Gear S2 watch warranty not honoured

I bought a Samsung Gear S2 sportswatch 1.5 years ago and this carried a 2 year warranty.

Some months ago the steps stopped counting and after speaking to a consultant online, who couldn't fix it through troubleshooting, I was advised to take it to a repair centre. Before I could do this the screen stopped working so I couldn't even use it as a normal watch anymore.

I took it in to the repair shop who said it was a motherboard fault, some software fault and an lcd fault. But Samsung indicated they wouldn't warranty it because of a surface scratch.

I don't understand what a surface scratch has to do with a faulty motherboard or software. A simple internet review shows that this is a common problem with this product. And aren't products that are being sold as sports / activity watches meant to be able to handle activities?

I think they're hiding using the warranty clause as an escape when they in fact know this is an issue with this watch..