Want to know how well a particular finish (stainless steel, aluminum, etc) for iPhones/Apple Watches will hold up over time? Apple Store display units are usually the best indicator.

Raw stainless steel on the silver models get scuffed easily while the black, gold and now midnight green stainless steel models have a special coating to keep them pretty well protected against scratches.

This year is the first time since Apple last used titanium in their products almost 19 years ago (Titanium G4 PowerBook) and titanium is not known to have much resistance against scratches (camping/outdoor peeps will know).

Apple however stated that the space black titanium model has a diamond-like coating (like the space black stainless models) applied on them, while the natural brushed titanium finish has a “new surface treatment that is stain and fingerprint resistant”.

How do they fare?

Not so well, when you are talking about the natural brushed titanium model (well Apple never said their surface treatment will prevent scratches). The space black model is much more resistant to scratches but looks a fair bit less “titanium-ish” than the natural brushed model.

I guess if you wanted to buy a titanium watch you are probably looking for a “well-used” titanium look (like people who collect titanium utensils) in the first place.

It is worth noting that although the titanium models are priced 100USD higher than the stainless steel models, like all Apple Watch Edition models they come with a limited edition sport band each. That is a value of 49USD alone (more if you consider the fact that you can’t get the bands by simply purchasing them from Apple). So the titanium models are really just 50USD or so more expensive than the stainless steel models, making them the cheapest Apple Watch Edition watches ever release.

If you always buy the stainless steel models maybe the titanium models will be a good upgrade this year.

If you like the look.