Tomas Chlebek Consumer Reports is a website that takes the most scientific approach to product testing. At the same time, their history records an unfavorable attitude towards Apple products. The most famous example of this is not recommending buying an iPhone 4 without a case due to unreliable antennas. But the Apple Watch performs very well in their first published tests. Among them is a test of the resistance of the glass against scratches, a test of water resistance and a test of the accuracy of the values measured by the heart rate sensor of the watch.
The scratch resistance of glass was measured according to the Mohs scale of hardness, which expresses the ability of one material to etch into another. It has ten grades complete with reference minerals, with 1 being the lowest (talc) and 10 being the highest (diamond). At the same time, the differences in hardness between the individual grades are not uniform. To give an idea, for example, a human fingernail has a hardness of 1,5-2; coins 3,4–4. Ordinary glass has a hardness of approx. 5; steel nail approx. 6,5 and masonry drill approx. 8,5.
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The display of the Apple Watch Sport is protected by so-called Ion-X glass, the production method of which is almost identical to the more widespread Gorilla Glass. For the test, Consumer Reports used a device that applies the same amount of pressure to each tip. The point with a hardness of 7 did not damage the glass in any way, but the point with a hardness of 8 created a noticeable groove.
The glasses of the Apple Watch and Apple Watch Edition are made of sapphire, which reaches a hardness of 9 on the Mohs scale. Appropriately, a tip of this hardness did not leave any noticeable marks on the glass of the tested watch. So while the glass on the Apple Watch Sport is noticeably less durable than the more expensive editions, it still shouldn't be easy to damage it in everyday use.
In terms of water resistance, all Apple Watch models across all three editions are water resistant, but not waterproof. They are rated IPX7 under IEC standard 605293, which means they should withstand being submerged less than a meter under water for thirty minutes. In Consumer Reports' test, the watch was fully functional under these conditions after being pulled from the water, but will continue to be monitored for possible problems later.
The latest test published so far measured the accuracy of the Apple Watch's heart rate sensor. It was compared to Consumer Reports' top-rated heart rate monitor, the Polar H7. Two people wore both, going from a stride to a brisk stride to a run and back to a stride on the treadmill. At the same time, the values measured by both devices were continuously recorded. In this test, no significant differences were observed between the values from the Apple Watch and the Polar H7.
Consumer Reports conducts more tests on the Apple Watch, but these are long-term and will therefore be published at a later date.
For a fashion accessory, the results are very good.
Yes they are. If I'm going to buy the first edition, it's definitely sports. But glass lasts shit and aluminum does the same. It doesn't bother me so much with the iPhone, it can be avoided if you try, but the watch will simply suffer from bumps and scratches from the zipper, etc. On the contrary, I was surprised by the results of the heart rate measurement. I didn't believe it would be accurate.
The harder, the more fragile. A watch with a sapphire definitely does not belong on the hand of people who tend to knock it against walls, door frames and so on :-)
In addition to the glass, it is also good to observe the body of the watch. I don't know about the AW sport, but with the classic Apple Watch, the body scratched quite unpleasantly, which I had the opportunity to see.