Apple Watch Ultra: Titanium finish less durable?

[AppleTLDR]

Here is an article to read discussing the differences between titanium and stainless steel. I’m going with the titanium because of the lighter weight on such a large watch. I can’t stand heavy, stainless steel watches, pulling down on my wrist.

Titanium vs. Stainless Steel Watches – Best Watch Material? – Chronometer Check

chronometercheck.com

Thank you! That’s really handy 😃

 

[Royksöpp]

I feel uneasy about that chamfered edge. It's an odd choice to bring back such a fragile design touch to a "rugged watch".

 

[douglasf13]

I feel uneasy about that chamfered edge. It's an odd choice to bring back such a fragile design touch to a "rugged watch".

Rugged means it protects the screen and internals. Scratches in metal shouldn’t be a concern on an adventure watch.

 

[GorillaHead]

doesn't Aluminum scratch easier than titanium. Ive had the aluminum watch for a while now and I have never noticed scratches So I would assume the titanium won’t be bad

 

[Bazooka-joe]

Apple Titanium watches have always been DLC coated but I’m not sure if this one is

 

[The Game 161]

I think it’s possible. As a SS user it has be a little concerned. I may get applecare to be honest

 

[RPhoto]

I suspect scratching isn’t the thing to be worried about, it’s how well it handles knocks. I’ve done bouldering in both my Graphite and (once) my Silver stainless. Both of them have scratches that can be felt with a fingernail as the result. It’s gone beyond surface level. It’s physically removed metal. Presumably titanium, whilst attracting surface scratches, won’t ‘chip’ as easily from high impact on hard surfaces and that’s the reason for using it. I’d hope so anyway!

 

[Monkswhiskers]

If you’re bothered about looks you won’t be buying the ultra 😜

 

[MacGiver]

Now you are really making me nervous about having ordered the Ultra. I always thought titanium was a tough material, thougher than SS. I have a S5 SS, wear it every day and it is still in very good shape. Polished it one or two times. Now wondering whether I should get the 8 instead which also available earlier. I belong to those ocd dude willing to keep things clean as day 1. I can’t help it 😅😅😅

 

[igrover]

Now you are really making me nervous about having ordered the Ultra. I always thought titanium was a tough material, thougher than SS. I have a S5 SS, wear it every day and it is still in very good shape. Polished it one or two times. Now wondering whether I should get the 8 instead which also available earlier. I belong to those ocd dude willing to keep things clean as day 1. I can’t help it 😅😅😅

Titanium is definitely "tougher" than stainless steel however most people forget/do not know that the titanium surface will scratch very easily. Thus when using for something like jewelry an overcoat is always applied. Or you see a lot of powder coating to protect the surface.

 

[a.y.n]

My last titanium AWs (S5 and S6) held up way better than stainless and aluminum. Can't comment on the difference between the Ti AW and the Ultra until next Friday, but I personally think especially the Ultra is a "tool" watch, and it is meant to be worn, any dings, scratches, etc just adds characters and it will actually look better as it ages. And if you're worried about the really bad stuff, get AppleCare+ for it.

 

[Bardos]

Why would you want a device that looks worse for where

I suppose it depends on what you're getting the watch for. Personally I care most that it functions the way I want it to, and it looks like this will. Most of my hiking/camping/climbing/scuba/motorcycle gear is beat up (as am I) from being well used... every nick, scratch, bump, bruise, and scar tells a story.

When I got my first job my dad got me a briefcase just like his.... but mine was fresh, smelled good, and was clean unmarked leather, while his was beat up, scratched and well-worn. That first scratch on my new briefcase happened on a Chicago subway and sucked. But 15 years later it was a well worn piece of equipment and badge of honor that had been by my side through the early part of my career in advertising. Bottom line is that some people embrace the "patina" that life brings us and some people don't. Either way it's all good. Just offering a different perspective.

 

[G5isAlive]

Why would you want a device that looks worse for where

great question, why would I want sports watch designed for extremes to show I actually used it pushing physical limits in the extremes?! much better to look new and shiny and scream out 'I never exercise!'

 

[ufgatorvet]

I've had the SS since the original, but for the 7 for the first time I got the titanium. Wanted to try something different. My SS would scratch up a lot, though I knew I could always polish it if it really bugged me. The titanium after nearly a year has held up excellent though, for what its worth.

This has been my experience as well.

Natural Ti AW7 after > 1 year, is perfect and could be sold brand new -- just don't look at the battery health!!

My previous SSSB was flawless until trade-in also, ... guess durability is closely related to the environment it is in.

 

[ufgatorvet]

great question, why would I want sports watch designed for extremes to show I actually used it pushing physical limits in the extremes?! much better to look new and shiny and scream out 'I never exercise!'

I broke my phone playing Motocross video game (when it flew off my lap across the room and hit the fireplace hearth).

When people are like "Dude, you mangled your iPhone! Whoa!", I'm like, "Yep, it was during Motocross" ...

Hey, technically, I ain't lying.

 

[Abstract]

Titanium is a soft metal that scratches very easily. SS scratches easily, too.

SS is often sold with a PVD or DLC coating to prevent scratching. Maybe the Ti on the Ultra will have the same coating?

Anyway, the Ultra may be designed and marketed as a tough sports/activities watch, but much like diving or pilot watches, the significant majority of owners will never dive, or pilot an airplane. 😂 Most people will just be ordinary people who want to own something nice, or different.

