Apple Watch Sport screen scratched?

I now have my new watch and so far there's no scratches. Here's hoping it stays that way.

I've been wracking my brains trying to think where the scratches came from because I was super-careful with it. Other than it having arrived like that, the only other possibility I can think of is something we probably don't give much thought to - airport security.

I flew overseas the day after my watch arrived and obviously had to take it off and put it in the tray with my phone etc. But the other side of the scanner had those hard rubber flaps which brush over anything in the trays. I'm wondering if one brushed over my watch leaving two perfectly parallel scratches.

After at least a month of using mine, sadly I have developed a small scratch on the upper right corner of the watch. I have found something that helps with the scratch but does not fix it. It will make it less noticeable and made mine only be seen when shining a bright light on it. What you need to do is get some toothpaste and rub it on the scratch. Let it sit for a few minutes and then wipe it off. (I know it's very simple, don't judge. Haha.) Anyway, it should make the scratch less noticeable. It did for me. Here is a before and after of my watch. (Space Gray 38mm Sport).

I called Apple Support Sunday night about a very small (but admittedly dissapointing) scratch in my new Watch Sport face (after figuring out which department I need to go to I spoke immediately to a real person, no phone tree, no south Asian rep by the name of “Greg”). By Tuesday morning first thing I had a Fedex overnight package to send it back in, which I did same day. Yesterday I’m told that I’ll receive my new Apple Watch in two days return post. It was delivered today at 11am, less than 42 hours after I dropped it at Fedex. Pretty amazing that they exchanged it at all considering the minor complaint, let alone in less than three days, especially without me having to go into a store.

I had the same problem after wearing the watch for 1.5 days. I sit in an office all day and did not bump, drop or brush up against anything. I did not take the watch off and put it in a pocket or purse; nothing to merit the scratch on the watch face. I called apple support and they told me to bring it to the apple store and ask for an exchange. The phone support person also suggested I get a screen protector for the new watch which leads me to believe this is a common issue.

Apple store exchanged the watch for me with a brand new watch, no questions asked. The store also suggested I get a screen protector despite the fact that there are no products currently available with the apple seal of approval. Again, they must know it's an issue.

The watch is very cool and I'm enjoying wearing it now that I have a screen protector on it and am not afraid of it scratching. $500 (with apple care) is a lot of money to spend on something that is scratched so easily. I have cheap watches that are less scratch prone than the apple watch appears to be.

I have literally taken my watch out of its brand new box twice and seen these little paint chips! I though it was just me doing something the first time! On my third watch and waiting for it to be replaced - so annoying!

I dont understand how Apple can be to blame for damage that was caused after it was opened. Watches dont scratches themselves. It has to come in contact with something else to cause the scratch.

bryan.vance wrote:

I dont understand how Apple can be to blame for damage that was caused after it was opened. Watches dont scratches themselves. It has to come in contact with something else to cause the scratch.

Welcome to the world of OCD where things become scratched all by themselves, no human action required. Every Apple product gets the same scrutiny from this crowd. A screw head whose slot isn’t pointing the same way as the others is declared a design fault and worth of obsessive ranting over quality.

This might be the craziest thread I've ever seen. Things just don't scratch themselves. Unreal.

I purchased a Zagg HD screen protector for my Apple Watch sport. It completely hides the existing scratch, and you almost can't see the protector at all. It wraps around the curved edges and is staying put. Highly recommended for Sport owners concerned about scratches.

It's probably the extreme orange peel effect that hides the scratch.

Same problem.

After 2 days, 2 small scratches on the side.

Called AppleCare but they said to me that the problem is not recognized by Apple.

(Sorry for my bad english)

same thing happened to me, ive had the watch for two weeks and protected it like gold dust however when i took it out of its case this morning it has scratched really badly so i went into the apple store and they just said its wear and tear theres nothing they can do! Nobody buy one!

<sarcasm>If there were only a way to protect the watch from scratches. </sarcasm>

It's been thoroughly established, in this thread alone, that the Apple Watch is easily scratched. If you don't buy a screen protector and a bumper for it, it WILL get scratched.

So you have two options:

A) If believe that if you pay $400 for a watch, it shouldn't scratch easily. If that's a dealbreaker for you, return the watch.

B) If you really want the functionality of the watch and don't want it to be scratched, buy a screen protector and a bumper (which has been suggested in this thread -- with photos), install it and enjoy your watch.

It was a simple choice for me. Am I annoyed I had to return my scratched watch, wait for another, and then wait another two weeks for my backordered Spigen protector to arrive before I could wear the watch? Yes. But I like the watch. The lack of scratch resistance is disappointing, but it wasn't a deal breaker because I found an alternative approach.

It's just that simple guys.

Zagg screen protectors have "extreme orang peel effect"? Nah, I don't think so. Sure, there is a subtle rippling/mottling of distant reflections when you hold the watch close up, but nothing I would call extreme. At normal viewing distances in average lighting, I don't even notice the screen protector. What I think optically conceals any actual scratch is the damp adhesive application, rather than any particular surface effect. I noticed that with screen protectors on other iDevices I had scratched up in the past.

I thought I might notice the edge since it stops about half-way along the curved screen, but it just optically disappears for some reason. Maybe a full-bleed edge would be better, but that would also be more difficult to align precisely. So far, after a couple of weeks of use in hiking and traveling, the Zagg is staying put... no peeling up yet.

My only complaints on the Zagg HD thus far:

1. It covers up a very functional oleophobic coating on the Ion-X glass, so the Zagg collects fingertip oils faster than the glass.

2. It feels slightly less slick than the glass.

I'll take those downsides in exchange for the freedom of not worrying as much about scratching or cracking the glass.

**Sort of unrelated** But if you're still charging it inside of a pillowcase, I would stop. User guide mentions to charge it in a spot where it's ventilated and not closed-in.