sapphire

[The-Real-Deal82]

Everyone’s gotta do what works for them. Given my experience with two aluminum models, two SBSS models, and my SBTi, the additional cost has been completely worth it to me from an aesthetic and peace of mind standpoint given the various household/vehicle/yard/etc projects I’m usually busy with.

Exactly, we are both winning here as we are getting the watches we want that suit our needs. I’m happy paying £369 for what it offers in terms of functionality, aesthetics and durability as I am sure many others are too. Paying £600 isn’t worth it to me personally but I appreciate that for people like yourself it may well be.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Everybody said the aluminium watches have better resell value as compared to their original costs but now my aluminium S6 is all scratched up due to mysterious reasons - yes a watch is usually bumped into various stuff no matter how careful you are. I don’t think I can resell it to anyone except trading it in to Apple.

If you’ve worn nice watches for as long as I have, you adopt an almost subconscious care for not whacking your watch into blunt objects. You learn not to put your arm in tight spaces near walls, brush doorframes etc. My wife’s AWS4 is absolutely battered, but you have to get really close to see the scratches. She’s not at all bothered though and thinks it’s the natural effect of wearing a watch. I’ve never managed to scratch any of mine badly in nearly 6 years.

 

[haruhiko]

If you’ve worn nice watches for as long as I have, you adopt an almost subconscious care for not whacking your watch into blunt objects. You learn not to put your arm in tight spaces near walls, brush doorframes etc. My wife’s AWS4 is absolutely battered, but you have to get really close to see the scratches. She’s not at all bothered though and thinks it’s the natural effect of wearing a watch. I’ve never managed to scratch any of mine badly in nearly 6 years.

??? I have a Rolex and I wore it daily prior to the Apple Watch and I was not especially careful with it. Nevertheless, the sapphire crystal never got scratched (but the stainless steel got a lot of scratch marks, of course).

 

[applestein]

Stainless Steel models (GPS+Cellular) are $200-220 more than the Aluminum GPS+Cellular models.

Screen protector films look like crap even brand new (IMHO). I'm unaware of any tempered glass protectors that properly cover the display of current gen models with the thinner bezels.

Plus, speaking for myself, my issue with the aluminum models was more the case getting dinged though, which hasn't occurred with my Ti or SS models.



Some of us like our stuff to remain looking nice rather than getting dinged up. I'd manage to ding my aluminum watch within a couple months then have to see the ding every time I'd look at the watch. Switched to SBSS and that issue was solved. Money well spent IMHO. You can certainly feel differently - each to their own.

Also - with my S4 & S5 SBSS watches I resold on Swappa. Not only did year old SBSS models typically fetch a good $100 more than the year old mint-condition aluminum models. ... and of course a dinged up aluminum watch was gonna be worth a whole lot less.

BTW - if you're tossing three year old apple watches into a drawer, you're throwing away money. They appear to still have a decent resale on Swappa.

this is how i felt. My blue aluminum s6 had some bad scuffs on the case as well. Im wasn't easy with it but I for sure wasn't extremely hard on the watch either. I hated raising it and seeing the scuffs on the case. Im treating my ss s7 the exact same and it seems worlds ahead in terms of durability in my limited experience. plus I can buff out most small scuffs in the case being that mine is the silver model.

 

[Howard2k]

Everybody said the aluminium watches have better resell value as compared to their original costs but now my aluminium S6 is all scratched up due to mysterious reasons - yes a watch is usually bumped into various stuff no matter how careful you are. I don’t think I can resell it to anyone except trading it in to Apple.

Would you mind posting a pic?

 

[haruhiko]

Would you mind posting a pic?

Let me take a pic later, there is a diagonal scratch that's quite obvious

 

[deeddawg]

You can buy a $60 Fitbit that does most of what an Apple Watch does so the real comparison is a $60 Fitbit vs. a $300 Apple Watch SE (95% of an Apple Watch series 7) vs a $430 aluminum Apple Watch Series 7 vs. $800ish for steel/titanium vs. $1300 for the Hermes faces + strap vs $10k+ for a Patek Philippe or some other fancy brand that is only mechanical.

That said, I can't tell the difference between a sapphire screen and Ion-X Glass but the overall look of the stainless steel and titanium apple watches are a step above but certainly not necessary to save money.

At the end of the day, they all track time, and most of them can count steps. For me, my line was at the aluminum Apple Watch 5 years ago but now I think it's at titanium based on the one I just got. There's no good value argument here since the best value is to just buy a $60 Fitbit. It really comes down to how much you're willing to pay for a nice fashion accessory beyond the very basic need to tell time function - even that's debatable since you can just pull your phone out.

