Titanium AW5 thread

[FenC]

Here in NZ we only got support for the LTE Watch in December. I was keen on the natural Ti, but Apple only saw fit to offer the SS and Alu LTE models (no Edition nor Hermes), and I didn't want the drama of importing one from Australia, so I went with SS.

Reason for the post however is that I use a wheelchair, specifically one made of titanium with a natural finish. Even being bashed around in an aircraft hold most of the scratches it picks up are easily buffed off, sometimes even just rubbing with a finger. I've never bothered to check, but I assume it's because most of the marks are actually material from whatever it was that "scratched" the Ti that has transferred to the surface and haven't actually damaged the Ti itself.

 

[JoshVB]

It's interesting to hear so many people with the natural titanium no scratches. I've had made since launch day and I've got a few marks along the device. In all honesty though, after a few weeks of ownership, I stopped caring. The watch still looks great and IMO provides a more premium look than the aluminum without the flash of the SS.

I have worn my Apple Watch Ti natural every day since launch day. It gets banged around and caught on things while I'm working around the house. I was going to pay to have the scratches removed, and I also looked at the "special" Ti buffing pads on Amazon. In the end I found a package of small yellow sponges with a green abrasive scrubbing side under the sink in the kitchen. I had bought them at the dollar store for like $1.25 for ten. I removed the green scrubbing side and gently rubbed it along the finish of the Apple Watch. It completely removed all marks and restored the finish to what it looked like right out of the box when it was brand new! Sure whatever the special coating Apple puts on for fingerprints was clearly was removed by my refinishing, but I could care less as my watch looks awesome again. I now keep one of the little green pieces in my laptop bag so I can touchup the watch whenever I happen to notice I have another mark.

Hope this helps someone else out.

Josh

 

[44267547]

I have worn my Apple Watch Ti natural every day since launch day. It gets banged around and caught on things while I'm working around the house. I was going to pay to have the scratches removed, and I also looked at the "special" Ti buffing pads on Amazon. In the end I found a package of small yellow sponges with a green abrasive scrubbing side under the sink in the kitchen. I had bought them at the dollar store for like $1.25 for ten. I removed the green scrubbing side and gently rubbed it along the finish of the Apple Watch. It completely removed all marks and restored the finish to what it looked like right out of the box when it was brand new! Sure whatever the special coating Apple puts on for fingerprints was clearly was removed by my refinishing, but I could care less as my watch looks awesome again. I now keep one of the little green pieces in my laptop bag so I can touchup the watch whenever I happen to notice I have another mark.

Hope this helps someone else out.

Josh

This is great info. Thank you for sharing this. Someone else mentioned a ‘pencil eraser’ can remove minor scuff/scratches. Either way, I’ll keep this in mind if Apple offers the titanium for the Series 6.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Here in NZ we only got support for the LTE Watch in December. I was keen on the natural Ti, but Apple only saw fit to offer the SS and Alu LTE models (no Edition nor Hermes), and I didn't want the drama of importing one from Australia, so I went with SS.

Reason for the post however is that I use a wheelchair, specifically one made of titanium with a natural finish. Even being bashed around in an aircraft hold most of the scratches it picks up are easily buffed off, sometimes even just rubbing with a finger. I've never bothered to check, but I assume it's because most of the marks are actually material from whatever it was that "scratched" the Ti that has transferred to the surface and haven't actually damaged the Ti itself.

That same material transfer would occur to the old matt-finish ceramic bezels on Omega watches, where people thought they scratched their ceramic bezel but it was easy to remove with one of those erasers that can erase ink from paper.

 

[techno-Zen]

Dropped my SB Ti on a concrete garage floor. Heard a loud crack sound. Not a single mark on the titanium that didn’t wipe right off and my sapphire didn’t crack or shatter.

I was in awe.

 

[44267547]

Dropped my SB Ti on a concrete garage floor. Heard a loud crack sound. Not a single mark on the titanium that didn’t wipe right off and my sapphire didn’t crack or shatter.

I was in awe.

I can only imagine the look on your face when that watch hit that concrete garage floor. 😁 [Let alone the profanities.] But it also goes to show you, the extreme durability the diamond like carbon coating incorporates.

 

[Foxhound357]

Dropped my SB Ti on a concrete garage floor. Heard a loud crack sound. Not a single mark on the titanium that didn’t wipe right off and my sapphire didn’t crack or shatter.

I was in awe.

That's good to know. Glad you dodged that bullet.

 

[techno-Zen]

I can only imagine the look on your face when that watch hit that concrete garage floor. ? [Let alone the profanities.] But it also goes to show you, the extreme durability the diamond like carbon coating incorporates.

It was so dumb too. I took it off to use brute strength to remove a car seat so it wouldn't scratch on something and just left it right there in the seat. then finally got the seat out, tilted it and there she went as I took the seat out of my car!

I thought I was 100% using an AppleCare+ claim at least on the sapphire - I guess the titanium held the shock pretty well!

