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Q: Apple Watch Sport screen scratched?

After 2 days of normal use and looking after my watch better than my own child I have found that when in direct sunlight i can see what appears to be a hairline scratch directly down the centre of the face. I just cannot understand why this has happened? nothing has bumped or came into contact weigh the face other than my finger, even at night when its on charge i placed it in an old pillow case until I can get a stand? Im very meticulous about looking after my products and find this very unsettling that its happened after 2 days. Its really distracting when I'm outside as the scratch scathes the light constantly.

 

Im sure if I go into the store I will basically be told its my own fault but what do you think my options are? is it possible that this was on the screen before I got it?

 

Just would like to know if anyone else has had this issue?

 

Cheers

Apple Watch, iOS 8.3

Posted on Apr 27, 2015 5:42 AM

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Q: Apple Watch Sport screen scratched?

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  • by markmc78,

    markmc78 markmc78 May 1, 2015 9:11 AM in response to jaredfs
    Level 1 (24 points)
    Mac OS X
    May 1, 2015 9:11 AM in response to jaredfs

    It's worrying that it scratches so easily!

     

    And I can't buy Apple Care due to it having a scratch!

  • by markmc78,

    markmc78 markmc78 May 1, 2015 9:33 AM in response to jaredfs
    Level 1 (24 points)
    Mac OS X
    May 1, 2015 9:33 AM in response to jaredfs

    I've just tried to reserve a Genius Bar appointment and when I select "Apple Watch" the only 2 Apple Stores in my city show no available appointments at all!!!!

  • by Nads6365,

    Nads6365 Nads6365 May 1, 2015 12:50 PM in response to jaredfs
    Level 1 (0 points)
    May 1, 2015 12:50 PM in response to jaredfs

    Your little rant about my "mistreatment" of my watch is ridiculous.  I barely wore the **** thing, and it scratched like nothing.  I have an iPhone, and an iPad, and those looked AMAZING compared to my 12 hour old watch so get off your high horse over calling me careless.  Apple and reviewers online touted its ability to be scratch resistant, and it didn't scratch until the guy rubbed it with Sand Paper in the video.  If 4 hours of normal use creates a scratch, that's pretty ridiculous. 

     

    Now that I'm done dealing with the kid, I sent my watch in today for repair.  I'll let you all know how long it takes for them to ship it back.  They sent the package as an express overnight which is pretty awesome.

     

    I have bought some Armorsuit Screen Protectors so hopefully once I get the watch back, they will prevent future problems.

  • by Nads6365,

    Nads6365 Nads6365 May 1, 2015 12:52 PM in response to markmc78
    Level 1 (0 points)
    May 1, 2015 12:52 PM in response to markmc78

    Mark,

     

    You are going about this all wrong and putting yourself as the victim.  You just dropped $400+ on a watch, and it didn't live up to what was promised.

     

    You need to call them up, and state how disappointed you are with the fact that it scratched so easily (which it did).  They will repair it for free, or send you a new one.

     

    If we do this enough, perhaps something will be done. 

  • by tcbritt4,

    tcbritt4 tcbritt4 May 1, 2015 1:24 PM in response to Nads6365
    Level 1 (5 points)
    May 1, 2015 1:24 PM in response to Nads6365

    Agreed.  After reading this forum, I called Apple Support Tuesday night and explained my situation.  They agreed to an exchange.  I sent back my watch using the provided return shipping label.  Once the watch was accepted by FedEx for shipment, my replacement watch was released and processed for shipping.  I knew watches were in short supply and had no idea when I may get a replacement.  Once the system updated Wednesday night, the store said my replacement watch would ship in June.  I was heartbroken.  I checked the order status again Thursday at noon and the status had changed to "preparing to ship" with an estimated delivery time of May 8 - May 15.  This was great news.  But then, I checked the order status again at 8 pm (EST) last night and the watch had shipped, UPS next day air!  It left California last night at 6 pm and should deliver to my home this afternoon by 6 pm (tracking shows it is now out for delivery).

    It stinks that the first watch was scratched so easily, but I am really pleased with the level of support I received from Apple to fix the situation.  The support people were great.  I sent off my watch Wednesday afternoon and will receive a replacement Friday afternoon.

