Is applecare less expensive in your home country? You can buy applecare with the watch in Korea or Japan

Apple store in Japan also has tax free which results in the lowest price https://themacindex.com/products/app...h?currency=GBP

You can check service and support coverage https://checkcoverage.apple.com/kr/ko/ or localize https://checkcoverage.apple.com/gb/en I plugged my current watch serial number in to check coverage options and consumer protections differ for my JP Series 2 watch on the Korea vs US page. If you have other recent apple products then try a mock AppleCare purchase to test?

I also scratched my screen before putting a screen protector similar to IQ Shield. I really don't notice it much and will definitely put one on my next aluminum Apple watch as the protector is less annoying than the scratch. I like how light the aluminum model is. I own titanium jewelry, (not Apple) watch, and pens and they are generally prone to scratching. A titanium jeweler told me long ago that titanium is fairly crush resistant but not very scratch resistant, even when he put an anodized coating on the interior (which has also worn off after many many years of wear).

If you have a Series 3, then the oldest the watch can be is just a bit over two years. I don't think AppleCare+ makes sense as scratch protection with $49-99 fee + $69 service fee on the aluminum model if you're going to keep it for 2 years and don't work with your hands a lot. Some people might worry about cracking the screen and replacing the screen is a PITA and I'd worry about water resistant after that. It also bears consideration that you've probably paid ~ $329 GBP + tax, making it = 0.42/day or 153 GBP per year so far, so what would the AppleCare really buy you vs trading in a worn model and getting a new one every/few years.