- Some Apple Watch Series 10 owners are reporting a coating failure
- The issue appears to only affect the Apple Watch Series 10 in Jet Black
- Apple Stores are apparently providing free replacements to some users
The Apple Watch Series 10 is one of the best Apple Watches, but one particular model seems to have a small cosmetic issue. If you have one in the Jet Black color variant, you might want to take it off and check its underside – that’s because some people are reporting that the coating is corroding and falling off. And the good news is that Apple seems to be taking the issue seriously.
Reddit user ashadow_song was not happy with the state of their Apple Watch. After just one year of use, the black coating on the underside of the unit was pockmarked with small silver dots – areas where the colored coating had loosened and fallen off the watch.
Not content to sit by, ashadow_song went to an Apple Store and got some good news. When they spoke to a store employee, they were apparently told “we’ve seen that a lot [the] jet black version, you’re almost guaranteed to get a free replacement.” The Apple employee then took the watch in for inspection, and ashadow_song said they received a replacement confirmation email from Apple the next day.
As proof, the poster provided a screenshot of an Apple Support ticket (below) that read, “We’re replacing your product,” adding that “Your replacement product will be shipped to you shortly.” This suggests that Apple wants to resolve this matter as quickly as possible without risking disgruntled customers.
We’ve reached out to Apple for official comment on this issue and will update this story if we hear back.
Get it checked out
applewatch from r/AppleWatch/comments/1p9pmbr/psa_apple_will_replace_your_series_10_jet_black
Interestingly, ashadow_song said they did not claim the replacement under Apple’s AppleCare+ extended coverage, but instead did so under the watch’s standard warranty. Since it lasts for a year, this means that the problem manifests itself after less than 12 months of use. It was backed up by Reddit user PrincessCaramel, who said they experienced the same issue after about a year of ownership.
That’s worrying when you consider that the Apple Watch is designed to be worn 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including during exercise and in all weather conditions. Given that, you’d think its coating would hold up better to the sweat and moisture that could cause this corrosion.
Right now, these are still only anecdotal cases and there is still no evidence that it is a widespread problem. However, there are sample threads on Apple’s community support forums about some Jet Black Series 10 owners experiencing the same thing.
It should also be noted that the Apple Store worker has apparently “seen this a lot” with Jet Black Apple Watch Series 10 models. We haven’t seen reports of other Apple Watch colors or models being affected, so the issue may be limited to the Jet Black Series 10 and the composition of its coating.
Either way, you might want to double-check your Apple Watch to make sure it’s not suffering from the same color degradation. If it is, head over to your nearest Apple Store to see if you get a similar response.
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