if the stains could be removed. No additional damage happened as a result of my cleaning efforts. All the damage you see to the finish happened gradually over 2 years. There was no one defining event that did this.

The other possibility is corrosion from sweat. I used to always rinse my other watches at the end of the day. I didn’t always rinse this watch, ironically because I was concerned about minerals from my well water messing up the finish.

I also have an original stainless steel Apple Watch that doesn’t have any marks other than the usual micro scratches. I didn’t photograph it because I gave it to a family member.

So, anyway, that’s my particular experience with the gold coating on stainless steel. I’ve not heard of any other complaints about this finish so I assume I’m an outlying case and there’s nothing in particular to worry about if you like and ordered the new gold Series 6. Also the new gold is a much nicer shade of gold from what I can see of the photos. My gold looks more bronze or brown in person and has darkened a little bit over the years.

 

[mel823]

Thanks for sharing your experience GrumpyMom. I also went from a Gold SS to a Gold aluminum. My watch didn’t become tarnished like yours, but I did baby the hell out of it, and I kind of got tired of doing that for a watch. Also, I don’t use the cellular service, so figured I might save some money this time around.

 

[HDFan]

I've had no problems with my gold S5.

 

[5105973]

I've had no problems with my gold S5.

I don’t think many people do. Like I said in my original post, I’m probably an outlier. But I wanted to show people what can possibly happen to this finish. I don’t want this to happen to anyone else so I’m sort of retracing my steps with this watch for everyone. This was a sad experience because I really wanted to keep this watch at least 3 years, maybe even 4. I’m actually still wearing the series 2 watch in the picture most of the time. I’m kind of nutty about getting a new iPhone every year but I prefer to hang onto my watches. Especially an expensive stainless steel model

One thing I did differently with this watch is I didn’t wash it with the barest drop of liquid soap and rinse it with water daily. I used to do that with all the other water resistant Apple watches. My original silver stainless watch was carefully wiped down with a moistened cloth.

I did the wash and rinse for a rose gold series 1 sport (which got dropped and trampled at a sporting event) and the black one shown. I also had a series 3 white aluminum that I gave to my sister-in-law when I got the gold watch shown here. That silver aluminum was also pristine when I handed it over.

I probably should have kept up with the light liquid soap and water wash and rinse, but instead I would just take the watch off and dry it if it got splashed when I washed my hands before brushing my teeth. Then I would set it on the charger. I just wasn’t sure how to best deal with that finish. It could feel a bit odd and tacky when it got splashed, so I didn’t think washing it was a good idea.

The surface of the crown was the first part to discolor. It was a gradual decline in the finish and took two years to get as badly and thoroughly discolored as shown.

I think that’s a natural wear point for the protective coating Apple applies to these finishes.

I think perhaps soap residue that wasn’t rinsed off properly and/or sweat and possibly hand lotion ate through the coating over time. I do not use any kinds of perfumes or colognes due to allergies. But I do use hand lotion in the winter. And I wear sunscreen in the summer. That may be a culprit as well.

So anyway I’m not trying to scare anyone off from a fabulous color choice. Just be aware this can possibly happen and that the factors I mentioned may possibly have been the cause. Do it differently than I did!

One reason I used to wash and rinse my sport watches was that I’d heard the anecdotes about sweat corroding and pitting the surface of Apple’s aluminum products. I didn’t know anything could deface the tinted stainless steel other than outright scratches. Now I know!

 

[5105973]

Thanks for sharing your experience GrumpyMom. I also went from a Gold SS to a Gold aluminum. My watch didn’t become tarnished like yours, but I did baby the hell out of it, and I kind of got tired of doing that for a watch. Also, I don’t use the cellular service, so figured I might save some money this time around.

You’re welcome. I hope gold SS watch owners and new purchasers take a look at what I did and can do things differently and prevent their watches from getting like mine did. Maybe that means going without sunscreen or hand lotion??? I don’t really know.

