This is what I found in an old thread - I hope this will help you to make a decision:
"You are correct that Seiko's High Intensity Ti is not a surface coated/treated Ti. It is Seiko's proprietary Ti/Alloy mix used in their higher end pieces and is approximately 1.5 times more scratch resistant than the untreated/uncoated Ti otherwise used by Seiko.
Here is a copy of the reply i received from yserv (Seiko jp Customer Service Dept) last year when i asked about this issue.
Dear Sir,
We acknowledged receiving your inquiry below.
Thank you very much for your interest in our products.
Please excuse us for any inconvenience caused by our delay in replying.
In reply to your inquiry, we are pleased to reply to you as follows:
1."High-Intensity Titanium" is a alloy of titanium, niobium and iron.
2.In terms of a Vickers Hardness, that for High-Intensity Titanium is from approx. 250 to 350;
it is harder than stainless steel - the Vickers Hardness is from approx. 150 to 250.
We hope the above answers your questions.
With best regards,
CS Dept."
And here's more from another source:
"Bright Titanium....
Is a Seiko proprietary alloy which is claimed to be 1.5 times harder than 316L stainless steel. Bright Titanium is used in the GS SBGA011 "Snowflake", SBGA031 200m diver, SBGC005 Spring Drive GMT chronograph, SBGE015 Spring Drive GMT and other models within the Seiko portfolio of premium brands.
As I have been told my YSERV, Bright Titanium (aka "High intensity titanium") does not have any special surface coatings or additional treatments. Its scratch resistance is about 300-350 in the Vicker's scale. Compare that to 316L stainless steel (180-200) and pure titanium (Around 100).
The intent of the alloy is three fold:
- To give the watch the sheen and look of a stainless steel finished piece, thus avoiding the "dull" and "plasticky" look often associated with pure titanium watches.
- To give the watch increased wear resistance properties. Titanium is far stronger than stainless steel, has superior corrosion properties, is hypoallergenic, has about 50% the total density of stainless steel and it is more durable. However, titanium in its "pure" form is softer and tends to scratch much easier than steel.
- To allow the metal to be refinished when the watch is sent into service. The presence of surface treatments and coatings (Like DiaShield or Citizen's Duratect) make the refinishing process more difficult, although, these coatings provide essentially higher wear resistance properties.
Bright Titanium is not to be confused with Seiko's DiaShield surface treatment which is a special surface coating applied to pure titanium and it is available in a very limited selection of affordable Seiko watches. DiaShield has surface wear resistance in the 500-600 range in the Vicker's scale. Citizen's Duratect is even better with surface wear resistance measured in the 800-1200 region in the Vicker's scale..
Stainless steel watches, have in my opinion, the edge in the overall looks department and the metal is easiest to restore. While Bright Titanium is close in terms of the "sheen" and appearance of stainless steel, is not in equal terms and it is not a substitute either.
One aspect that I don't like too much about titanium watches in general (Be it pure titanium, coated or Bright Titanium alloy) is the propensity of the surfaces to show finger prints and smudges. It is hard to keep a titanium watch free from these agents in comparison to a steel counterpart.
Bright Titanium has the advantage of preserving some of the look and feel of steel in a lighter package with all the inherited advantages of titanium. It can also be refinished, hence why Bright Titanium is offered in the Grand Seiko range but you will never find Grand Seikos or Credors with DiaShield, because the coating makes repairs more difficult (Egg shell effect if the coating is dinged up or severely damaged).
I think that Titanium treated surfaces are a double edged sword. They do provide effective daily wear protection but if severe damage is done to the surface, thus breaking the coating, repair will be difficult if not impossible. "
http://forums.timezone.com/index.php?t=msg&th=1793991&rid=0
From my own experience - titanium GS does not look like titanium, it's only a liitle darker than SS and visibly lighter than titanium Casio Oceanus with anti-scratch coating. Titanium adds very much to the comfort of wearing the watch, especially when your wrist is not so big and the watch quite thick.
Zaratsu polishing is very scratch-sensitive no matter if its stainless steel or titanium.