    I wanted to share this one case and I hope everyone can have their respective issues handling in such a great way.   

    Thanks Apple!

  • by SochGuru,

    SochGuru SochGuru May 1, 2015 9:44 PM in response to boomboo
    Level 1 (0 points)
    May 1, 2015 9:44 PM in response to boomboo

    My kid wore it for 3 days and in normal use, there are many scratches on the watch. It's bad design.

     

    I have a 10 yr old Casio Pathfinder with almost no scratches.

     

    Apple should have learnt smart design from Casio & likes. A watch first of all needs to be durable. What's the point if the watch looks sexy due to brainwashed ad videos by Sir Ivy, and scratches so easily.

     

    38mm & 42 mm sport.

  • by kali4nia85,

    kali4nia85 kali4nia85 May 1, 2015 10:25 PM in response to markmc78
    Level 2 (476 points)
    May 1, 2015 10:25 PM in response to markmc78

    Marcmc78.  Just call and purchase it.  You don't have to go into a store.  When I called it was no problem the guy didn't ask me any questions except for my credit card information.  Didn't run a test or anything.  Even a diagnostic test wouldn't tell them there's a scratch on it. 

     

    I purchased it since it's so cheap. $50!? Good deal.

  • by markmc78,

    markmc78 markmc78 May 1, 2015 10:57 PM in response to kali4nia85
    Level 1 (24 points)
    Mac OS X
    May 1, 2015 10:57 PM in response to kali4nia85

    kali4nia85, any idea which UK number I'd call to buy it? When I look at the UK Apple Store site, it says to purchase you must either buy it with an Apple Watch or go into store, where the watch will be inspected first.

  • by kali4nia85,

    kali4nia85 kali4nia85 May 1, 2015 11:37 PM in response to markmc78
    Level 2 (476 points)
    May 1, 2015 11:37 PM in response to markmc78

    OH. Uhmmm.   I would just call technical support and they should transfer you. I don't know how Applecare works in the UK but someone should be able to tell you wherher or not you have to go in to A store. I always complain that I don't live near an Apple Store whenever they suggest I take something in so they usually bend over backwards to help out.

     

    image.jpg

     

    I Think those are the UK numbers.

  • by GadgetGirlJodi,

    GadgetGirlJodi GadgetGirlJodi May 2, 2015 10:56 AM in response to Nads6365
    Level 1 (0 points)
    May 2, 2015 10:56 AM in response to Nads6365

    Thanks so much, Nads6365.  I called Apple Support and expressed my displeasure at how easily the screen had been scratched, despite how careful I have been with it.  I told them about others in the Support Forum with the same problem, and wondered if perhaps there was a bad batch out there, since Consumer Reports and other users have tried scratching the Sport with everything from keys to knives, to no avail. 

     

    The support person, Jeremy, was extremely nice and helpful.  He arranged for a prepaid shipping box to be sent to me, so that I could send the watch back for a replacement (at no charge to me.)  He stated that it would take 5-7 business days before I received a replacement.

     

    Jeremy verified that it would be a replacement, not a repair, because the engineers would want to run tests on it to see if they could isolate the problem.  I shipped the watch off today, so fingers crossed that everything goes smoothly.  In the meantime, I have ordered a screen protector.  I hate to ruin the aesthetic, and I don't think that you should need to do that for a watch, but better safe than sorry.

     

    P.S.  I do NOT have Apple Care on my watch.  If you have similar scratches, call Apple Support.  They seem to be willing to work with buyers regarding problems, since the product is so new.

  • by markmc78,

    markmc78 markmc78 May 2, 2015 11:00 AM in response to GadgetGirlJodi
    Level 1 (24 points)
    Mac OS X
    May 2, 2015 11:00 AM in response to GadgetGirlJodi

    The problem with these tests and videos showing people not being able to scratch iPhones, etc, with keys and screwdrivers, etc, is that, although it sounds amazing, those materials (i.e. metal) are not harder than today's glass used in electronics, hence it won't scratch it no matter how impressive it seems.  On the flip side, tiny little grains of grit/sand/etc, whilst seemingly innocuous, are much more likely to scratch the glass.