I think SS would've for sure shattered

 

[AJ44]

I really hope Apple keeps the Ti in their lineup each year, regular Ti has definitely taken over as my choice for that color range over regular SS, SBTi is making it a really difficult decision if I want to have that or another SBSS next time.

 

[richard371]

Im very pleased with the SBTi but if they come out with a black ceramic I'm in. Its a lot to drop on a watch and if things are still pretty bad I may pass.

 

[44267547]

Im very pleased with the SBTi but if they come out with a black ceramic I'm in. Its a lot to drop on a watch and if things are still pretty bad I may pass.

That is, if Apple even launches an Apple Watch this year. I’m sure in all likeliness, it’s on track given China’s ‘rebound’ and overall manufacturing is back on par. But in a ‘sales sense’ in terms of economic conditions, that’s a totally different tangent that may delay certain Apple products for 2020. (The Entire ‘tech sector’ for 2020 will face its worst year ever given the economic recession, Which will impact timing Of delays/initial launches).

 

[techno-Zen]

I think we'll see a delayed launch like the iPhone X, November or December ish.

I love my SBTi as well. I don't think I'd upgrade if it's not a material option with the S6. Black ceramic would look no different than SBSS honestly. But a gray ceramic S6 I'd be in 100%

 

[JoshVB]

For anyone who has a natural titanium Apple Watch, I've created a video on YouTube for how I remove scratches from my Apple Watch with a simple abrasive pad from a sponge. When I first got my Apple Watch at launch last year I couldn't find any videos dealing with Apple Watch Titanium scratch removal. Hopefully the video is helpful to someone who's looking for a simple and cheap way to maintain their natural titanium Apple Watch.

Regards,

Josh

 

[dor2201]

Apple Watch Titanium It's the most beautiful watch ever!!!!

 

[N54TT]

For anyone who has a natural titanium Apple Watch, I've created a video on YouTube for how I remove scratches from my Apple Watch with a simple abrasive pad from a sponge. When I first got my Apple Watch at launch last year I couldn't find any videos dealing with Apple Watch Titanium scratch removal. Hopefully the video is helpful to someone who's looking for a simple and cheap way to maintain their natural titanium Apple Watch.

Regards,

Josh

Thanks for the video. Definitely nice before and after...and its good to know I can get it to like new with a basic household item. I just don’t think what scratches I have are visible enough yet to do anything about. What’s funny is that yesterday I was outside working in the backyard digging trenches, working with pavers, stones etc...looking at my watch and thinking to myself I should post an update to this thread. I’ve worn my TI watch since launch day and many days like yesterday...and the finish has held up great! Much better than my SS has In the past. the TI has some fine scratches....but just like the video....it’s hard to even see unless you’re looking close, at just the right angle and in the right lighting. I would definitely have had to use a polishing cloth several times on SS by now.

 

[jdb8167]

After reading 62 pages of comments mostly on scratches on the natural Ti case I decided to take a much closer look at my Ti Apple watch. Even looking very closely I could only see 2 small blemishes. One was a horizontal scratch in parallel with the lug connector. This is so close to the edge, that with a band attached, you could never see it. And the other blemish is what looks like a ding from a drop. It is about a millimeter across and only visible in direct sunlight.

I do remember a drop from a bathroom vanity 3 feet onto a painted steel radiator. This the likely cause of the ding. The scratch along the lug connector is almost certainly from attaching bands.

I’ve had the Ti Apple Watch since it was released. Somewhere from about 20 September 2019. Before reading here, I would have said that my Ti Apple Watch was in like new condition so the minor blemishes don’t bother me or maybe I would have noticed them. All in all, my Ti Apple Watch has held up extremely well for the first 8 months of everyday use.

 

[44267547]

After reading 62 pages of comments mostly on scratches on the natural Ti case I decided to take a much closer look at my Ti Apple watch. Even looking very closely I could only see 2 small blemishes. One was a horizontal scratch in parallel with the lug connector. This is so close to the edge, that with a band attached, you could never see it. And the other blemish is what looks like a ding from a drop. It is about a millimeter across and only visible in direct sunlight.

I do remember a drop from a bathroom vanity 3 feet onto a painted steel radiator. This the likely cause of the ding. The scratch along the lug connector is almost certainly from attaching bands.

I’ve had the Ti Apple Watch since it was released. Somewhere from about 20 September 2019. Before reading here, I would have said that my Ti Apple Watch was in like new condition so the minor blemishes don’t bother me or maybe I would have noticed them. All in all, my Ti Apple Watch has held up extremely well for the first 8 months of everyday use.

Yup, the natural Ti scratches, we know that. The misconception about the titanium, is that the fingerprint coating is supposed to provide some type of scratch resistance, which it doesn’t. The natural titanium does somewhat hide minor blemishes somewhat better, due to the ‘brushed affect’ versus the regular stainless.

 

[N54TT]

Yup, the natural Ti scratches, we know that. The misconception about the titanium, is that the fingerprint coating is supposed to provide some type of scratch resistance, which it doesn’t. The natural titanium does somewhat hide minor blemishes somewhat better, due to the ‘brushed affect’ versus the regular stainless.

