9 of the best titanium watches to solve your lightweight needs

Buffy Acacia

Just two generations ago, our choices of wristwatch material were pretty much limited to chrome or nickel-plated brass, or precious metals. Get to the ‘50s, and stainless steel is finally a viable, widespread option. Not only do we now have a huge amount of case materials to choose from, but different alloys or composites of those materials can be specified. Of all of them, titanium has a particular allure for the ever-popular sports and tool watch markets thanks to its lightweight properties, strength, and its smoky grey lustre. Here are ten of the best titanium watches which exemplify its use in watchmaking.

Boldr Venture Field Medic Lagoon Blue

As a retro-futuristic blend of 1940s doctor’s chronographs, 1970s case design, and 1980s sci-fi aesthetics, I’d file the Boldr Venture Field Medic Lagoon Blue under “things which shouldn’t go together, but do”. The pulsations and respirations gauges are replacements for a standard chronograph’s tachymetre, allowing you to measure both heart and breathing rates. They were mainly used by field medics during WWII, but have made a comeback among smaller brands that want to offer something interesting. Placed in a blocky, 38mm titanium case, the dial is sparsely adorned with luminous dots and even-blockier subdial hands. The Lagoon Blue colour scheme is particularly striking, with a dark grey case and dial punctuated by an electric shade of baby blue. Price: US$299, available from the Time+Tide shop

Citizen Attesa World Timer CB0215-18L

It’s a little-known fact that Citizen was the first brand to release a titanium watch. The material has played a big part in its catalogue ever since that 1970 release, with no fewer than 34 different models produced in the lightweight metal today. The Attesa World timer is packed with features, and one of the stand-out pieces out of the range, able to display 26 different time zones and a perpetual calendar. All this is crammed into a 42.5mm, DLC-coated titanium case, connected to an integrated leather strap. The watch also features a multitude of recycled materials, a hot trend in the industry. Price: US$1,025

Nivada Grenchen F77 Titanium Meteorite

Nivada Grenchen specialises in vintage reissues, and thank god it does considering its wealth of gorgeous references over the years. The F77 is one of its latest efforts to bring back a 1970s sports watch, with obvious octagonal inspirations. Titanium is not a prominent metal found in iron-nickel meteorites, but the silvery shards of the crystalline Widmanstätten pattern stand out from their dull grey surrounds, perfectly accompanying the grade 5 titanium case. At 37mm in diameter and only 86 grams on the full bracelet, it’s an eminently wearable watch. The movement is the Soprod P024, which is a well-regarded clone of the ETA 2824-1 with a ±12 second per day accuracy, 38-hour power reserve, and 4Hz beat rate. Price: US$1,500, available from the T+T Shop

Seiko Astron GPS Solar SSJ013

The Seiko GPS Astron isn’t just highly accurate, but it uses GPS signals to determine the correct time and date for your location without any adjustment needed, ever. The solar-powered movement will maintain that accuracy in perpetuity as long as it’s not kept in the dark, and you can even check whether or not the watch is able to get an accurate GPS signal. Assuming you needed to, you could even use this feature to find your way out of isolated areas. The 41.2mm titanium case uses Seiko’s super-hard coating for scratch resistance, and looks incredibly futuristic alongside the blue brick-pattern dial. Price: US$2,000

Tudor Pelagos FXD

Tudor introduced titanium to its catalogue in 2012 with the arrival of the Pelagos 25500TN – the prodigal grandson to the Submariner. The Pelagos had brought a fresh take on modern dive watches, while staying aware of Tudor’s rich diver history. The brand introduced the award-winning FXD almost a decade later, presenting it as a collaboration piece created through the relationship with the French Navy, denoted by the MN (Marine Nationale) inscription on the caseback. Overall, it stands as one of the more unique pieces in the range, with the titanium case featuring sculpted, integrated strap bars that are surprisingly challenging to manufacture in this material. This, combined with the blue ceramic bezel insert and legible dark blue dial, is a recipe for one of the best dive watches on the market – a claim strengthened by the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, which awarded the Pelagos FXD the Best Diver’s Watch award in 2022. Price: US$3,900

Rolex Yacht-Master 42 RLX Titanium

Rolex is rarely the first company to do something new, but despite the titanium Yacht-Master being far from the world’s first titanium watch, it’s just done so well – kind of like when Apple finally jumps on a feature Android phones have had for years. This marked a huge leap forward for the company, known for taking glacially incremental steps in progressing models forward. Like a Submariner on steroids, the Yacht-Master features a 42mm case and Oyster bracelet machined from the proprietary RLX Titanium. Also note the reintroduction of bevelled lugs and a fully brushed finish. On the inside, you’ll find the 3235 movement, with -/+2 seconds daily accuracy, and 70-hour power reserve. Price: US$14,050

IWC Ingenieur Automatic 40 Titanium

In the 1970s, IWC commissioned legendary designer Gérald Genta to design a luxury tool watch with an integrated bracelet, encompassing the brand’s ability to create something strong and durable, yet sleek and aesthetically pleasing. The result was the Ingenieur SL, a watch now engrained in IWC’s heritage. One of the biggest launches at Watches and Wonders 2023 was IWC’s reimagined 40mm Ingenieur, and while the coloured dials of the stainless-steel pieces stole the show, the titanium variant is there for the true tool watch enthusiast. Chiselled from grade 5 titanium, the Ingenieur features a sandwich-design case, bezel, and caseback, all clamping the watch together for a very wearable 10.7mm thickness. That’s thinner than a Datejust, yet managing to squeeze in a five-day power reserve from the 3211 movement, as well as 100 metres of water resistance. US$14,600

Bulgari Octo Finissimo

Most pieces in this list are relatively bulky, and while the titanium Bulgari Octo Finissimo isn’t a particularly small watch at 40mm in diameter, it has a trump card up its sleeve – it’s a grand total of 5.15mm thin. Bulgari, while originally a luxury jewellery brand, has made a name for itself in watchmaking circles with the Octo’s unique visual, being so much more than a fashion watch. Inside lies the 2.23mm-thick BVL 138, decorated with côtes de Genève, chamfering, and perlage, all on display through a sapphire caseback. Bulgari became so enamoured with chasing the thinnest design possible, it even went one step further with the Octo Finissimo Ultra, which deserves an honourable mention in this list of titanium specials, managing to flatten down even further to a bonkers 1.8mm. The case of the normal-flavour Octo Finissimo itself is multifaceted and angular, but not too masculine, with a sandblasted finish to the finely machined titanium. Coupled with an integrated, flat-link titanium bracelet, the watch looks wears like the most comfortable cuff on all manner of wrist sizes. Price: US$16,100

A. Lange & Söhne Odysseus

A. Lange & Söhne is a legendary brand, inextricably linked to the Glashütte watchmaking region. Since its return in the 1990s, its high level of finishing and complications has had fans clamouring for it to be considered the best modern luxury watchmaker, rivalling the likes of the Swiss Holy Trinity. So when it came out with a 120-metre water-resistant sports watch, people were understandably shocked. The latest version was unveiled in 2022 with a gloriously-detailed “ice-blue” dial which blends in grey undertones, and helps the grand date and day displays stand out. The in-house calibre L155.1 is just as beautiful to stare at, and it provides a 50-hour power reserve with a 4Hz beat rate. This model is a 250-piece limited edition and exclusive to A. Lange & Söhne boutiques, so you will have to do some serious digging to find one. Price: US$56,500