Titanium: The Ultimate Tool Watch Material?
Titanium is a relatively new metal to watchmaking (and jewelry making in general) but I believe it will soon surpass stainless steel as the principle metal for tool watches.
First, the basics
Named after the Titans of Greek mythology, titanium is an elemental metal. Thus, unlike stainless steel, which has been the prevailing metal for waterproof and corrosion-resistant watches since the mid-century, is found in nature, same as silver, gold and platinum. It was, in fact, first found in Cornwall in 1791 by the British mineralogist William Gregor (and also discovered independently by a Hungarian mineralogist around the same time).
Titanium is notoriously difficult to work with due to its strength-to-density ratio. That is, although titanium is very light, it is also very hard. Unlike jewelry and watchmaking counterparts like gold, silver and even platinum, titanium is very difficult to roll, stamp and cut - it usually has to be milled from a solid block. However, recent technological advancements have made titanium easier and cheaper to work with, resulting in wider use of the metal in general, including in watches.
A Case for Titanium
Grand Seiko’s ‘Night Birch’ (ref. SLGH017) - monochrome-watches.com
Stainless steel has been the go-to metal since the advent of the everyday watch in the mid century: inexpensive, neutral in colour and resistant to corrosion. Titanium has all the attributes of steel and more. Since technological advancements have made titanium easier to shape and mill, it is an inexpensive option, much like steel (the new Tudor Pelagos 39, seen in this post’s thumbnail, comes in at £3,500, and the new Apple Watch Ultra sets you back less than £1000). Titanium is plain-Jane in its aesthetic, but is also slightly darker and more satin than stainless steel, almost like the black PVD coating popular for field and pilots’ watches. Though, titanium can also be polished to a mirror shine; some Grand Seiko models being a case-in-point. A tool/sports watch whose case is made from Titanium disappears on the wrist, making it the perfect choice for a watch which stays on the wrist semi-permanently, taken off for no less than working with wet concrete.
The Future of Titanium Watches
I believe all it would take is for Rolex to release a flagship tool watch in titanium for the metal to become the new normal. Their sister brand, Tutor, as mentioned, have been doing it for some time with their Pelagos dive watches. And, Rolex have previously used the metal for the case-back of certain Sea-Dweller models (to ensure sub-aquatic pressure doesn’t force the case-back into the movement). There was even rumors back in 2021 that Rolex would release a titanium Yacht-Master, but they didn’t (correctly predicting what Rolex will release is near impossible - nobody saw a left-handed GMT-Master coming).
Nonetheless, Rolex have never used titanium as the primary case material. Futile an activity as predicting Rolex releases is, my theory is that the big brand are using their Tutor subsidiary to experiment with titanium cases with the goal of perfecting it before releasing titanium watches with ‘Rolex’ on the dial. But until then, I think I speak on behalf of everyday watch lovers everywhere when I say titanium tool watches are a fantastic option.