Which particular Fitbit model...

• tracks my runs with GPS while I leave my phone at home?
• notifies emergency services and my family if I take a serious tumble during a run or bicycle ride?
• let's me call an Uber or call my family if I twist an ankle during a run or otherwise need assistance?
• plays locally stored or streams podcasts & music to my bluetooth headphones during a run or walk?
• lets me add reminders via Siri when I think of something while walking our dog?
• allows me to respond to texts or work messages (Teams) wherever I am whether I have my phone or not?
• let's me unlock my truck without my phone or keys so I can get something out without going back inside?
• allows me to unlock the front door or control other homekit lights & devices using Siri?
• let's me accept a call without dashing to whatever room I left my phone in?
• unlocks my computer, authenticates to 1password/safari/etc.
• unlocks my phone while in a store still requiring wearing a mask
• controls Pandora or other music playback to a bluetooth speaker from my wrist while cooking or floating in the lake or any other sorts of activities when I might not want to grab my phone or have it in my pocket?
• let's me pay for stuff via contactless payments without pulling out my wallet or phone - or even needing to bring either such as buying a gatorade while on a ride or run?
• lets me quickly check scores or upcoming game times for the couple of sports teams I follow?
• shows the outdoor temperature at a glance?
• displays a map with my GPS location so I can easily find my way when on a run or ride in an unfamiliar area - suchas while traveling for work?

... those are just a few of the things off the top of my head, there's a bunch more if I were to really sit down and think about it.

Perhaps you make no more use of your apple watch than what a Fitbit Inspire2 provides, but that doesn't mean others are that limited in their usage. Particularly if you've not yet freed yourself from the paradigm of having to always have your phone in your pocket whilst doing stuff around your house, your yard, or going for walks or runs or rides.

 

[tonyz123456]

Which particular Fitbit model...

• tracks my runs with GPS while I leave my phone at home?
• notifies emergency services and my family if I take a serious tumble during a run or bicycle ride?
• let's me call an Uber or call my family if I twist an ankle during a run or otherwise need assistance?
• plays locally stored or streams podcasts & music to my bluetooth headphones during a run or walk?
• lets me add reminders via Siri when I think of something while walking our dog?
• allows me to respond to texts or work messages (Teams) wherever I am whether I have my phone or not?
• let's me unlock my truck without my phone or keys so I can get something out without going back inside?
• allows me to unlock the front door or control other homekit lights & devices using Siri?
• let's me accept a call without dashing to whatever room I left my phone in?
• unlocks my computer, authenticates to 1password/safari/etc.
• unlocks my phone while in a store still requiring wearing a mask
• controls Pandora or other music playback to a bluetooth speaker from my wrist while cooking or floating in the lake or any other sorts of activities when I might not want to grab my phone or have it in my pocket?
• let's me pay for stuff via contactless payments without pulling out my wallet or phone - or even needing to bring either such as buying a gatorade while on a ride or run?
• lets me quickly check scores or upcoming game times for the couple of sports teams I follow?
• shows the outdoor temperature at a glance?
• displays a map with my GPS location so I can easily find my way when on a run or ride in an unfamiliar area - suchas while traveling for work?

... those are just a few of the things off the top of my head, there's a bunch more if I were to really sit down and think about it.

Perhaps you make no more use of your apple watch than what a Fitbit Inspire2 provides, but that doesn't mean others are that limited in their usage. Particularly if you've not yet freed yourself from the paradigm of having to always have your phone in your pocket whilst doing stuff around your house, your yard, or going for walks or runs or rides.

You just provided a laundry list of edge cases that can be done faster with other devices. There are much better ways to do pretty much everything else on your list. And even if you remove the Fitbit from the equation, the difference between an Apple Watch SE, Apple Watch series 7 aluminum, and Apple Watch Titanium outside of quality, design and style considerations is minimal and doesn't justify the cost based on features. I buy an Apple Watch to tell time and do some of the stuff you listed but I don't rely on it. It's a nice accessory in the same way I own a nice swiss watch or a nice leather wallet.

I thought this was funny: "unlocks my phone while in a store still requiring wearing a mask" - Apple created this problem by removing Touch ID. Rube Goldberg would be proud.

 

[deeddawg]

You just provided a laundry list of edge cases that can be done faster with other devices. There are much better ways to do pretty much everything else on your list. And even if you remove the Fitbit from the equation, the difference between an Apple Watch SE, Apple Watch series 7 aluminum, and Apple Watch Titanium outside of quality, design and style considerations is minimal and doesn't justify the cost based on features. I buy an Apple Watch to tell time and do some of the stuff you listed but I don't rely on it. It's a nice accessory in the same way I own a nice swiss watch or a nice leather wallet.

