Titanium for it’s strength to weight ratio is the strongest metal in the world. There is a reason it is a component of fighter jets, armor plating and naval ships. It is light and strong.
The same properties that make it great for use by the militaries of the world make it a fantastic material for making a watch, especially a dive watch.
Corrosion Resistance
Titanium is highly corrosion resistant. To give you an idea, heat exchangers for desalinization plants are largely made from titanium. This is a product that spends its life in seawater.
All stainless steel watches should be made from 100% 316 stainless steel. 316 stainless is marine grade, it is what boat manufacturers make boat parts from. 316 stainless is the most corrosion resistant stainless alloy that exists.
A boat part that is spending most of its life in salt water is going to be exposed to much more corrosion than your dive watch. The likelihood that a stainless watch is going to corrode over a titanium watch is pretty rare.
I have lived and worked in a marine seawater environment for years and have yet to see a stainless watch rust. 316 stainless can rust, and I have seen it on boats, but your watch doesn’t live in seawater.
So, if you are thinking your stainless watch is going to rust, it could happen but it is very unlikely. It’s even more unlikely that a titanium watch is going to corrode.
Strength and Durability
Titanium is three to four times as strong as stainless steel.
While the cool factor is high to have a strong titanium dive watch, it is not materially necessary. Stainless steel offers plenty of strength with which to build a dive watch. It’s not like stainless dive watches are folding because of pressure at 100 feet of depth, there many rated to 300+ meters of water resistance.
The characteristics which make titanium strong, tough and durable also make it harder to work with. Titanium is harder to repair than stainless steel, it is also nearly impossible to mill a watch clasp, so most clasps are pressed titanium.
Allergies
316 stainless steel is hypoallergenic. Hypoallergenic does not mean that no one is allergic to it, it means that most people are not allergic. Most being the key word, there are some percentage of the population that are going to be allergic to 316 stainless steel.
Stainless steel is an alloy, and as such it also contains a mixture of different metals to give it different properties.
316 Stainless steel contains chromium, nickel, molybdenum, manganese, and carbon. People who have an allergic reaction to stainless steel most often are allergic to the nickel in it, but sometimes it can be the molybdenum.
Titanium is an element, which means that it isn’t mixed with any other metals. There are titanium alloys, but these are not generally used in watches.
Titanium is also hypoallergenic, but there are some people that are allergic to it. From my research it is much more likely that someone is going to be allergic to the nickel in stainless than they are going to be allergic to pure titanium.
If you find yourself allergic to stainless, it might be worth it to try a titanium dive watch.
Weight
Titanium has the highest strength-to-weight ratio of all known metals. Titanium is lighter than the equivalent strength of stainless steel by about 45%.
What does that mean when you apply it to dive watches? Well, it means that the watch is going to be about a third lighter than an equivalent stainless steel watch. Remember, the crystal and movement are still made from the same materials as a stainless watch.
Finish
Titanium has a grey matte finish and is difficult to polish to a high luster. Stainless on the other hand can be polished to a mirror finish.
If you are looking for a showpiece that gleams in the sunlight titanium won’t give you that. If you are looking for a more muted, subdued finish this is where titanium shines (pun intended).
Scratch Resistance
In normal day to day wear you are going to scratch your watch. It is inevitable.
Now over a period of a year or two it might only be a couple of scratches, but after a decade of wearing a watch, and dive watches should last decades, it’s going to get dinged up. 316 stainless is more scratch resistant than raw titanium.
That is why watch makers such as Citizen and Hamtun among others put a scratch resistant coating on their watches.
Cost
Titanium is more expensive than stainless steel. However, not that much more expensive. It varies wildly, but if you really have your heart set on a titanium dive watch it is going to roughly be 20 to 25 percent more expensive.
Pros
Lightweight – Titanium is much lighter than other materials. It is 45% lighter than steel of the equivalent strength.
Strong – Titanium is four to five times stronger than stainless steel.
Non-Corrosive – Titanium is one of the most non-corrosive metals on the planet.
Hypo Allergenic – People who are allergic to nickel (contained in stainless steel alloys) can usually wear titanium.
Cons
Expensive – Titanium watches are usually 35 to 35 percent more expensive than the equivalent watches made from stainless steel.
Scratches easily – Although titanium is strong, it scratches easily.
Expensive to repair – The attributes valued in titanium make it difficult to work with.
Not Easy to Polish – Titanium just doesn’t polish to a high luster like other materials.
Final Thoughts
For the vast majority of people stainless steel is a perfectly suitable material for a dive watch.
There are two main reasons to purchase a titanium dive watch. One is that you are allergic to stainless steel. The likelihood that you are going to be allergic to both stainless and titanium is pretty slim. The second reason for a titanium diver is weight savings. There are those that prefer a light watch.
The obvious third reason is that you just want a damn titanium dive watch because it’s cool. Who could fault you for that.
I think if you are budget conscious and are trying to get the most bang for your buck a stainless watch is going to give you more for your money than a titanium watch. To be honest, the pool of titanium watches to choose from is much smaller than the multitudes of stainless watches in the marketplace.
For a comprehensive listing of nearly all of the titanium dive watches on the market see my blog post here – 22 Titanium Dive Watches.