A glossy finish looks flawless in a product photo and shows every fingerprint two days into use. Brushed aluminium looks plainer on day one and stays that way after a year in a pocket with keys. Between those two options there is no technical answer: there is a decision about when you want the product to look its best.
We test wear, not just durability
Durability tests answer whether something breaks. We care about a different question: how it looks when it does not break. We put each finish through abrasion cycles with fine sand, synthetic sweat, and UV light, then photograph it under the same lighting we used on day zero.
The strap takes the most punishment
On a wearable, the body of the device usually survives without drama and the strap is what stretches, fades, and ends up deciding whether the product looks old. That is why the KOA Watch and KOA Band share a tool-free swappable strap system: the part that wears out fastest should also be the easiest to replace.