New Ceramic and Titanium Apple Watch Models Uncovered in watchOS 6 Beta

[criticasm]

Using titanium for the watch is a better use of such a unique metal than that bloody credit card. I'm aware medical implants are the best use, but still. And I always thought Apple should have expanded the use of ceramic to other devices.

 

[Rogifan]

But all the smart people told us Apple Watch failed as a fashion item and only is successful now because Jeff Williams moved it in a health and fitness direction (as if it has to be one or the other).

 

[jaredlipsitz]

So discontinuing ceramic then bringing it back is a “new feature”?

Who said it was a new feature?

 

[fokmik]

Still have my Rolex GMT master from when I was a recon aviator in the Navy circa 1964. Fifty years later it is worth way more than I would ever have thought. Offers anyone

we dont care about rolex...we can buy a new one from the store
Rolex is almost the same as an regular 500$ watch, Rolex produced every year 800,000
Maybe a Patek Philippe if you have please

 

[Yuri G]

It’s really funny reading those comments over and over about expensive mechanical watches being timeless. They are just for decoration purposes and bragging between moneybags. The most intricate watch mechanism is still Stone Age compared to architecture of logic board of any smart watch. And price ≠ value, they cost so much because of marketing, but to each their own

 

[QCassidy352]

I never understood why someone would purchase a high end smart watch. High end watches like Rolex and omega are timeless, smart watches are not. Dropping $1300+ on a watch that will be obsolete in 2-3 years doesn’t seem like a great investment.

Because not everything has to be an “investment.” If you spend $1300 on a device that you use every day for two years, that’s less than $2/day for something that might give you both great pleasure and utility.

Btw: I have an aluminum Apple Watch but am not so narcissistic as to think the best choice for me is the best choice for everyone.

 

[Morod]

What's the deal with mentioning Japan Display? What advantage will they bring to the current Watch displays?

OLED:

https://www.macrumors.com/2019/08/16/apple-watch-series-5-oled-kuo/

 

[Jim Lahey]

I never understood why someone would purchase a high end smart watch. High end watches like Rolex and omega are timeless, smart watches are not. Dropping $1300+ on a watch that will be obsolete in 2-3 years doesn’t seem like a great investment.

It's just personal choice. Lots of people with lots of money don't mind "wasting" it on lots of nice stuff. Fair play to them if that's what they want and the asking price is trifling to them

 

[redneckitengineer]

They’ll use titanium to replace the steel ones and charge $150 more.

 

[rlhamil]

To me using expensive high end materials on a smart watch is like putting Corinthian leather seats in an old Buick or a compact car. May look nice, be comfortable, but as an investment makes no sense. Lipstick on a pig kind of thing.

"Corinthian leather" isn't a real thing, it's just a name that was made up for the 70's Chrysler commercials with Ricardo Montalbán.

I don't disagree that a gold smart watch is a bit silly. But durable materials (esp. the synthetic sapphire crystal, but also some advanced alloy or ceramic for the case) that look good make sense to me for a functionally high-end (big OLED display, lots of sensors, cellular functionality, etc) smart watch. It'd be one thing if in a cheap case it was under $200, but if in a mere aluminum case it's still $499 (for the cellular version), then why not spring for a couple hundred more to have one that's likelier to remain looking good through a few years of daily wear?

 

[Rogifan]

It’s really funny reading those comments over and over about expensive mechanical watches being timeless. They are just for decoration purposes and bragging between moneybags. The most intricate watch mechanism is still Stone Age compared to architecture of logic board of any smart watch. And price ≠ value, they cost so much because of marketing, but to each their own

Exactly. Who do you see wearing expensive mechanical watches? Rich people, especially athletes and celebrities who are getting paid big bucks to wear Rolex or Omega or whatever.

 

[Ds6778]

Will the titanium be hard to distinguish from the stainless steel?

 

[Rogifan]

They’ll use titanium to replace the steel ones and charge $150 more.

I suspect they’ll be additions to the lineup. Their either won’t be a series 5 this year or it will be incremental, just a spec bump and nothing else and these models are added to the lineup to keep it fresh.

 

[monroerr]

It seems it is the screens that get readily scratched and the cases are less likely to risk damage. Other than aesthetics, not sure why this should make a difference and be worth the cost for such a limited device. I only use mine to read text messages when the phone is put away. Too cumbersome to input any useful information.