I thought this was funny: "unlocks my phone while in a store still requiring wearing a mask" - Apple created this problem by removing Touch ID. Rube Goldberg would be proud.

Which single device performs all of those tasks, and in what manner is it better?

Be specific. Make, model, price, link.

... and while the tasks may be outside your usage paradigm, you may find they're far more common than you surmise.

 

[tonyz123456]

Which single device performs all of those tasks, and in what manner is it better?

Be specific. Make, model, price, link.

... and while the tasks may be outside your usage paradigm, you may find they're far more common than you surmise.

Not going to waste my time debating you further - life is too short to create useless laundry lists - if you want to make the Apple Watch out to be this do-everything device that it's clearly not designed to be, by all means have at it.

 

[deeddawg]

Not going to waste my time debating you further - life is too short to create useless laundry lists - if you want to make the Apple Watch out to be this do-everything device that it's clearly not designed to be, by all means have at it.

If you don't wish debate, don't make specious claims you can't support with specific examples.

Anyway - my list was just some of the everyday useful tasks I perform with my Apple Watch.

Perhaps it at least will help other readers understand some of the capabilities they can explore.

Sure, the AW isn't a do-everything device and it's not pitched as such that I've seen. It does however do a much better job of serving as an extension of the iphone than any Garmin or Fitbit or other wearables, allowing the user to change their paradigm away from having to always carry or pull out their phone to do stuff.

If you're not interested in anything more than tracking your steps and heartrate, then an Apple Watch is likely overkill for your needs and the $60 bottom-end Fitbit model is probably just fine for you.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Here’s my wife’s 3 year old Series 4. She doesn’t worry about scratches and considering what this watch has hit in its life, I think it’s held up well.

My 2 year old Series 5 is scratch free without any babying.

 

[Night Spring]

If you're not interested in anything more than tracking your steps and heartrate, then an Apple Watch is likely overkill for your needs and the $60 bottom-end Fitbit model is probably just fine for you

I think I could actually make do with the low end Fitbit in terms of function, but I hate the way it looks, especially the way it displays time, and I also suspect it won't be comfortable to wear. By the time I'm looking at models that look nicer and comfortable to wear, the price difference with the Apple Watch isn't as significant, and worth it for me for the integration with Apple ecosystem. And while I don't have the opportunity to use most of the functions you listed (I don't have a car or other doors I can unlock with Apple Watch, for example), I can appreciate that Apple Watch is designed to do those things, and they are useful for people who have opportunities to use them.

 

[deeddawg]

I think I could actually make do with the low end Fitbit in terms of function, but I hate the way it looks, especially the way it displays time, and I also suspect it won't be comfortable to wear. By the time I'm looking at models that look nicer and comfortable to wear, the price difference with the Apple Watch isn't as significant, and worth it for me for the integration with Apple ecosystem. And while I don't have the opportunity to use most of the functions you listed (I don't have a car or other doors I can unlock with Apple Watch, for example), I can appreciate that Apple Watch is designed to do those things, and they are useful for people who have opportunities to use them.

Funny thing, preferences.

My wife likes the Fitbit band style trackers like the Inspire2 and has no desire to get an apple watch. Go figure. ?‍♂️

You make a good point about the ecosystem integration. That's an area of utility that will vary depending on how deeply one is into that ecosystem, and what other devices one uses which have phone & watch support.

Generally speaking, the apple watch serves as a bidirectional extension of the iphone, and essentially does mostly the same stuff as you could do on the phone. The benefit - and paradigm shift - is no longer needing to pull your phone out of your pocket to do the things - or perhaps not even carry your phone with you in some circumstances. That benefit tends to be more qualitative than quantitative, and thus will have different "value" to different people. Particularly since we each use our phones differently, and thus inherently also use our watches differently. Makes perfect sense some will find little no no benefit in having an apple watch and others find it to be super useful and worth every penny... and they're all/both right.

 

[haruhiko]

Except some Android fanatics I have never seen anyone wearing Fitbit (except maybe one or two occasions *during a run*) as an everyday watch. Bringing it into the discussion is not really relevant.

I don’t want (and don’t need) to make a laundry list of what I do with my AW, but in my city the Apple Watch doubles as the travel card (with Express Travel i.e. no further authentication needed once it’s on your wrist) for the subway. No other smart watch has this. This is extremely important in the mask age (yes, everyone wears mask in my city and we have zero COVID case for a month already all without lockdown) and I see many people using it every day.

