Yeah, it scratches or "snail trails" more easily than stainless steel. And, yes, it's way lighter. I have both. Don't have a preference for one over the other except for when I don't want something heavy on my wrist (e.g. running, hiking, etc.).

 

But then I hear that they scratch really easily… For me personally, that is not something I would want in a tooly dive watch, which is the kind of watch I prefer.

So you prefer a tool watch and yet you're worried it gets scratched? Marvelous.
ALL of my watches have scratches/dings on them, and to be honest unless it's a safe queen that's always gonna happen, titanium or not.

 

I think it makes sense to use a material that looks good despite the way it's used. Don't we do that all the time? No one uses bright white hiking boots, or has their off road SUV spoiler painted in a delicate metalic blue or whatever. I dont think that is strange. That is part of the practicality of something intended to be a tool. For something that is going to see rough use, you dont intentionally pick a material that scratches easily.

Having had different types of Ti in cheap and moderately priced watches(though no idea of their "grade") I would say it could scratch more easily or less easily depending on the exact watch you get. I also think that how it ends up looking if left untreated can be either more or less attractive than steel depending on your personal preference. Specifically : do you like the dark grey hue that gets more pronounced over time through oxidation?

 

Try a tegimented Sinn mate..not bullet proof but will carry its enjoyable scars as well as our steel builds.
Watches are for wear and scratches mean nada imho..

 

If you really want a tool watch, you don't care about scratches. If it does it's job better by being lighter and easier to use, it's a better tool, regardless of appearances.

 

I don't think that's necesarily true. I want a robust watch, but that doesn't mean I want a ragged out looking robust watch. And it sounds like ti will just end up looking ragged out faster... I - personally - don't want to pay more for that. Especially since I don't care about the weight.. Again, just my personal approach - no offense to those who see it all differently...

 

I'm about to get my first Titty watch - it's going to have DLC on it, and I'm nervous it's gonna scratch like hell.

But I'm looking forward to the lighter feel of it.

Should have it in July/August.

 

I'm about to get my first Titty watch - it's going to have DLC on it, and I'm nervous it's gonna scratch like hell.

But I'm looking forward to the lighter feel of it.

Should have it in July/August.

Nothing to worry about. Have a Zenith Port Royal titanium with DLC coating for 15 years, no scratches to my eyes. Case corners had worn out a bit, but not that noticeable.

 

Well, of course watches will get scratched over time, but I personally would prefer to keep it to a minimum. So it sounds like my assumption was right - that titanium is not for me.. Sounds like if I had one, I'd feel like I had to be extra careful with it..

The ligthness I personally don't care about. I feel like I can used to most watch weights...

All good - issue clarified. SS it is...

 

Well, there are two grades of Ti used for watches.

I believe grade 5 is the softer one, grade 2 is the tougher one. You can do a little research.

 

I have a titanium IWC that I wear pretty regularly. I haven't noticed a single scratch on it after a year. Perhaps I've been lucky, but it seems more scratch resistant than highly polished stainless steel.

 

I've heard you can use ink erasers to remove marks on titanium (I am not ready to refer to them as titty watches yet MKTime .)

 

Grade 5 Ti will also scratch. fyi

True.

Titanium is hard, with a Vicker’s rating of roughly 350 HV compared to the typical 150-200 HV of stainless steel. This might seem counter-intuitive since, in practical daily use, titanium scratches more easily than stainless steel. However, this is because titanium naturally forms an oxide layer on the surface, which can scratch relatively easily.

 

Yes, but is easy to repair with ti refinishing pen.

 

Does the Ti refinishing pen have fiberglass hairs for the brush material?

 

I think it’s not too far of a stretch to say that dive watches are basically the SUVs of the watch world. Sure, some people want to have a beat up old 70s bronco covered in mud and rust. That might be cool every once in a while. But for a daily driver, you want a clean, decent looking car, or at least most people do. Yet something which is still robust and durable, etc.. 🤷‍♂️

 

I think it depends on the type of Titanium. Back in the day I had the IWC Aquatimer GST in Ti and the finish was incredibly scratch resistant. Seiko Diashield and Citizen Duratec are also fantastic. Comparatively, I owned Ti watches from Omega & Breitling that were atrocious scratch and ding magnets.

 

Consider Citizen's Super Titanium ProMaster divers.

 

i wear both of these, coincidentally. they resist scratches because citizen uses a surface hardening treatment. it won't protect the metal from getting dented, and anything can get scratched if it encounters a rough surface & enough force gets applied. Still, I have worn the first watch pictured for several years, and marks are limited to a few places on the clasp and bracelet.

