The Apple Watch comes in three distinct flavors. There is the Apple Watch Sport, the Apple Watch (stainless steel), and the Apple Watch Edition. Based on the name, the Apple Watch Sport is what I imagined potential Apple Watch buyers would gravitate to for the purpose of wearing while running, working-out and playing sports in general. To me, the other two were marketed more towards the fashion aspect, one for the uber-rich and another for the more economically-minded.

In that vein, my initial draw to the Apple Watch, aside from being a shameless Apple fanboy was the idea of using it for tracking my daily activity as well as while working out. So when deciding which Apple Watch I should buy I naturally gravitated to the model with “Sport” in the label. This and the fact that is was $200 cheaper. A few months into owning the device I had managed to not only put a number of dents and scuffs into the outer aluminum casing but had also put some noticeable scratches on the display itself. Being very particular about the outward appearance of my gadgets, especially my Apple gadgets, this was seriously disturbing.

My solution to this was to sell the Sport model and “upgrade” to the stainless steel variation. I did so with the understanding that the stainless steel Apple Watch with it’s steel casing and sapphire-coated screen would be better able to withstand the day-to-day rigors of my life. I’ll also point out that I find the stainless steel model to be much more attractive as a fashion piece. I’ve now owned this new watch for a few months and can say that I have yet to scratch the screen or casing in any noticeable way. Though this is far from a scientific test, as I can not reasonably say it’s undergone the exact same treatment in the exact same conditions, I can conclude that it has gone unscathed longer than my old Sport model.

This increased durability is what makes the stainless steel version of the Apple Watch a better “sport” watch then the Apple Watch Sport in my eyes. The obvious counter-arguments to this proclamation are that the stainless steel Apple Watch is more expensive and a bit heavier. I’ve chosen to ignore the price difference in this debate as the $200 difference seems like it should be trivial for someone already spending $350-$450 for the entry level model. As for the weight, I had the sport model for a few months and then picked up a stainless steel model. I put it on and though I could immediately tell the difference it only took a day before the added weight seemed negligible.

For me, this device is as much an athletic companion as it is a piece of fashionable nerd-jewelry. To that end, I want it to be there with me no matter what activity I am doing and I want it to stay as scratch and blemish free as possible. This is why I think the stainless steel Apple Watch is the Apple Watch for sports!