Scratchgate? Users Discover $549 Stainless Steel Apple Watch Scratches Easily

With early adopters getting hold of their brand new Apple watch models as they become widely available, some users have already found something wrong with them. According to a 9to5Mac report, some users have noted that the stainless steel version of the Apple watch is very scratch prone. Many of the stainless steel Apple watch users have discovered that finish on the casing of the shiny new $549 stainless steel Apple watch can be scratched with relative ease.

This has come as a surprise to many who decided on the stainless steel version of the Apple Watch. In the promotional videos that Apple made for the watch soon after its announcement, the stainless steel used on the device was claimed to be “specially forged” to achieve superior hardness. That process, however, doesn’t seem to have helped Apple make the watch scratch proof.

The report adds that Apple Watch is made from 316L stainless steel — which is not exactly known for being scratch proof. In fact, the sport version of the Apple Watch is made of 7000 series aluminum, which is better at keeping scratches at bay. That said, people who paid $549 for the mid-range version of the Apple Watch don’t seem to be very excited about the fact that their newest gadget will have a very hard time remaining shiny.

People who have been affected by the Apple Watch scratch issue have apparently found a solution to the problem as well. Touted to be a $5 solution to keep your Apple Watch scratch free, the idea is to manually buff out the fresh scratch marks yourself. If you are not comfortable doing it alone, there are suggestions to take it to a jeweler or a watch repair shop where they will do it for you for a fee.

In case you are the kind who love DIY stuff, here’s a video explaining how to do it all by yourself.

Note that only the stainless steel version of the new Apple Watch is reported to be easily scratched. There are no reports so far of the other versions of the product suffering from a similar problem. That said, several people are already giving the phenomenon a new name — scratchgate!

All said, isn’t is sort of disappointing to find that the stainless steel Apple Watch is pretty prone to scratches? If were contemplating buying an Apple Watch for yourself, will this new issue affect your buying decision?

[Image via 9to5Mac]