People are saying that scratches don’t matter on a utility watch, which is true except that, honestly, it will matter to most buyers who aren’t scuba diving or running marathons.

 

[hmorneau]

This has been my experience as well.

Natural Ti AW7 after > 1 year, is perfect and could be sold brand new -- just don't look at the battery health!!

My previous SSSB was flawless until trade-in also, ... guess durability is closely related to the environment it is in.

Same here as well, my SS after 3 months was full of micro scratch. 9 months in with the Natural Ti and I can't barely see any. I have no regret getting titanium and it's superb for sport as it's lite.

How's your battery health? Mine is already down to 90%.

 

[hmorneau]

Which scratches more like I said it looks worse, go to an apple shop and look at the demo it will be made scratched where as stainless steel looks clean, I had one titanium Watch and returned it in a week

Thanks for sharing your 1 week experience.

 

[MacGiver]

I can read here and there that the titanium is stronger but softer, more durable but more prone to scratches but easier to polish…or not…Personnaly I can’t tell. I never owned a titanium watched, always had SS but my auprès order is placed.
What I know is what I fear the most, independently from the material used is the design and that squared off mounted screen with its angular shape. I am afraid of dents whenever it will hit something even softly. With the rounded shape AW I think it was less of an issue…when hitting something slightly it was kind of slipping on the watch. Not sure I am clear but it is like throwing something on a sphere vs the angle of a cube. The cube angle is more prone to be dented. 🧐🥸

 

[G.McGilli]

As I've been using titanium for many years I'll just throw my 2 cents in...

While I have Ti watches by Seiko and Panerai which scratch to hell so easily... I also use Ti in most of my bike parts - frame, fork, bars, seat post, cages, skewer, cassette...

And they all scratch extremely easily... But they are also very easily polished. But they are big parts, without glass or plastic you have to worry about scratching...

While Ti is lighter, it is more brittle. If you take a rod of steel and a rod of Ti, you could bend the steel rod (think strong man style) but the titanium rod would finally crack and break in half.

This is why you cannot use titanium for weightlifting bars etc. With everyone saying 'it's stronger' you would think they'd use it for where you need the strongest metal of all. But no - because it's brittle.

But it can be used in human bodies because our body parts aren't subject to that kind of bending - and the lightness and strength is closer matched to human bones than steel.

TLDR - It's great for applications where it will not be hit by extreme bending pressure or it will crack and break, and is lighter than steel and in some ways stronger than steel - yet it's more scratch prone than steel.

 

[mavis]

My S7 naturalTi held up pretty well for about six months, but I did have to touch it up with a pen eraser from time to time to remove scratches. I polished it to a mirror finish this summer, though, and it's still absolutely perfect. So in my limited experience, it's more scratch/scuff resistant than SS, at least when polished.

 

[MacGiver]

As I've been using titanium for many years I'll just throw my 2 cents in...

While I have Ti watches by Seiko and Panerai which scratch to hell so easily... I also use Ti in most of my bike parts - frame, fork, bars, seat post, cages, skewer, cassette...

And they all scratch extremely easily... But they are also very easily polished. But they are big parts, without glass or plastic you have to worry about scratching...

While Ti is lighter, it is more brittle. If you take a rod of steel and a rod of Ti, you could bend the steel rod (think strong man style) but the titanium rod would finally crack and break in half.

This is why you cannot use titanium for weightlifting bars etc. With everyone saying 'it's stronger' you would think they'd use it for where you need the strongest metal of all. But no - because it's brittle.

But it can be used in human bodies because our body parts aren't subject to that kind of bending - and the lightness and strength is closer matched to human bones than steel.

TLDR - It's great for applications where it will not be hit by extreme bending pressure or it will crack and break, and is lighter than steel and in some ways stronger than steel - yet it's more scratch prone than steel.

Thanks for the note. I have also seen people polishing their AW Ti. Honestly I am not planning to buy a Ti watch to polish it so it looks like a SS watch. I’d rather take a SS in that case. Still very confused b/w those saying it is holding up much better than their SS and those saying the opposite. I guess it also varies a lot depending on the use case and attention. I am a very carful person but I could not avoid bumping my watch in some cases against a door frame etc… well I guess I’ll check that out when I’ll receive my ultra and will see whether it is a keep or a S8 swap. Again and coming back to my previous post what I fear most is that angular form factor around the screen… hit it lightly and you have a dent… But I maybe wrong.

 

[leebroath]

Urghhhh I’m now back on the fence

I like keeping my devices well kept and scratch free, I’ve even mildly knocked my Series 4 SS a few times and had no scratches, and it’s been great. But this thread is making me think about cancelling!

Now thinking of the Series 8 titanium SS

Notived on some of the from the keynote, the Ultra does look like it has slight dinks out if it

 

[sarc]

Urghhhh I’m now back on the fence

I like keeping my devices well kept and scratch free, I’ve even mildly knocked my Series 4 SS a few times and had no scratches, and it’s been great. But this thread is making me think about cancelling!

Now thinking of the Series 8 titanium SS

Notived on some of the from the keynote, the Ultra does look like it has slight dinks out if it

Not sure what you mean by series 8 titanium ss. This doesn’t exist.

The images from the keynote just have reflections no dinks whatsoever.

 

[leebroath]

Apologies I meant Graphite SS

Im sure I saw some videos, will try and look for them

Although just read the case is made from aerospace grade titanium, which may settle me more lol