There have been reports that the stainless steel versions of the Apple Watch are easily scratched, with owners posting pictures of their devices already with scratches on the case. Fortunately, there is an easy fix to remove the scratches from the stainless steel Apple Watch.
The surprise of users on the ease through which their steel Apple Watches get scratches could be due to how Apple has been touting the steel used as especially cold-forged to be able to provide superior hardness.
The fact that the stainless steel versions of the Apple Watch can easily get scratches should not be considered as a surprise, more so not as a "scratchgate" scandal, according to Apple news website 9to5Mac. This is because stainless steel by its nature can be scratched, similar to the backs of the older iPods of Apple and the cases of other stainless steel watches.
Stainless steel is in fact not that hard of a material, with the 316L grade stainless steel used in the Apple Watch actually softer compared to the 7000 series aluminum that can be found in the lower-priced Apple Watch Sport devices. Apple could have chosen to manufacture the devices using 904L grade stainless steel, but that would have increased the price of the steel Apple Watch even more.
The main difference between the steel-backed iPods and the Apple Watch, however, is that owners paid at least $549 to purchase a stainless steel Apple Watch, so users are not expecting the devices to already bear scratches early on. Fortunately, there is a simple way to remove the scratches from the case of a stainless steel Apple Watch.
Users looking to remove the scratches can purchase a metal polish, which costs roughly $5 each, to buff out the scratches completely using a hand towel. If users are not comfortable doing the buffing themselves, the Apple Watch can simply be taken to a watch repair shop or jewelers to have the scratches buffed.
Certain watch repair shops quoted a price of between $20 and $40 to buff the steel case of the Apple Watch, while some, however, did not want to do so because they were afraid of damaging the other components of the device. However, all of the shops stated that the 316L stainless steel used by the Apple Watch can be polished and buffed easily. The polishing and buffing should not be frequent though, as the steel could get worn down quickly, and the polishing cream should not be allowed to enter the Apple Watch through the device's holes.