  • by DannyWoods,

    DannyWoods DannyWoods Jun 21, 2016 1:44 AM in response to markmc78
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Jun 21, 2016 1:44 AM in response to markmc78

    Mark you are exactly correct.  These scratches that allegedly came from "nowhere" were absolutely user driven.  Small grains of sand, rock, metal etc are all around us in the air and I guarantee some of these folks went throughout the day wiping the watch face on their shirt or sleeve to keep a polished look dragging microscopic fragments across the screen.

     

    Both fortunately and unfortunately and I purchased the "Watch" (not Sport) which has a crystal screen that's nearly impossible to scratch, but 316L Stainless Steel is a much softer metal than 7000 Aluminum, so micro-scratches appear on the case with ease.  This is also true for much MUCH more expensive watches made from even higher grade Stainless (like Rolex watches made from 904L SS that DO scratch!).  Fortunately with SS it can easily be buffed out.

     

    I am a freak about my tech and keeping my devices pristine so I understand every single person's pain here.  I have a few tiny scratches near the band on the case (not glass) and have thought about returning it as well, but you know what?  This is a Watch people.  It's gonna get banged around, smacked against walls or counter-tops, come in contact with zippers or buttons...the list goes on and on.  It's GONNA get damaged.  Jewelry gets damaged, period.  I read a Watch blog where one contributor wrote "all these Apple Watch people [worried about scratches] have obviously never worn a watch a day in their lives..."

     

    This isn't a $20,000 Rolex investment here folks (unless you're a moron and bought the Edition), it's wearable tech and it's gonna be irrelevant in 12 months.

     

    <Edited by Host>

  • by tcbritt4,

    tcbritt4 tcbritt4 May 3, 2015 8:16 AM in response to DannyWoods
    Level 1 (5 points)
    May 3, 2015 8:16 AM in response to DannyWoods

    i dont believe anyone here is implying their scratches have come from nowhere. They were caused by the user rubbing against something.  The discussion here is in regards to how easily the scratching occured on the the screen. i think your opinion may change if/when you get a scrarch on the screen, the part of the device you spend the most time looking at. It's more distracting than a scratch on the body of the device.

  • by pmiles,

    pmiles pmiles May 3, 2015 8:40 AM in response to boomboo
    Level 6 (15,951 points)
    May 3, 2015 8:40 AM in response to boomboo

    Well you'd be surprised at what you brush your arm against daily without even realizing it.  Most watches actually have a sunken glass face within a bezel to protect against such issues.  As for the supposed strength of the glass, the sites using cheese graters and the like are testing the sapphire crystal not the strengthened Ion-X glass.  I'm no rocket scientist but I pretty much knew scratches were going to appear on these devices... how could they not?  It's an oversized faceplate watch screaming "the bulk of my surface area is exposed to physical damage at all times."  Not putting a protective cover over them is like running around with no protective cover on your iPad, iPod, or iPhone.  Most people have added some sort of protective cover to all these devices... those that don't accept the scratches.

     

    I think this will end up being just like the initial iPod release in which the metal backplate scratched so easily.  They never changed the metal backplate to resist scratches... people just either accepted such wear and tear or put the device in a protective cover.  I don't believe there is an engineering change that can be done to stop scratches short of placing a protective film over the top of the face or putting it into a bezel which essential sinks the glass below the bezel surface area.

     

    Even the most cautious of people will likely scratch their watch face during normal usage... because no one is that mindful of what they are doing every second of every day.  That guy you brushed against getting on the bus... the coat you slung over your arm on the way into the office... the list is endless and seemingly quite harmless... at the time.

  • by markmc78,

    markmc78 markmc78 May 3, 2015 8:45 AM in response to pmiles
    Level 1 (24 points)
    Mac OS X
    May 3, 2015 8:45 AM in response to pmiles

    I've always wondered why companies like Apple, Samsung, etc, don't apply some form of screen protector at the factory - in the lab conditions they have, with the equipment they have, they could get it on with no bubbles, etc.

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