 

[4pp13]

The stainless steel watch is $300 more than the aluminum? Am I getting that math right? For me, the price difference isn't worth it just to get a more scratch resistant screen. I just put on a screen protector film, which are less than $10 on Amazon, for packs that contain multiple protector films.

There's a few factors that can definitely make it more worth it. Wanting cellular brings you to a $200 gap. Then add in how many times you'll need that $10 replaced for new films. For me when I had the alu, it was probably $40 worth of screen protectors. The case and the place where it wasn't protected has scratched.

Now factor in the hassle value and you can pay what you please to reduce it. For me, that hassle value was worth it. For you, perhaps not. I don't buy much in day to day life, so it justified the cost a bit more easily. Now I don't have to wear my watch with a film that's ruined but I don't have time to replace. I don't have to keep the films in a place they are locatable. I don't have to keep a spare pack - as nothing was worse than being on the last one and messing it up to be unusable. I don't have to remember to order them. I don't have to worry about the bits outside the film getting scratched. And most importantly, I don't have to use up 10-15m of time every now and again putting a new one one.

Almost one month in and there's no marks on my new SS and it recently managed to get mouth handled by a toddler.

 

[4pp13]

Here’s my wife’s 3 year old Series 4. She doesn’t worry about scratches and considering what this watch has hit in its life, I think it’s held up well.

My 2 year old Series 5 is scratch free without any babying.

You definitely get value for money if you put up with that. I absolutely could not nor the worry of it getting into that state.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

You definitely get value for money if you put up with that. I absolutely could not nor the worry of it getting into that state.

To her it’s just a consumable accessory and you’d have to look really close and only in certain lights to even see any scratches. This forum does have a different level of perfectionism amongst its users to anything I see elsewhere I think.

 

[tonyz123456]

If you don't wish debate, don't make specious claims you can't support with specific examples.

Anyway - my list was just some of the everyday useful tasks I perform with my Apple Watch.

Perhaps it at least will help other readers understand some of the capabilities they can explore.

Sure, the AW isn't a do-everything device and it's not pitched as such that I've seen. It does however do a much better job of serving as an extension of the iphone than any Garmin or Fitbit or other wearables, allowing the user to change their paradigm away from having to always carry or pull out their phone to do stuff.

If you're not interested in anything more than tracking your steps and heartrate, then an Apple Watch is likely overkill for your needs and the $60 bottom-end Fitbit model is probably just fine for you.

Yawn, I don't want to waste too much time dealing with forum warriors who have nothing better to do with their lives. You and a couple of others really got hung up on the Fitbit point without thinking through the question even within the Apple Ecosystem. A few points:

1. I didn't see you try to articulate why an Apple Watch SE vs Apple Watch Series 7 aluminum vs Series 7 steel or titanium. They all have nearly the same functionality but prices multiply based on really style and perceived value. What does buying an Aluminum Series 7 really get you over the Apple Watch SE? Not much but I'd take the Series 7 aluminum over the SE personally even though the starting price is 40% higher.

2. Most people are buying watches as fashion accessories these days - it's why the swiss watch market exist and the brilliant people responsible for taking our money at Apple knows that. The Apple Watch's popularity exist in the same way - most people aren't buying it to try to do payments on a small screen or for a ECG that shouldn't be relied on for medical use. None of these are killer apps - they're buying it cause it's a really nice watch - mass luxury at a reasonably affordable price. I live in the SF Bay Area and I don't think I remember the last time I saw anyone try to pay for something off their watch even if they had an Apple Watch yet almost everyone around me seems to have one.

3. I've looked at the new features added every year over my Series 2 and there's really no value to most of these except for bigger screen sizes and my Series 2 is starting to get glitchy. I don't plan on upgrading my Apple Watch for another 5 years so see you then.

Anyways, this is the last you'll hear from me on this thread. The way these type of conversations go is you will come up with a counter part by latching on something I said, and then it goes in circles. I'm not even sure we disagree so I'm done but thought I'd provide one final response.

 

[WilliamG]

In case you need to hear more of this, I've purchased sapphire-faced Apple Watches without exception since S2 and have never had even a trace of a scratch on any of the screens. If you take reasonably good care of your watch, I expect you will have the same experience.

Likewise. Since Series 0 I’ve never put a scratch on the sapphire displays. The stainless steel is another matter altogether, as expected.

 

[deeddawg]

Yawn, I don't want to waste too much time dealing with forum warriors who have nothing better to do with their lives.

