New Subs: Vulnerability to Scratches

[Farsh14]

I work in New York and walk a lot, take the subway, go to the bars and get drunk with my mates. One thing I'm wondering:

How careful should I be with my new Sub? Rolex says the ceramic bezel is scratch resistant, and the crystal is scratch resistant. The band seems pretty rugged too. But for some reason I'm a bit apprehensive to be so carefree about how I wear it.

Even as I'm typing this I feel like I sound like an idiot haha. Anyway... Do any of you feel the same way? Or is it safe to say I can just go about my day knowing I won't damage my watch by some incidental contact on something.

[Thatguy]

It will scratch but after a while they all blend together.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[watchwatcher]

Anything will scratch.

Wear the watch, not vice versa.

[The Libertine]

Scratches are an inevitable part of ownership, but you shouldn’t let it detract from your enjoyment.

In other words; wear the Submariner, and don’t sweat the small stuff!

[matrotter43]

enjoy it man i wear my subC blusey everyday, even when i go out to the bars and get after it, there are scratches on the band but nothing aside of that, nothing a polish couldnt fix up! the beauty of Subs is that they are meant to be thrown around, enjoy that man!

[donq]

Yes, it will get scratched.
Yes it can be polished.
How you deal with those facts are up to you.

So you want to be the guy wrapping his watch in cotton every night before placing it on a red velvet cushion and kissing it good night, or so you want to be the guy with the one watch he’s been wearing through thick and thin, regardless of the conditions, and with the battle scars to prove it?

Personally, I think they look better with a few signs of life.

(Plus I have bigger fish to fry)

[Forum-Dweller]

Scratches are unavoidable. Even if you get one of those giant plastic bubbles and roll around NYC, it's still going to get scratches because the watch will links will rub against each other and scratch itself. It's normal.

[douglasf13]

It seems like the smartphone era has ushered in a new level of concern for scratching devices, where people complain about a single scratch in an aluminum bezel, or whatever, so it leads to many purchasing cases to cover the design of their devices in order to prevent it.

The bottom line is, a steel Rolex will get scratched to heck over its lifetime, assuming it's worn as intended, and it's just part of it all. The steel IS the cover, protecting the movement.

[JP(Canada)]

Nah, you don't sound like an idiot. You sound like I did when I got my first fancy swiss watch after saving up for it for what seemed like a lifetime, and I still couldn't believe how much money I just plunked down for a watch. That was about 25 years ago now. It'll pass... Just wear and enjoy... Don't sweat the scratches. I speak from years of experience.

[Bigblu10]

If you can't handle scratches on a steel Sub, definitely don't go full gold!

[wrxsti]

scratches are good they make the watch yours and you are adding your own personal patina to it

[Tools]

You ride the subway and you go to bars............... and you think that this is roughing it....


I'm sure that you can't do anything that can't be undone relatively easy.

[AzHadEnuf]

If you’re worried about getting a scratch on your dive watch I’d be at least, very, very careful. Walking, subway riding and bars can be very harsh environments.

Just kidding...sort of...enjoy your watch.

[exador]

Originally Posted by Farsh14

I work in New York and walk a lot, take the subway, go to the bars and get drunk with my mates.

I’d be more concerned about muggings rather than scratches

[Droolex]

I live in NYC and wear my 114060 daily. I've smacked it on the occasional handrail, and wall, and outside of some superficial scratches on the clasp, it looks great! You should be just fine.

[jnkay]

If you have a ss sub, most the scratches get lost in the brushed steel. Even so, a quick rebrushing with scotch bright or a Bergeron abrasive block will make it look like new. The ceramic insert is tough and won’t show 99% of the impacts it receives.

[Xerxes77]

You buy the watch!
Enjoy!

[SPEIRMOOR]

Once you get the first scratch the rest wont bother you.

[69ways]

Each scratch tells a story

[m j b]

I don't think it matters where you live, you're going to be banging the watch, dragging it across rough surfaces, etc. it's just a fact of life if you choose to leave the house.

But to answer the question: just wear and enjoy it. There's carefree, and then there's careless. Try for the former.

[mjclark32]

I’m 32, I’ve had my 16610 for 7-8 years and been getting drunk out at bars without an issue

[ap1]

Should be fine

[geebob]

The ceramic bezel and the crystal are scratch resistance...so, the scratches will appear on both sides of the case, the lugs, the clasp and the bracelet.
And it doesn’t matter how careful you are your watch will have scrathes.

[brandrea]

Your Rolex can handle the subway and the bar scene, unless you routinely get bounced

[SevenWays]

You are wearing a multi-thousand dollar piece of jewelry on the end of your arm and getting drunk? I'd worry less about scratches and more about why you'd think that this is a good idea. Things happen when you are drunk that don't when you are sober, including theft. I watched a friend of mine hand over his Rolex to a total stranger who said "hey, nice watch, can I look at it?". Alcohol lowers inhibitions and he never would have done that sober. The watch got dropped onto the floor because the guy he handed to was also drunk. It was a bar, after all, and people are in various states of inebriation.

To respond to the actual question - scratches happen. The watch isn't designed to be delicate. Two weeks after I got my first Rolex, I was cleaning paint off the links. I just use the watch and clean it up appropriately. It is functional jewelry, with the emphasis on functional.