 

Anything will scratch but will you notice it? Titanium is self healing where it's oxidizes the scratches making them less obvious. Ti is much easier to blend the finish to hide deeper nicks and marks. Ti is as strong as SS yet 2/3 the weight. Ti is the best all around metal for watches but sadly not enough makers use it. Polished Ti looks like platinum sooooo sexy. I am waiting for Sinn to do my ezm3f in Ti.

 

Mayby OP wants a Zelos? That has some amazing coating on it. Even my bracelet looks brand new. Seiko's coating is nothing compared to that.

If its the looks and toughness you are after, Damasko or Sinn bead blasted steels are amazing.



Technically Ti is 5 times stronger than steel, but Grade 5 is not nearly as hard as steel (Grade 2 is close to steel in the hardness).

Grade 5: 40Rc
Grade 2: 80Rc
Stainless: 90Rc

 

Titanium vs. Stainless Steel Watches – Best Watch Material? – Chronometer Check

 

I had a Ti Panerai Submersible and as stated it healed itself with patina, and went a beautiful darker tone as the years went by.

 

The Seiko titanium Tunas don't scratch because the shroud is ceramic coated, so they are the ideal dive watch. I have used them for decades.

 

The Seiko titanium Tunas don't scratch because the shroud is ceramic coated

+1 for the Tunas

 

If I go with titanium, I'll first make sure there's some scratch resistant coating. Citizen is known for this, but I've seen even micro brands using it. Tool watch company Arctic is a good example.

 

Had a Tudor Pelagos as my daily for 6 years. I wouldn't say it really scratched easily. Any watch is gonna get scratches, nothing to obsess over.

 

I have a few Ti watches. One, a The Citizen Chronomaster, has been my most worn watch by a long shot this past year. Not a scratch on it due to the Duratect treatment used on the case and bracelet.

I just got another Ti watch, this time an Oceanus with DLC coating. We’ll see how it holds up, but DLC is pretty tough so I’m not really expecting any issues.

I’ve had a Ti diver for about two years now. That one is not coated or treated to any hardening process. It’s not really scratched more than any of the steel watches I have. Perhaps due to the all brushed finish it’s harder to see them, but I have the exact same model in steel too and they are way more obvious on that than the Ti.

Tl;dr: Ti is fine for watches. The weight advantage more than makes up for any perceived “scratchability,” and getting one that has some sort of hardening treatment will actually make it scratch less than steel.

 

Yes, yes and yes for Titanium Grade 2, and a little less for Titanium Grade 5.

 

If they are treated, they are usually pretty tough. Also depends on the grade of Ti.

Correcting Ti is like trying to buff out a bar of soap however.......

 

I would agree the main reason people want a Ti watch is weight. It's also less allergenic than stainless steel. My two knee replacements are titanium, and my body doesn't complain about them.

The propensity of Ti to scratching is not really the Ti, but the naturally occurring oxide on the surface. To mitigate this, some watch companies apply a surface treatment to improve scratch resistance. You've already seen posts about Citizen's Super-Ti. Casio Oceanus treats their Ti watches with a carbide coating. I'm not really sure if Omega and Tudor Ti have surface treatments.

As well, all Ti is not created equal. There are different grades of Titanium alloys. Grade 2 and Grade 5 are the most common Ti watch alloys. Grade 5 Ti is the same alloy seen in many aerospace applications. Grade 5 is approximately twice as hard as Grade 2. Aerospace uses Ti where high strength is required in high temperature applications (engine and nozzle components, primarily).

 

I've had a couple of titanium watches and the bracelets started to look like trash within a year, just from normal wear and tear. It's what kept me from seriously considering the P39.

 

I have an IWC IW371918 which is one of my go to watches for anything!
Its my beater unless I know things will be so tough I wear a GShock (rarely ever)
I love the tone, weight, durability and heat resistance of the Ti
I wear my watches, sure there are a couple pieces I always make an effort to be extra careful with but in general they are meant to be worn and showing wear just shows they are used like they are meant to be.
For Ti I also have the Pelagos Blue and MIH watch.

 

Grade 2 (considered “pure” titanium) is definitely softer and scratches easier than 316L SS. Grade 5 (6Al-4V) has a similar vickers hardness to 316L. I’ve had a few watches made of both grades of titanium and many made of 316L. I doubt you will notice a difference in scratch resistance between grade 5 titanium and 316L.