... and yet here you are once again... LOL

1. I didn't see you try to articulate why an Apple Watch SE vs Apple Watch Series 7 aluminum vs Series 7 steel or titanium.

I'd already stated my reasons for choosing steel/titanium models over aluminum models and didn't see a reason to repeat myself within the same thread.

Most people are buying watches as fashion accessories these days [...] most people aren't buying it to try to do payments on a small screen or for a ECG that shouldn't be relied on for medical use. None of these are killer apps - they're buying it cause it's a really nice watch - mass luxury at a reasonably affordable price.

I'd be interested in seeing the source for the claim of why people buy the apple watch. Doesn't comport with what I've seen amongst friends and family who bought apple watches. Funny how you cherry pick stuff like ECG yet ignore the far more everyday stuff people do - notifications/calendar reminders, viewing/responding to texts, streaming music / controlling airpods / controlling spotify/pandora/etc.

I live in the SF Bay Area and I don't think I remember the last time I saw anyone try to pay for something off their watch even if they had an Apple Watch yet almost everyone around me seems to have one.

I don't spend my time focused on what shoppers ahead of me are doing - that'd be kinda creepy - so all I can say is cashiers I encounter are familiar with people paying from their watch. That suggests others are doing so often enough to establish that familiarity.

3. I've looked at the new features added every year over my Series 2 and there's really no value to most of these except for bigger screen sizes and my Series 2 is starting to get glitchy.

While you may not see any value to cellular capability, substantially faster CPU, always-on-display, improved GPS & HRM accuracy, etc. plenty of others do. Maybe you really don't see how those could be of value to others even if they're not to you - or maybe you're just trying to convince/reassure your decision not to upgrade. Doesn't matter, do what works for you.

Anyways, this is the last you'll hear from me on this thread

Awesome. Cheers.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

most people aren't buying it to try to do payments on a small screen

Maybe not in the US where the banking systems are a decade behind the rest of the western world but I can assure you the Apple Watch is very popular for payments. The size of the screen is irrelevant when you’re using Apple Pay on a checkout terminal.

 

[tonyz123456]

Maybe not in the US where the banking systems are a decade behind the rest of the western world but I can assure you the Apple Watch is very popular for payments. The size of the screen is irrelevant when you’re using Apple Pay on a checkout terminal.

Not sure what the Rest of the world is doing these days but last I checked, the next largest market (China) is probably using WeChat for payments for practically everything. Not sure how apple competes against that?

More anecdotally, I would say in the sf Bay Area where adoption for apple watches and new tech is very high , I don’t see anyone outside of the most die hard Apple Watch fans trying to use it for payments. Lots of Apple Pay on phone users but not on the watch.

Again, I think the Apple Watch is a really good watch but the size is an inherent limitation in a lot of use cases or there are superior options out there. I guess if you really don’t want to carry your phone, a cellular Apple Watch is an option but it’s such a narrow use case vs just carrying your phone in my opinion. The phone is generally a superior tool and the Apple Watch is really designed as a companion to it vs a standalone device.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Not sure what the Rest of the world is doing these days but last I checked, the next largest market (China) is probably using WeChat for payments for practically everything. Not sure how apple competes against that?

More anecdotally, I would say in the sf Bay Area where adoption for apple watches and new tech is very high , I don’t see anyone outside of the most die hard Apple Watch fans trying to use it for payments. Lots of Apple Pay on phone users but not on the watch.

Again, I think the Apple Watch is a really good watch but the size is an inherent limitation in a lot of use cases or there are superior options out there. I guess if you really don’t want to carry your phone, a cellular Apple Watch is an option but it’s such a narrow use case vs just carrying your phone in my opinion. The phone is generally a superior tool and the Apple Watch is really designed as a companion to it vs a standalone device.

I have no knowledge of China and only referred to the western world, not the rest of the world. In Europe which is a bigger market than the US, Apple Pay and contactless payments in general are standard. In the UK Apple Pay can be used anywhere where there is a contactless pay terminal. It’s harder to find a shop or establishment where these aren’t available than somewhere that does. If you are basing your opinion/metric on a part of San Francisco then fair enough, but Apple Watches are used for payments by millions of people in other markets. I use my watch for payments at least twice a day from my own personal experience. It’s on the wrist and instantly convenient which is why if you travel anywhere by rail or plane you’ll see them being used in abundance.

 

[bricktop_at]

I use my watch for payments at least twice a day from my own personal experience. It’s on the wrist and instantly convenient which is why if you travel anywhere by rail or plane you’ll see them being used in abundance.

Same here, I use it almost exclusively for all payments because of how convenient it is