I was doing landscaping work and gardening when that black watch was my only watch and wore it without a care at the time. I’m still wearing it for yard work and rough and tumble days out with the kids and in the swimming pool. I spared it from nothing. It got sunscreen and lotion and pool water and grit and dirt and sweat and soap and well water all over it. Yet there is not a mark on it anywhere.

The gold watch was my “dressing up” watch, the pampered poodle of the two. So it was a shock and disappointment when I first noticed the discoloration.

 

[caelius]

FYI: I have the exact same markings on my space black SS watch. They‘re not coming off either.

 

[batristain]

Now I'm on the fence.....I was planning to upgrade this year (I have a series 5) but it's SS Silver....I've had the SS since series 0. I was excited now that I've found some nice bands to upgrade to the yellow gold color. I wear my SS Apple Watch doing everything except sleeping and showering. I garden, workout, do the dishes, etc...and I've never had a discoloration or tarnish with my SS silver watch. Thanks everyone for the info! Decisions, decisions....

 

[5105973]

FYI: I have the exact same markings on my space black SS watch. They‘re not coming off either.

Oh my goodness, really? I thought the DLC on the SSSB would not be subject to this. I’m sorry to hear that. What a shame, space black SS is stunning.

I am contemplating keeping my Gold stainless watch despite the markings. I honestly don’t notice them unless I sit there and really look close and nobody is ever going to stare at my watch while I’m wearing it and lean at the angle necessary to see the discoloration.

I have a gorgeous Milanese loop that will be “stranded” if I get rid of this watch. Apple is giving me only $155 in trade and I spent over $700 on it when you factor in the Milanese loop bought separately. I may as well wear it until it wears out completely.

My Series 2 black aluminum needs to be retired because it’s just not keeping up software-wise. (Lol, I say that and I’ll still wear it.)

 

[5105973]

Now I'm on the fence.....I was planning to upgrade this year (I have a series 5) but it's SS Silver....I've had the SS since series 0. I was excited now that I've found some nice bands to upgrade to the yellow gold color. I wear my SS Apple Watch doing everything except sleeping and showering. I garden, workout, do the dishes, etc...and I've never had a discoloration or tarnish with my SS silver watch. Thanks everyone for the info! Decisions, decisions....

Well I’m glad if my post can add to your knowledge base as you decide which watch to buy. But I hope it doesn’t ruin your appreciation for the gold Apple Watch because there are MANY happy gold watch owners out there whose watches remain perfect. I hope they will chime in and let us know how they kept their finishes pristine.

I don’t know if this can happen to silver stainless watches. It’s some form of oxidation, but I don’t know if it’s oxidation of the steel itself or of the coating that provides the color.

I believe it’s just limited to the color, because there’s a point on the oval side button (not the crown) that now exposes the silver under the gold and the oxidation process seems to have stopped there. There haven’t been any changes on that small spot in a year. I did nothing to physically abrade the gold color off there. Whatever caused that is a chemical reaction.

I owned an original stainless steel Apple Watch back when I was still working regularly as a landscaper rehabbing my property and volunteering to do the same at our school. I never had anything worse than micro scratches on that one. And of course there was always the option to polish them out.

I don’t plan on keeping my Series 6 more than a couple of years, so I’m fine with aluminum this time. And really I like the aluminum just fine so if I get “stuck” with it for a few years I am sure I’ll be quite happy.

But my plan is to upgrade as soon as Apple can get some sort of blood sugar monitor to the market. THAT is the watch I’m really waiting for, the one I intend to keep 3 years and will invest in a luxury finish again. Maybe for that one I’ll splurge on a Hermès for once in my life. And I won’t hesitate to get the silver stainless steel when I do that.

