Cases for your $1,000 phone are a bit of a no-brainer these days, but cases for your accessories can be a sticky wicket for many. We won’t bat an eye at cases for our favorite wireless earbuds, for our tablets and trusty e-readers, or even for Chromebooks, but putting a case on your watch evokes looks of confusion or derision.

“Why would you do that? It ruins the look of the watch!” “It’s so bulky and ugly.” “Watches are already durable enough; a case is overkill!” “They don’t even do a good job.” I’ve worn smartwatches for almost a decade since the original Moto 360, and while they may be thinner and more refined than ever, cases have saved my last three smartwatches again and again from my clumsiness and the world’s concrete cruelty. And whether your eye is on the upcoming Pixel Watch 2, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6, or even a new Apple Watch Series 9, you should absolutely consider grabbing yours a case, too.

Exposure and kinetic force

While your phone might be subjected to high falls in moments of chaos or poor luck, your smartwatch can easily experience the same kind of impact dozens of times a day. Affixed to our wrists — and the outside of our wrist for most — the first point of contact for your arm against any wall, railing, doorframe, door handle, counter, armrest, or rusty metal fence you may brush past, clip, or fall against.

Hardened sapphire screens and armored aluminum (or stainless steel) go a long way, but it’s still playing a game of angles. The right impact at just the right spot, and the screen will shatter. And with aluminum or steel, it doesn’t take much to scratch the anodized coating. Even a thin case eliminates most of these angles, meaning you’ll either have to hit much harder or hit exactly on the screen of your watch in order to damage it.

When a device is exposed to bangs, bumps, and scuffs so much more often, it seems a small price to pay to avoid breaking a $200-$400 watch. Especially when it can eliminate some pain points at the same time.

Avoid false touches

It sounds weird to say that a case actually makes my smartwatch better, but for me, it genuinely does. I live in Florida, where for more than half the year, when you walk outside, you will instantly start sweating. Sweaty skin + sensitive touch screens = accidental wakes, taps, and swipes galore, especially when crossing my arms or keeping my hands behind my back.

When my watch is naked, these extra taps can lead to battery drain, accidentally dismissing notifications, and randomly opening apps. If I have a screen protector but no case on, this is even more pronounced, but with a case that gives even the tiniest lip around the screen, the rate of these unwanted inputs plummets. The lip around the Watch 6’s minimal bezels even makes it easier to use the haptic bezel without falling off the knife’s edge between main screen touches and the actual corners of the watch.

Style and texture

Source: Caseology

The biggest gripe I hear around watch cases is that they wreck a watch’s aesthetics and look ugly. These people haven’t tried good cases. Granted, the bulk of the Supcase UB Pro is an acquired taste — one I only recommend if you play sports, work outdoors, or are the living embodiment of clumsiness (like me) — but thin cases like the Ringke Air Sports and Spigen Liquid Air Armor give us the shock absorption of TPU while staying thin and adding some satisfying textures to the edges or accepts of the watch.

I’d also argue that watch cases can be used to add style to a watch just as much as a cute Galaxy Watch 6 watch strap can. The Galaxy Watch 6 was rather lacking in color options this year, but PC cases with built-in screen protectors not only give the watch some added color; they also look cleaner than a naked watch with a screen protector. And while hard plastic doesn’t offer the impact resistance of TPU, the ease of their installation and the insane color variety on tap can make them well worth the extra-affordable investment.

So whether you’re simply trying to keep your next bang into a doorway from shattering your screen, spicing up your wearable style, or cutting down on overactive touch sensitivity, it’s time for you to try out a case for your smartwatch. Yeah, your watch could probably take a beating over the next 3-4 years, but why make it do that when it can look and do better with just a little bit of help?

• Supcase Unicorn Beetle Pro for Galaxy Watch 6

  This combination watch strap and watch case has you just slot your Galaxy Watch 6 in, and then you’re good to go. Rock that old-school G-Shock chic and take comfort in the mil-spec 4ft drop testing that should enable your watch to weather more use and abuse in stride.

• Ringke Air Sports for Galaxy Watch 6

  This is the case that I’m rocking on my Galaxy Watch 6 this very second. It’s a bit slimmer than Spigen’s Liquid Air Armor and eschews the lug covers in exchange for a much more minimal design. The texture around the upper bezel is quite pleasant to circle with my fingers when bored, too.

• Kimilar Anti-Fog Tempered Glass Protector for Galaxy Watch 6

  $10 $12 Save $2

  These polycarbonate cases snap on with ease, and then the screen protector slots into the middle for a seamless look and full coverage. The easy installation almost makes them easier to swap out to match today’s outfit or mood.