 

[rotax]

Spent money on the stainless V1, and after that never again. If you upgrade frequently, then its a waste in my opinion. If Apple wants to get me to spend on nicer materials they need a much better trade in program and rates for these higher priced material cases.

 

[Rychiar]

boring. where is Micro LED???

 

[44267547]

Will the titanium be hard to distinguish from the stainless steel?

It depends, if Apple offers a ‘brushed-like’ titanium look, then it would be very much different looking from the 316L stainless, which is a high gloss shine.

 

[MacBird]

It's just personal choice. Lots of people with lots of money don't mind "wasting" it on lots of nice stuff. Fair play to them if that's what they want and the asking price is trifling to them

Do we know how many gold and ceramic watches Apple sold? I was under the impression that it was not exactly a success story.

 

[monroerr]

Spent money on the stainless V1, and after that never again. If you upgrade frequently, then its a waste in my opinion. If Apple wants to get me to spend on nicer materials they need a much better trade in program and rates for these higher material cases.

I would agree. It is such a minimally useful device that becomes outmoded within a year. I would rather get an expensive automatic chronograph watch and just upgrade the iPhone when practical.

 

[igrover]

Plain titanium, although very strong for its light weight (but not quite as strong for a given bulk as steel), is not particularly scratch-resistant; and naturally, it's not particularly shiny, but slightly gray (like aluminum, the surface oxidizes but the oxide protects rather than rusting deeper like with steel). Like aluminum, it can be anodized (a wide range of colors depending on the voltage used), but the anodized surface is subject to being worn off, which wouldn't look so good anymore.

There's a titanium-gold alloy, β-Ti3Au (3 parts titanium to 1 part gold) that's said to be 4 times harder than pure titanium. I wonder if that can be done as a (fairly thick) surface treatment rather than to the entire mass, and what that would look like, what color, how shiny and wear-resistant, etc. That alloy is considered promising for such things as hip implants, because it's very bio-compatible and very durable. So hopefully the techniques to form it suitably are already well-developed.

Spot on. Which is why the original titanium Powerbook was actually painted to hide the scratches.

 

[CWallace]

I had a Titanium Timex watch decades ago (might have been their first case in the material) and it was cool-looking, but I would prefer Stainless (plain or Space Black). The Ceramic Watches looked nice, but I really like my lugs to match my case and I don't believe anyone makes ceramic lugs. I imagine I'd have the same issue with a Titanium Apple Watch, as well.

So staying with my Space Black Stainless Series 4 where I have been able to get matching black lugs for my Classic Leather Loops and where the black plastic of the Nike Hyper Grape Sport Loop is close enough to look like it matches.

 

[H.E. Pennypacker]

we dont care about rolex...we can buy a new one from the store
Rolex is almost the same as an regular 500$ watch, Rolex produced every year 800,000
Maybe a Patek Philippe if you have please

jaeger le coute

 

[Braderunner]

What's the point if they cost hundreds more? It's tech. It's throwaway goods. People buy a new one every year or two. No point spending hundreds more for the casing

Seriously! I can only imaging the price of the titanium. Wait...maybe I can't!

 

[retta283]

I never understood why someone would purchase a high end smart watch. High end watches like Rolex and omega are timeless, smart watches are not. Dropping $1300+ on a watch that will be obsolete in 2-3 years doesn’t seem like a great investment.

I've had the same watch for 25 years. At the rate I'm going it might be the last one I own. I'm okay with replacing some larger equipment more frequently, as it is infinitely more useful, but not something as simple as a watch.

 

[vipergts2207]

Plain titanium, although very strong for its light weight (but not quite as strong for a given bulk as steel), is not particularly scratch-resistant; and naturally, it's not particularly shiny, but slightly gray (like aluminum, the surface oxidizes but the oxide protects rather than rusting deeper like with steel). Like aluminum, it can be anodized (a wide range of colors depending on the voltage used), but the anodized surface is subject to being worn off, which wouldn't look so good anymore.

There's a titanium-gold alloy, β-Ti3Au (3 parts titanium to 1 part gold) that's said to be 4 times harder than pure titanium. I wonder if that can be done as a (fairly thick) surface treatment rather than to the entire mass, and what that would look like, what color, how shiny and wear-resistant, etc. That alloy is considered promising for such things as hip implants, because it's very bio-compatible and very durable. So hopefully the techniques to form it suitably are already well-developed.

Maybe they’ll go the Liquidmetal route. They’ve got an exclusive license to use it in consumer tech, and so far have done nothing with it.