FENIX 5 Bezel Durability

monte cherenche

I've also had my F5 sapphire black for 10 days and it still looks perfect, but I have been very careful. But seriously, any watches, including Rolex costing £1000's are not immune to cosmetic wear and tear. Sports watches more so as they are designed to be lightweight compared to jewellery watches. Just don't be clumsy, and keep your arms away from walls etc. I expect in winter it will be less of an issue as people tend to wear long sleeves.

Before the Fenix line there was never this issue because people would put their running watch on before any activity, then take it off until the next activity. But now these devices are intended for daily wear and are more likely going to get bumped and knocked.

Scott, i like your last point about wearing your watches 24/7. I never really thought of that but it is certainly true.

I've also had my F5 sapphire black for 10 days and it still looks perfect, but I have been very careful. But seriously, any watches, including Rolex costing £1000's are not immune to cosmetic wear and tear. Sports watches more so as they are designed to be lightweight compared to jewellery watches. Just don't be clumsy, and keep your arms away from walls etc. I expect in winter it will be less of an issue as people tend to wear long sleeves.

Before the Fenix line there was never this issue because people would put their running watch on before any activity, then take it off until the next activity. But now these devices are intended for daily wear and are more likely going to get bumped and knocked.

So many people are too worried about small dings/marks to even enjoy wearing the thing! Mine is a 24/7 wear and I just swap out different quick fit bands between work and play for looks. I enjoy the watch knowing it probably won't look perfect after a year or two of use but who cares? Some cite resale value, but what's the point in even owning it in the first place if all you care about is preserving its pristine look so you can get an extra $50 when you sell it? Might as well leave it in the box.. that'll ensure it looks good in two years. Throw the thing on and hit the trails/streets/lake/pool/beach/office/snowflakesafespace/wherever!

so many people are too worried about small dings/marks to even enjoy wearing the thing! Mine is a 24/7 wear and i just swap out different quick fit bands between work and play for looks. I enjoy the watch knowing it probably won't look perfect after a year or two of use but who cares? Some cite resale value, but what's the point in even owning it in the first place if all you care about is preserving its pristine look so you can get an extra $50 when you sell it? Might as well leave it in the box.. That'll ensure it looks good in two years. Throw the thing on and hit the trails/streets/lake/pool/beach/office/snowflakesafespace/wherever!

agree 100%!!!

However, it is curious to see the watch with defects after a very soft use of a few days. The ring is fragile. But it doesn't matter.

I have had my white 5s for three weeks. I wear it most days and use it for running- road and trails. I have so many small scratches on my silver bezel already :(

I've had my Champagne Gold Sapphire 5S since Monday and wear it 24/7. No scratches yet. I have a skinomi full coverage kit coming. It includes a piece that applies to the bezel to protect it, as well as a few random pieces for the sides. I've also thought about putting some clear gloss Plasti Dip on it. The black plasti dip has held up well on random parts on my vehicle.

I've had my Champagne Gold Sapphire 5S since Monday and wear it 24/7. No scratches yet. I have a skinomi full coverage kit coming. It includes a piece that applies to the bezel to protect it, as well as a few random pieces for the sides. I've also thought about putting some clear gloss Plasti Dip on it. The black plasti dip has held up well on random parts on my vehicle.

I had skinomi full set on my previous Fenix 3 but the bezel parts come away very soon maybe because the clothes... Me too i have thought to Plasitidip/Foliatec because i used it on my car wheels and it last very long! The problem is how to make a precise work...

However, it is curious to see the watch with defects after a very soft use of a few days. The ring is fragile. But it doesn't matter.

That´s is clear. The ring is really fragile. In my case, mine came directly from Garmin with a couple of crack. I emailed a few hours later from receiving and I was told that once it has been activated it cannot be changed.

I had skinomi full set on my previous Fenix 3 but the bezel parts come away very soon maybe because the clothes... Me too i have thought to Plasitidip/Foliatec because i used it on my car wheels and it last very long! The problem is how to make a precise work...

I have pondered over that. Obviously it is something you want to be a little more delicate and neat about, compared to wheels. It does hold up very well, though I wonder if it might peel up if you bump the watch against a tabletop or something.

I've managed to scrape mine across a few metal surfaces since I've had it (This is the 5X model but it's the same slate grey); door handles, protective metal plates mounted to doors in public buildings (I work in a college), metal banister rail and even on the brass door latch mechanism of a door.

All of this appeared to have scratched either the bezel or the metal strap....

But then after giving the "scratch" a bit of a scrape with my finger nail or the end of a plastic pen it has become apparent that I hadn't actually scratched it, and the silver (or brass) coloured "scratch" was actually metal that had transferred over from the other surface and I was able to rub/scrape it off to reveal no damage at all. Luckily I must have coshed it into aluminium or other metals that are softer than the steel Garmin used in the watch.

I expect if I bash it into some bricks or rocks or take a dive off the mountain bike then it will suffer some actual damage though :)