 

[5105973]

Now I'm on the fence.....I was planning to upgrade this year (I have a series 5) but it's SS Silver....I've had the SS since series 0. I was excited now that I've found some nice bands to upgrade to the yellow gold color. I wear my SS Apple Watch doing everything except sleeping and showering. I garden, workout, do the dishes, etc...and I've never had a discoloration or tarnish with my SS silver watch. Thanks everyone for the info! Decisions, decisions....

I have some good news to report. I was reluctant to try silver or stainless steel polish because it could be abrasive.

I’ve just been using soft non treated flannel when I tried to remove the marks. Also I had tried plain soaps of various kinds and water and some jewelry cleaner my mom used. Nothing worked. But fortunately nothing caused further harm, either.

Then I got the recommendation to instead try a polishing cloth from Tiffany’s jewelry’s online site. They say it’s only to be used on their silver jewelry, but I decided I had nothing to lose at this point and the women who recommended it said it worked wonders on their tarnished 10k gold rings without causing harm to the finish. And it worked! All of the marks and discoloration came off of the crown and even the part that looked like it has been worn down to the exposed silver was NOT actually worn through after all. That was also a surface discoloration.

The only marks I wasn’t able to remove were ones down low closer to my skin that you can’t see anyway when the watch is being worn. I don’t know why those won’t come off but I don’t want to risk the finish trying to polish more than I already have. To me it’s a miracle the buttons came out perfect again. I was nervous the entire time I’d end up taking color off. And I had to be careful around the oleo phobic coating on the crystal. But it did no harm. Some parts of the tarnished sections were more resistant than others and needed more attention.

So go ahead and get that gold Apple Watch without fear. I did wash and rinse the watch after I polished it because I don’t know what the cloth is treated with and it does leave a weird smell.

 

[techspin]

I’m actually still wearing the series 2 watch in the picture most of the time. I’m kind of nutty about getting a new iPhone every year but I prefer to hang onto my watches.

You should upgrade! Night and day difference and the always on display is 👌

 

[5105973]

You should upgrade! Night and day difference and the always on display is 👌

Oh yeah I do have a Series 6 Space grey aluminum sport coming in this week!

I was going to trade in my gold series 4 to bring the cost of the new watch down a bit, but now that it’s all cleaned up and rescued I will keep it to wear with my dressier clothes and its matching Milanese loop band.

I can also switch between the series 4 and the 6 so I can use the sleep tracking app.

 

[batristain]

I have some good news to report. I was reluctant to try silver or stainless steel polish because it could be abrasive.

I’ve just been using soft non treated flannel when I tried to remove the marks. Also I had tried plain soaps of various kinds and water and some jewelry cleaner my mom used. Nothing worked. But fortunately nothing caused further harm, either.

Then I got the recommendation to instead try a polishing cloth from Tiffany’s jewelry’s online site. They say it’s only to be used on their silver jewelry, but I decided I had nothing to lose at this point and the women who recommended it said it worked wonders on their tarnished 10k gold rings without causing harm to the finish. And it worked! All of the marks and discoloration came off of the crown and even the part that looked like it has been worn down to the exposed silver was NOT actually worn through after all. That was also a surface discoloration.

The only marks I wasn’t able to remove were ones down low closer to my skin that you can’t see anyway when the watch is being worn. I don’t know why those won’t come off but I don’t want to risk the finish trying to polish more than I already have. To me it’s a miracle the buttons came out perfect again. I was nervous the entire time I’d end up taking color off. And I had to be careful around the oleo phobic coating on the crystal. But it did no harm. Some parts of the tarnished sections were more resistant than others and needed more attention.

So go ahead and get that gold Apple Watch without fear. I did wash and rinse the watch after I polished it because I don’t know what the cloth is treated with and it does leave a weird smell.

Thank you for the tip - I will order one to keep on-hand!

Cheers,
Bobbie

 

[ZipZap]

The question at hand is "What did Apple say about this?". It does not matter if you are out of warranty either. The S4 should not look like that after 2 years.

