Hands on: Titanium Apple Watch Edition Series 5 is worth the extra cost

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Comments

  • Reply 21 of 47

    tjwolf said:
    I think the title is bullocks.  Basically the article just articulates the author's preference rather than any objective data.  For instance, he highlights the titanium watch's supposed imperviousness relative to the $400 cheaper aluminum watch.  Sure, in theory, titanium is "stronger" than aluminum, but in practice your aluminum watch will likely never get scratches - I've had Watch 1, Watch 2 (because Watch 1's screen shattered falling from a locker room locker), and Watch 4 - all aluminum.  None of them ever scratched.  And, like another poster, I live a pretty active lifestyle.
    The author lists aluminum's weight (or lack thereof) as another reason for titanium's superiority - because while not lighter, it's "just right"?!?  I have always had the larger watch and have *always* wished it were a little lighter (and, even more so, a little thinner).   And, besides, with a Milanese loop stainless link band, you can always add weight, if you insist on more weight.

    Really the only reason I can think anybody will go for the more expensive materials Apple sells is to show off.  And judging by the photos the author provides, you can't even easily do that with the Titanium watch as, in black at least, it's pretty much indistinguishable from the other two finishes.  So if you want to show off, you gotta go enamel.
    My AW3 gray sport got scratches. Metal mailbox, brick & stucco house, pets, etc. It happens. 

    Steel looks better, feels better, and it handles scratches better. Plus the sapphire doesn't scratch, unlike my sport's glass display.

    If you like aluminum better, great more power to you. But don't believe that there is no practical difference in the pricier materials. 
    edited September 2019 svanstrom
  • Reply 22 of 47
    @Tjwolf - nailed it, I agree 100%.
  • Reply 23 of 47
    I want to know if the Space Black titanium looks good with the Space Black Link Bracelet that came with the original SS Space Black Apple Watch. Do the colors match up well?
    I saw a black titanium model in a local Apple Store briefly on Saturday. The color matches pretty well with my black link bracelet. The surface finish matches the link bracelet noticeably better than the polished-and-coated steel watches do.

    I would love to see a titanium link bracelet, but I suspect that wouldn't be very workable, what with the galling.
  • Reply 24 of 47

    NY1822 said:
    I've had the black aluminum Nike model both in Series 2 and Series 4....I am a personal trainer and spend 8-10 hours in a gym banging it around. Has yet to show a scratch. 

    I've seen a few youtube videos that people say the titanium looks a little cheap and to the average on-looker they won't know the difference between the aluminum vs the titanium. I'm not a fan of the light gray aluminum as I think it looks cheap.

    Im thinking of getting the silver stainless steel for the premium look. Would love to hear anyone's opinion with their experience...
    The average onlooker won't be able to see the difference between the black aluminum, steel, or titanium versions. The silver version of each is very visibly different (most notably, the silver steel watch is high-gloss polished).

    In terms of durability, I don't know anyone with an aluminum Apple Watch who hasn't accumulated some small scratches on the rounded edges of the screen within three months. The sapphire screen on the steel, titanium, and ceramic models is much harder and will look brand new basically forever for most people. The biggest concern with sapphire is impact: it doesn't scratch, but hit it hard enough and it shatters spectacularly.

    The silver steel case picks up lots of little scratches over time, but they can be easily polished out if you want. You can also brush the surface to mess up the polish and hide scratches. They look great, and nobody but you will even be able to see the tiny scratches, but you will be able to see them.

    The black steel and black titanium are both coated in diamond-like carbon, which is extremely hard. It's a little bit below diamonds, but still generally above sapphire. You're probably not going to be able to accidentally scratch either with any encounter that leaves your wrist unbroken. After five years, both of these watches should look exactly like they did the day you bought them.

