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Should I return my Fenix 7 Sapphire Solar? (Easy to "scratch"?!)

RunningM
over 1 year ago

Some background:

I bought the Fenix 6X Sapphire a couple of years ago. Sapphire is supposed to be really tough and hard to scratch. Its a 9 on mohs scale with only diamond higher at level 10. I choose sapphire because of this and that I could relax from worries about scratches on the screen which I really hate because they are so visible and irritating. 

I was actually really careful with my Fenix 6X because that's just how I am with stuff. BUT after a couple of months I got scratches on the screen! I couldn't believe it. The weird thing was that if I polished the screen with a microfiber cloth, the scratch went away. It was only visible when the screen was a bit "dirty" with finger prints or dust. Weird! But I didn't know why this was at that time so I called Garmin and told them about this. They refused to exchange it because they don't cover this on warranty. I decided to "fight" them because this is not ok! Its a sapphire screen and it shouldn't scratch this easily, and I had been super careful with it. Had to email them a lot and talk to different people and after some back and fourth, I got it covered on warranty. At that time I didn't want to go with another Fenix because I read that the new Tactix Delta had better screen that was more durable so I got an exchange to a brand new Tactix Delta. That one I had for 1.5 years and didn't get a single scratch on it. 

I later learned that the scratches on the Fenix 6X sapphire really was not on the screen, but on the coating of the screen. weird to coat an "unscrachable" screen with weak coating that scratch. 

Now I sold the Tactix Delta because it was heavy and big and tried a Forerunner 955, but that was so cheap and horrible, that I instantly went for a Fenix 7 Sapphire Solar. I was sure that Garmin learned from the Fenix 6 sapphire weak coating and didn't do that again with the new one. Boy I was wrong...

I've seen numerous posts about people "scratched" their Fenix 7 sapphire screens. Its really the coating. Some people have actually polished off the coating and the screen was new again, but without the water repellent coating. That makes me very unsure about my purchase. I buy the sapphire to be able to relax about the scratches, but now it seems this model also has the same coating...

I even called Garmin Support and asked them about it. They told me that the coating was to PREVENT scratches! Why do you need a coating to prevent scratches on a sapphire screen? It doesn't make any sense! Its 9 on mohs scale and only diamond is harder... I don't go around a lot of diamonds so I shouldn't worry. I asked about how the warranty was for the scratches on the Fenix 7 Sapphire screen and he told me that its not covered. But they actually DO cover dents and scratches on the bezel?! He said there were some faulty devices with poor quality bezels made. Now they are probably fixed. But still I'm worried.

I bought this watch and can return it. I Have had Garmin for many years now and love it, but I don't want scratches on my almost 1000$ watch! That's why I paid so much. I think this watch looks so good and feels so good and everything is really perfect with it, but if it "scratches" easily, I can buy the glass edition instead...   

So where to go from here? 

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  • 0 over 1 year ago
    RunningM said:
    but if it "scratches" easily, I can buy the glass edition instead...  

    How is that going to solve your problem? The hydrophobic coating will scratch as easily as on your current watch, and the glass will scratch while the sapphire won't.

    If you actually wear your watch. cosmetic imperfections aren't a matter of if, but when. And since the scratches on the coating were only visible under specific conditions, I would just suck it up and live with them.

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to MisterFrag

    Because if I buy the cheaper version with glass, at least a scratch won't hurt that much. But with the sapphire that they themself advertise as scratch resistant and also with the hardness of sapphire, its not ok if it scratches easily. 

    Also: Sapphire watches should NOT ever scratch unless you are around super hard materials that are over 9 in mohs scale. That is very seldom if you think about it. Sand, most metals, wood, plastic etc won't have a chance to scratch a sapphire screen. Just see analog watches with sapphire screens that have lasted for decades without a single scratch. 

  • 0 over 1 year ago

    What do you want us to tell you? To hold and comfort you and plead with you to keep the watch? From everything you've said you're not going to be happy with any of these models so your best bet is to switch to another brand and see how the scratches work on those platforms. I can tell you from experience that polar and apple watches get scratches from looking at them for too long

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to RunningM
    RunningM said:
    Also: Sapphire watches should NOT ever scratch unless you are around super hard materials that are over 9 in mohs scale. That is very seldom if you think about it. Sand, most metals, wood, plastic etc won't have a chance to scratch a sapphire screen. Just see analog watches with sapphire screens that have lasted for decades without a single scratch. 

    The sapphire glass on the watch isn't scratching, it's the coating. The watches you are comparing your F7 to don't have a hydrophobic coating, so of course they don't show the same scratches.

    If you'd be happy with the sapphire glass and lack of coating as on those other watches, just remove the hydrophobic coating on your watch and don't look back. The sapphire will look as good as that on those other watches, and it won't scratch as easily as a watch with glass

  • 0 over 1 year ago

    Return it, you are obsessing over just the possibility of a scratch.

    Wait a second, if you return it the value is diminished. 

    Morally you should keep it.

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to Skyewalkr
    Skyewalkr said:
    I can tell you from experience that polar and apple watches get scratches from looking at them for too long

    Lol Smiley

  • 0 over 1 year ago
    RunningM said:
    So where to go from here? 

    I think you have to accept the reality. You can either put the watch in a display case and be happy that it will always looks like new. Or you can use it as intended as an outdoor sports watch, and there is always some risk that it will get scratched on the display, bezel, or somewhere else. Think of these scratches as a kind of patina that adds a personal touch to your watch.

  • 0 over 1 year ago

    I use glass screen protector on all my watches. It’s almost invisible. 
    off topic but how did you go about exchanging Fénix for Tactix? Was it still in return period? Did you have to pay the difference?

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to Dave

    I can return it for free. Its not obsessing, but its because of how Garmin marked these watches. Buy a more expensive model to avoid scratches, but wait, it scratches just as easy (I know its only the coating, but still). I think its nok ok by Garmin to do this. Why put a fragile coating over a super tough material that really don't scratch? And why does Garmin support say to NEVER polish off the coating because that will make to watch scratch even faster?! Sapphire is 9 on the mohs scale and doesn't  scratch, so why would garmin say this?

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to akiakic

    Then you could just have bought the glass version and saved a 100$ and also gotten a better visible display. Of course you'd miss multi band gps also, so if that is important, you have to get the sapphire. 

    The way I had to go to switch to the Tactix I don't recommend for anyone. Takes time and fighting a huge corporation.. Many mails and phone calls. But the reason I did it, is because its not ok to have an almost indestructible screen and then cover it with fragile coating that scratches and then looks horrible. They have to be responsible for their products and they say its scratch resistant and that they have a sapphire screen that you actually pay 100$ extra for. So after a lot of energy they caved in and I debated that I wanted the Tactix because it has a domed screen WITHOUT the coating. I had to pay the difference between, but I got a brand new Tactix with new warranty. 

    Now I really want to exchange my Fenix 7 to a Tactix 7 again because Garmin again uses this weak coating...