 

[5105973]

The question at hand is "What did Apple say about this?". It does not matter if you are out of warranty either. The S4 should not look like that after 2 years.

I did not contact them. From what everyone says of their experiences with Apple over the years, Apple doesn’t take action on cosmetic damage.

And fortunately the Tiffany’s silver jewelry cloth I recently purchased took the marks off. Well, most of the easily visible ones. There are still some stubborn ones toward the bottom but they’re not visible when I wear the watch.

 

[ZipZap]

This is a very confusing thread.

My immediate impression was that it was a plating issue that Apple would certainly resolve had you asked them. But now it appears to be a dirt issue which totally invalidates your thinking on the Gold SS.

Essentially, the last post is the only bit of information useful to those with similar discoloration.

 

[5105973]

This is a very confusing thread.

My immediate impression was that it was a plating issue that Apple would certainly resolve had you asked them. But now it appears to be a dirt issue which totally invalidates your thinking on the Gold SS.

Essentially, the last post is the only bit of information useful to those with similar discoloration.

Well it was confusing for me to go through it, too. I’m not a metallurgist or a jeweler. I could only show and describe what I was seeing.

The fact it took a chemically treated jeweler’s cloth to remove most of the stains shows it isn’t dirt. And it’s not a defect in the plating.

My best guess is it’s good old fashioned tarnish. And it probably happened due to contact with something I exposed the watch to regularly that not everyone else does. It could be minerals in my well water. It could be sun screen. Who knows? But the fact it came off would indicate to me Apple isn’t legally responsible to warrant a material defect.

However, I think it’s still useful for people to know this can possibly happen to their gold watches and that there’s a simple remedy after all.

 

[wilberforce]

Careful, these polishing cloths work by removing a few microns of plating. You want to do it as sparingly as possible. On silver-plated cutlery it is quite easy to completely remove the plating by aggressive frequent polishing, especially at edges.

 

[5105973]

Careful, these polishing cloths work by removing a few microns of plating. You want to do it as sparingly as possible. On silver-plated cutlery it is quite easy to completely remove the plating by aggressive frequent polishing, especially at edges.

Yeah I was wondering about that. That’s why I was worried about using other types of polishing products. This was pretty much my last ditch attempt to address it as you can see from the photos I didn’t really have much to lose.

I do wish I knew for sure how I did this to my poor watch. It was my first and so far only stainless watch that has a color finish.

I just set up my black Nike aluminum watch. It’s gorgeous and comfortable. It’s a darker shade of black than my series 2 space grey. I love it. I think I will go ahead and send this gold one off for trade after all.

 

[ZipZap]

Again, the point is to contact Apple about it. You just assumed they would not help. If the stains dont come off by normal means that is a concern. I have many watched and I have never encountered this on steel. I'll go back to believing this is a plating issue but dont be the engineer. Let Apple do that as this is their design.

 

[5105973]

Again, the point is to contact Apple about it. You just assumed they would not help. If the stains dont come off by normal means that is a concern. I have many watched and I have never encountered this on steel. I'll go back to believing this is a plating issue but dont be the engineer. Let Apple do that as this is their design.

Why would I contact Apple now? I got the marks off of it to my satisfaction without damaging the finish. What am I going to tell them? Oh I had marks but now they’re gone? Why waste my time and theirs? I’m packing it up and sending it in for trade in.

I got my new Nike Series 6 aluminum watch and I have decided to just go all in on that one.

 

[doxielover]

I don’t think many people do. Like I said in my original post, I’m probably an outlier. But I wanted to show people what can possibly happen to this finish. I don’t want this to happen to anyone else so I’m sort of retracing my steps with this watch for everyone. This was a sad experience because I really wanted to keep this watch at least 3 years, maybe even 4. I’m actually still wearing the series 2 watch in the picture most of the time. I’m kind of nutty about getting a new iPhone every year but I prefer to hang onto my watches. Especially an expensive stainless steel model

One thing I did differently with this watch is I didn’t wash it with the barest drop of liquid soap and rinse it with water daily. I used to do that with all the other water resistant Apple watches. My original silver stainless watch was carefully wiped down with a moistened cloth.