    I don't know how the silver titanium will hold up to wear. The nano-resin coating they use is nice, and is generally quite durable. I haven't seen it used on a watch before, but I would expect it to look brand new for five years or more as well.
    randominternetperson
  • Reply 25 of 47
    kpomkpom Posts: 660member
    The Titanium Watch also comes with a sport band and an extra year of warranty. 
    randominternetperson
  • Reply 26 of 47
    neilmneilm Posts: 985member
    robjn said:
    When it comes to surface hardness the 316L cold forged stainless steel is generally harder than titanium alloy. This means the stainless might actually be more resistant to scratches and dents than the titanium.

    Apple do have some kind of nano-coating on the titanium. This prevents it from picking up the ugly oxidization that raw titanium is susceptible to. It is possible that this coating also adds scratch resistance.
    I've owned a titanium watch (Omega) for over 20 years. The case is definitely softer and more prone to scratching than stainless steel. However it's never displayed any staining at all. Of course I have no way to know which particular Ti alloy it's made of. There are also various ways to coat titanium to improve its surface hardness, including the DLC that Apple uses on the black Ti finish AW5.

    I like the silver AW5 titanium. Its brushed satin finish is more discreet than polished stainless, while being more interesting to look at than the unrelieved black version. 

    Little known fact: When you order the Ti Edition AW5 you also get either a light grey (for the silver model) or dark grey (Space Black DLC model) sport band in the box in addition to whatever other band band you choose.
  • Reply 27 of 47
    anomeanome Posts: 1,533member
    I suppose the added advantage of the Titanium is that its magnetic profile makes it less likely to accidentally trigger mines. I expect it to be popular with health-conscious clearance divers.

    I'm not in the market for a watch this year - I'm determined to keep my Series 3 for another year - but if I were, the Titanium is attractive. Maybe not exactly aesthetically, depending on your taste, but just in a geeky have to have it kind of way. The price difference from the Stainless Steel does make it sort of "Might as well upgrade" territory.

    If I had any sense, of course, I'd get the Aluminium watch and possibly upgrade it more often, but sense doesn't come in to it every time. Plus the Space Grey doesn't look as nice as the Space Black.
  • Reply 28 of 47
    jccjcc Posts: 326member
    The fact that you can’t replace just the guts of the watch but the whole thing and they release a better one each year means that you’ve got to be a real dummy to buy anything but the cheapest version.
    saarek
  • Reply 29 of 47
    Who cares how long the finish looks like new? Any Apple watch is obsolete after only a few years as the technology advances and people want the new version with the new features. The people who care about how the watch's finish holds up are undoubtedly the same people who want the latest and greatest features. imagine how foolish the buyers of the multi-thousand dollar first version Apple watch must feel now. "Edition"? Ha! I wonder what they now sell for used?
  • Reply 30 of 47
    jcc said:
    The fact that you can’t replace just the guts of the watch but the whole thing and they release a better one each year means that you’ve got to be a real dummy to buy anything but the cheapest version.
    Er, no. First, nobody said you have to upgrade annually. Personally I don’t think that’s normal or what most “normals” do. My AW0 gave me multiple years. Second, who are you to say what people should do with their disposable income? Third, replacing only “the guts” of the AW is nonsense, as it changes every year and nothing is ever that simple.
    svanstromchia
  • Reply 31 of 47
    PJW said:
    Who cares how long the finish looks like new? Any Apple watch is obsolete after only a few years as the technology advances and people want the new version with the new features. The people who care about how the watch's finish holds up are undoubtedly the same people who want the latest and greatest features. imagine how foolish the buyers of the multi-thousand dollar first version Apple watch must feel now. "Edition"? Ha! I wonder what they now sell for used?
    I have sold each of my two previous AWs — a stainless steel AW0, and a sport AW3. Keeping it in good shape certainly matters in the aftermarket. 