I think the misconception is that TI scratches easily, will look horrible and when it does scratch...the scratches couldn’t be removed easily (like you can with stainless steel). The last couple posts show that yeh the TI scratches, BUT it seems to hold up better over time than the SS. Partly due to the brushed hiding blemishes. Plus you can fairly easily remove the scratches...albeit removing whatever coating Apple applies.

All I can add again is that wearing my natural TI since launch day and abusing it....it has held up great and has kept it’s like new appearance WAY better than my SS versions ever had. I use to polish my SS every couple months. I have zero desire to polish my TI right now as it still looks practically brand new. All the worries on how the TI finish will hold up, so far in my experience, are unfounded.

 

[noobinator]

I think the misconception is that TI scratches easily, will look horrible and when it does scratch...the scratches couldn’t be removed easily (like you can with stainless steel). The last couple posts show that yeh the TI scratches, BUT it seems to hold up better over time than the SS. Partly due to the brushed hiding blemishes. Plus you can fairly easily remove the scratches...albeit removing whatever coating Apple applies.

All I can add again is that wearing my natural TI since launch day and abusing it....it has held up great and has kept it’s like new appearance WAY better than my SS versions ever had. I use to polish my SS every couple months. I have zero desire to polish my TI right now as it still looks practically brand new. All the worries on how the TI finish will hold up, so far in my experience, are unfounded.

Yep, agree 100%. I've abused my launch Ti and it has one small mark that I can only see at certain angles in direct sunlight. When this first launched people were claiming we'd have a watch with 1000 tiny scratches within days. It's held up extremely well and I'm very impressed.

 

[techno-Zen]

Nice to see. I'd consider the Natural TI for Series 6. I love my SBTi but it can be close to an aluminum in look and feel if I'm being honest.

 

[spinedoc77]

My Ti still blemishes easily, I made the distinction of blemish versus scratching in an earlier post. When I'm looking at my phone with my watch hand the top of my AW is against the counter/desk and I can see blemishes all along the top of the AW, these seem like shinier spots/streaks where maybe the brushed finish and/or coating wears off. Conversely actually having a scratch I can feel is different and not what I'm seeing. Still these shiny spots look terrible and are not a the nice patina I have heard others describe. I just use one of those Ti pads on Amazon and buff the blemishes right out though.

I will say that in my experience the Ti has nowhere near the durability of the SBSS. I don't wear my Ti if I'm doing any construction or even working out, but I'll wear the SBSS no matter what.

 

[44267547]

I think the misconception is that TI scratches easily, will look horrible and when it does scratch...the scratches couldn’t be removed easily (like you can with stainless steel). The last couple posts show that yeh the TI scratches, BUT it seems to hold up better over time than the SS. Partly due to the brushed hiding blemishes. Plus you can fairly easily remove the scratches...albeit removing whatever coating Apple applies.

All I can add again is that wearing my natural TI since launch day and abusing it....it has held up great and has kept it’s like new appearance WAY better than my SS versions ever had. I use to polish my SS every couple months. I have zero desire to polish my TI right now as it still looks practically brand new. All the worries on how the TI finish will hold up, so far in my experience, are unfounded.

You kind of rehashed some of the points I already made in the post you quoted, about how the titanium brushed affect can conceal some scratches. I agree that the stainless steel is far more susceptible to scratches given the softer/denser 316 L Stainless.

The Way I see it, this is a smart watch, it’s not a high end mechanical watch. I would never go out of my way to be overly pedantic about a minute scratch on the casing, as it’s expected when you wear something on your wrist daily. But if I was someone to be overly concerned with scratches, undoubtedly I would opt for either the space black stainless/space black titanium, as the DLC has proven it’s ruggedness against the scratches/dings.

 

[Donstil-nl]

I have worn my Apple Watch Ti natural every day since launch day. It gets banged around and caught on things while I'm working around the house. I was going to pay to have the scratches removed, and I also looked at the "special" Ti buffing pads on Amazon. In the end I found a package of small yellow sponges with a green abrasive scrubbing side under the sink in the kitchen. I had bought them at the dollar store for like $1.25 for ten. I removed the green scrubbing side and gently rubbed it along the finish of the Apple Watch. It completely removed all marks and restored the finish to what it looked like right out of the box when it was brand new! Sure whatever the special coating Apple puts on for fingerprints was clearly was removed by my refinishing, but I could care less as my watch looks awesome again. I now keep one of the little green pieces in my laptop bag so I can touchup the watch whenever I happen to notice I have another mark.

Hope this helps someone else out.

Josh

whow this made my day dude, have a Ti since launch but just a couple of days ago I noticed marks in the sun.
looked for a tip in this topic and there you where, done it and it looks new again!

 

[JoshVB]

whow this made my day dude, have a Ti since launch but just a couple of days ago I noticed marks in the sun.
looked for a tip in this topic and there you where, done it and it looks new again!

That’s great news! Thank you for sharing that the tip worked for you too!

Regards,

Josh

 

[dor2201]

Do you think there will be AW6 titanium?