I did the wash and rinse for a rose gold series 1 sport (which got dropped and trampled at a sporting event) and the black one shown. I also had a series 3 white aluminum that I gave to my sister-in-law when I got the gold watch shown here. That silver aluminum was also pristine when I handed it over.

I probably should have kept up with the light liquid soap and water wash and rinse, but instead I would just take the watch off and dry it if it got splashed when I washed my hands before brushing my teeth. Then I would set it on the charger. I just wasn’t sure how to best deal with that finish. It could feel a bit odd and tacky when it got splashed, so I didn’t think washing it was a good idea.

The surface of the crown was the first part to discolor. It was a gradual decline in the finish and took two years to get as badly and thoroughly discolored as shown.

I think that’s a natural wear point for the protective coating Apple applies to these finishes.

I think perhaps soap residue that wasn’t rinsed off properly and/or sweat and possibly hand lotion ate through the coating over time. I do not use any kinds of perfumes or colognes due to allergies. But I do use hand lotion in the winter. And I wear sunscreen in the summer. That may be a culprit as well.

So anyway I’m not trying to scare anyone off from a fabulous color choice. Just be aware this can possibly happen and that the factors I mentioned may possibly have been the cause. Do it differently than I did!

One reason I used to wash and rinse my sport watches was that I’d heard the anecdotes about sweat corroding and pitting the surface of Apple’s aluminum products. I didn’t know anything could deface the tinted stainless steel other than outright scratches. Now I know!

Thanks for you wonderful detailed post. I ordered a gold aluminum sport model. Can you tell me the best way to keep this clean so I can start off doing it right.

 

[5105973]

Thanks for you wonderful detailed post. I ordered a gold aluminum sport model. Can you tell me the best way to keep this clean so I can start off doing it right.

With the aluminum sport models and bare silver stainless steel watches I never really did anything to baby them.

Of course I tried not to bash them against cabinet frames and door frames and I wore work gloves that covered the watch back when I was doing gardening and landscaping and rebuilding my retaining wall.

Then at the end of the work day I would take a teeny tiny dot of the most bland liquid hand soap I could find (no antibacterial stuff and no heavily concentrated, hard to rinse kind of soaps) dilute it with some water, swirl it around the case with my finger and rinse well and dry thoroughly with a soft towel. If there’s a lot of dirt or oils or lotion to remove then I would take the band off and wash the case and band separately.

Rinse well under a gentle stream of water. You don’t want to leave soap residue. If you’re just trying to rinse sweat off then you can just use plain water without the soap. The soap is for oily residue of any kind, like lotions or sunscreens, since those stick to the underside of the watch.

On aluminum, the color doesn’t go all the way through, so you don’t want to scrub too hard and wear away at the finish. Light and easy should work. The aluminum finish is actually pretty non stick so it’s very easy to clean.

The ceramic and sapphire bottom are a little bit harder to clean. They usually need a going over with your fingertips and the soap to get gunk off. You will see what I mean if you find yourself having to remove lotion or sunscreen. Oh and soap residue from handwashings through out the day. It’s amazing how the soapy water can splash up. Glass and ceramic are a bit more “sticky” surfaces than the aluminum.

Good luck with your new watch. I hope you like it very much

 

[Robbosan]

Looks like mould in the photos.

 

[ZipZap]

Why would I contact Apple now? I got the marks off of it to my satisfaction without damaging the finish. What am I going to tell them? Oh I had marks but now they’re gone? Why waste my time and theirs? I’m packing it up and sending it in for trade in.

I got my new Nike Series 6 aluminum watch and I have decided to just go all in on that one.

You're right but I recommend you always call Apple and dont assume based upon comments on this site. Glad it worked out.