    As for people who were able to buy the gold AW0 Edition — they aren’t the sort of people to care about it having a shelf life. These are the same people who spend 5 or 10 grand on a designer purse, shoes, etc. It’s a different class, and you ain’t in it. 
    svanstromchiafastasleeprandominternetperson
  • Reply 32 of 47
    sflocal said:
    I bought an AW4 for my SO last Xmas because she really wanted one.  A few months later, I eventually inherited it as she stopped using it.  I guess I too am not in market-segment for an Apple watch.  I do like it and it but I cannot for the life of me understand what the big deal is with it.  It's more a nuisance for me to figure out how to use it to benefit me, and I'm all in on the Apple-wagon.  I want to like it but it just doesn't inspire me to use it.  

    I rarely use watches, but when I do I prefer to wear my Suunto D6i dive watch as I actually use it for diving and its integrated dive-computer/air-pressure system and when not in the water, it is a really, really good-looking masculine watch (imho).  

    Now... the day Apple figures out how to do diabetic blood-sugar testing (if ever), I will be on that the moment it's announced.  Until then, my AW4 continues to remain in its charger on the table until I figure out what to do with it.
    I got a 3. Gave it to my kid after a month who wore it for a week and stopped wearing it. The fitness tracking is marginally useful if you need it but I don’t. The walker talkie feature was a total bust, cellular calls a bust. Reading messages on it was nice but I have my phone and use it so much I just read it on the phone.  Not for me right now but it is early days yet for wearables. If they can check blood sugar levels it would be a game changer for many (but not me). But can’t think of a must have feature in a watch. 
  • Reply 33 of 47
    Hmmmm...I think the photo of 3 watches stacked up, the bottom one is NOT stainless steel model cause stainless steel model is the only one with glossy finishing for space black. The bottom one in that photo looks like either the aluminium one or titanium one (this is where it is hard to tell the difference cause both are matte look).
  • Reply 34 of 47
    I have a original Breitling aerospace titanium watch.  Had it repolished and the electronics and dial replaced for night use.  Sapphire crystal has ultra fine scratches.  Just the right weight.  I might buy a ti Apple Watch gen 5 if the size can match my smaller early watch.  

    I wish apply would make a left handed  model.  I wear mine on my right wrist,  operating knob on the wrong side.  Apple suggested turning it upside down. Bottom on the bottom.  No. Left handed.  Charge more. 
  • Reply 35 of 47
    This article on price states, "A 40mm space black titanium Apple Watch costs $799 for the non-cellular version, and the 44mm one is $849. You obviously pay more for the cellular one..." However, on the Apple website, those prices are tied to "GPS + Cellular" and there is no option to buy just GPS. I believe this is misquoted.
  • Reply 36 of 47
    roakeroake Posts: 809member
    These are some of the finest first-world problems that I have ever encountered.
    rundhvid
  • Reply 37 of 47
    NY1822 said:
    I've had the black aluminum Nike model both in Series 2 and Series 4....I am a personal trainer and spend 8-10 hours in a gym banging it around. Has yet to show a scratch. 

    I've seen a few youtube videos that people say the titanium looks a little cheap and to the average on-looker they won't know the difference between the aluminum vs the titanium. I'm not a fan of the light gray aluminum as I think it looks cheap.

    Im thinking of getting the silver stainless steel for the premium look. Would love to hear anyone's opinion with their experience...
    I love the silver stainless steel. I bought a series 2 back in the day, and even though I've worn it pretty much every day, the finish has held up very well - only a few tiny abrasions. I just picked up a 44mm series 5 in stainless steel - I think ss has the classiest look.
  • Reply 38 of 47
    What I really want to know is how the plain titanium looks combined with the milanese loop.

    I really love titanium, but my guess right now is that I'll end up with the stainless steel watch simply because there's nothing "premium" about matching the plain titanium watch with the milanese loop that is a perfect match for the stainless steel watch. Which really seems like a huge oversight; shouldn't this have been a priority? Or is that mismatch considered a design feature?
  • Reply 39 of 47
    Apple did wrong with black coating the titanium.  It doesn't look like titanium.
  • Reply 40 of 47
    Sorry, I'm sticking to my SS. It's the look plus the durability of it. I'm not jumping on to the Titanium band wagon just yet.
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