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There is a clear abundance of both titanium and automatic watches. However, it is still somewhat rare to see the two of these features combined. Most titanium watches use quartz movements and most automatic watches are made of steel. For some reason, there is still a hesitancy within the watch industry to combine these things together.
For a start, titanium is considerably more expensive than steel, but cannot be sold at a much higher price due to lack of demand. Secondly, the average person does not appreciate an automatic watch because they consider them to be unnecessary. Unless you are a watch enthusiast, the average man would much prefer something which is practical and simple to use.
As most modern watches are created to be both cheap and fashionable, this has left automatic titanium watches in an awkward situation. There is only a small select group of people who would consider buying such a model. Thankfully there is a handful of brands that accommodate for this.
Benefits Of A Titanium Watch
The most obvious benefit of titanium is that it is tougher than stainless steel. Titanium isn’t a metal that is going to break or bend after being dropped on the floor.
In addition to this, titanium is super lightweight. It is somewhat confusing to the human mind how a metal can be both stronger and lighter than another, but this is how the world works. If you switch from wearing a gold or steel watch to a titanium model, you will be genuinely surprised at just how lightweight it is. It almost feels like you’re not wearing a watch at all.
Lastly, titanium is hypoallergenic. Simply put, this means that if you have sensitive skin and/or allergies, it will not bother you as much as other metals. 99.9% of people have no reaction to their skin when wearing titanium.
Drawbacks Of A Titanium Watch
Perhaps the main negative feature of titanium is that it scratches a lot easier than stainless steel. It should be noted that it is a lot more difficult to polish these scratches out of a titanium watch when compared to other metals.
In short, titanium is super durable but somewhat prone to scratches.
Benefits Of An Automatic Watch
Automatic watches are simply more sophisticated. Every watch enthusiast knows that the average automatic watch cannot compete with a cheap quartz movement in terms of accuracy. However, quartz watches are somewhat boring and all the same. They don’t really have any character and are often mass-produced, throwaway pieces (with some exceptions).
It is cool to wear an actual machine on your wrist that is powered by the movement of your arm. You also don’t need to replace the battery of your watch, since there isn’t one.
Drawbacks Of An Automatic Watch
The main negative point that comes with owning an automatic watch is the servicing. If you have bought something above an entry level Seiko 5 that uses a Swiss movement, you will want to get it serviced. Depending on which movement your watch uses – and how complicated it is, things can begin to get expensive. This is an obvious drawback compared to replacing a battery for $10.
Another negative of owning an automatic watch is that you need to wear it daily or use a watch winder. If you’re not used to wearing an automatic, you may get frustrated by the watch stopping.
The Best Automatic Titanium Watches
Boldr Venture
Making good use of the Seiko NH35A movement, the Boldr Venture puts its own stamp on being a very affordable titanium automatic watch. You can tell that Boldr has many elements of the classic Seiko 5 under the hood with the crown placement at 4 o’clock, yet it is far more stylish to look at.
The olive dial is somewhat understated and matches well with a nato strap. As the watch is titanium with a fabric strap, the Boldr venture is extremely lightweight and hard to notice when you’re wearing it.
This is one of the cheapest automatic titanium watches you can buy outside of budget brands such as Seiko.
Hamilton Khaki Field Watch
A classic design, the field watch is one of the most recognizable and desirable models made by Hamilton. Although the watch case is made of titanium, it has been PVD coated in black. This is a nice feature since there are not too many automatic watches made of titanium that aren’t their natural coloring.
Not too much needs to be said about the khaki field watch since it is fairly straightforwards and is a Swiss timepiece finished to a high degree. You will get everything that a watch of this price point should have such as an ETA automatic movement and a sapphire scratch resistant crystal.
In short, the Hamilton field watch is fairly solid value for money given the reputation of the brand.
Mido Ocean Star
Although Mido has the same quality as many other luxury brands, it is priced significantly cheaper. As a buyer, this is great since you’re able to pick up a high quality watch for large discount.
The caliber 80 movement is a modified ETA CO7.621 which is used by other brands such as Tissot and Hamilton. Mido goes one step further and use a silicon mainspring in this movement which means that the watch is not prone to becoming magnetized.
A legitimate dive watch, the ocean star is water resistant up to 200 meters. Overall, this is certainly not a cheap titanium watch, but given the specification, it is still good value for money.
Alpina Seastrong
A modern day dive watch. Alpina is not a brand that spends a lot of money on marketing but is a classic Swiss watchmaker that largely uses ETA movements. The watch is 300 meters water resistant, but uses a calf leather strap, so you probably wouldn’t want to wear it underwater without changing this.
The watch is very well lumed which includes the bezel, dial, and hands so you won’t have any trouble viewing it in complete darkness. Alpina uses an exhibition caseback so the movement is fully viewable when you take the watch off.
Once again, this is a watch that is somewhat expensive given the specification but is a Swiss-made titanium automatic timepiece, so it was never going to be cheap. Whether this is worth the money depends on your own opinion of the Alpina brand.
GPW
Designed by KRK (German military special forces), the GPW fieldwatch is designed to be a practical watch. This is shown by its large, open and easy to read dial which is covered by a domed sapphire crystal. The functionality of the watch has been placed at the forefront of the design – as you would expect with a product designed in Germany. This combines a lightweight strap, lightweight titanium case and a functional Japanese automatic movement.
Overall, the watch is very basic and even more refined than other field watches such as the Hamilton. This watch is somewhat expensive for the specifications, but once again, it is difficult to find titanium automatic watches, especially for under $500.
Spinnaker
Arguably the closest thing to an automatic titanium watch that looks like a Rolex submariner you will find. This is clearly not a homage watch but does take a lot of design influence from the submariner, particularly in the sizing and shape of its case.
Spinnaker watches are somewhat expensive but are also of decent quality. This particular watch uses a Miyota automatic movement, so you can place whatever value you like on this when combining it with the case materials and brand recognition.
