Titanium Temptations, Six Ligthweigth Watches

Not too long ago, our editor Brice aimed to answer a fundamental question: what makes a great summer watch? While the answer was not as straightforward as the question might suggest, one of the elements to come full circle is material. In terms of what your watch should be made of, titanium was given as one of the alternatives, due to its light weight (about 40% less than stainless steel), durability, corrosion and anti-allergenic properties and generally understated, muted look. So, to give you some options to enjoy over the summer, here are six titanium watches that pack a heavy punch when it comes to style, but not weight! 

Certina DS Action Diver 40.5 Titanium

First up is perhaps one of the best mechanical dive watches in recent years, the Certina DS Action Diver 40.5 Titanium. While it also comes in steel, it’s the lightweight version you really want! It has great style, a good size that will fit 99% of the population perfectly, is ISO 6425 compliant, has a rock-solid construction thanks to the latest Double Security system, and a reliable mechanical movement. Worn on a titanium bracelet, it tips the scales at just 124 grams, which is pretty sweet for such a tough-as-nails diver! Add to that a price of just CHF 895 (or EUR 1,040) including VAT, and you have a real winner on your hands!

The caseback of the steel version, for reference.

For more information, please visit Certina.com.

Quick Facts – 40.5mm x 14.10mm – titanium case, brushed & polished – unidirectional rotating bezel with ceramic insert – 300m water-resistance – sapphire crystal front – solid caseback with Turtle logo – sunray-brushed blue dial – luminous markers & hands – Powermatic 80.611, automatic – anti-magnetic Nivachron hairspring – 21,600vph – 80h power reserve – three-link titanium bracelet with folding clasp – ISO 6425 compliant – CHF 895 or EUR 1,040

Ressence Type 7 GMT

Leave it to our friends from Belgium to come up with an oil-filled marvel in full titanium that’s ready to travel the world. The Type 7 GMT is the first integrated case-and-bracelet watch by Ressence, made in grade 5 titanium from top to bottom. The oil-filled top chamber reveals a distortion-free blue convex dial with ever-revolving indications for the hours, minutes, operating temperature and a second time zone. The bottom chamber holds the mechanical heart, which drives the patented ROCS 7 system in the top chamber through a magnetic transmission. Part of the permanent collection, it retails for CHF 36,000 excluding taxes.

For more information, please visit RessenceWatches.com.

Quick Facts – 41mm x 14mm – grade 5 titanium case, brushed – separate sealed chambers for dial and movement – double-domed sapphire crystal – solid winding & setting caseback – fixed bezel – 50m water-resistant – convex blue dial with hours, minutes, GMT, shock-absorber & temperature – modified ETA base with in-house ROCS 7 module – 28,800vph – 36h power reserve – titanium bracelet with micro-adjustable folding clasp – CHF 36,000 (excl. VAT)

Seiko Marinemaster SLA081

While Seiko is no stranger to titanium, we don’t see too many of them coming to market during the year. One of the latest, the Prospex Marinemaster Professional Titanium SLA081, is also one of the greatest. Celebrating the 60th anniversary of Seiko’s first dive watch, it mixes the style of the early ones with the latest technologies and materials. Yes, it’s a big one at 45.4mm across and 16mm in height, but it has a robust front-loaded monobloc case construction with a depth rating of 600 metres. Special gaskets prevent helium infiltration, and the titanium bracelet has a folding clasp with an adjustable wetsuit extension. Limited to 600 pieces, it costs EUR 5,200.

For more information, please visit SeikoWatches.com.

Quick Facts – 45.4mm x 16mm – titanium case with super-hard coating, brushed & polished – monobloc construction – sapphire crystal – L-shaped gasket to prevent helium infiltration – unidirectional rotating bezel – 600m water-resistant – deep blue dial with wave texture – LumiBrite hands & markers – calibre 8L45, in-house automatic – 28,800vph – 72h power reserve – titanium bracelet with extendable folding clasp – limited to 600 pieces – EUR 5,200

Tudor Pelagos Ultra

If it’s over-engineered dive watches you want, the Tudor Pelagos Ultra might be perfect for you. Adopting Tudor’s more contemporary dive watch look, it can accompany divers down to 1,000 metres if needed. The full titanium case comes in at 43mm, has a sapphire crystal up front and a solid caseback, a rotating diving bezel on top, and uses Tudor’s in-house calibre MT5612-U automatic. But the best part is the T-Fit folding clasp, which has three types of extension (diver’s extension, a spring-loaded slider, and micro-adjustibility). It’s fitted to both the titanium bracelet and the black rubber strap that come with it, for a price of EUR 5,960.

For more information, please visit TudorWatch.com.

Quick Facts – 43mm x 14.5mm – grade 2 titanium case, brushed – unidirectional titanium bezel, ceramic insert – sapphire crystal – solid titanium caseback – 1,000m water-resistant – matte black dial – luminous ceramic composite hour markers – Snowflake handset, luminous – calibre MT5612-U, manufacture automatic – 28,800vph – 65h power reserve – METAS Master Chronometer certified – titanium bracelet with T-Fit folding clasp – complementary black rubber strap – EUR 5,690

Credor Locomotive green

For those looking for something a bit less rugged, the Credor Locomotive Green is a solid option. A remake of the Gérald Genta-designed 1979 original, it stands out from the crowd thanks to its hexagonal case shape. Crafted from high-intensity titanium, it comes with hexagonal screws on the bezel, an offset crown at 4 o’clock and a green dial finished with a hexagonal texture. Inside we find calibre CR01, an in-house automatic delivering 45 hours of autonomy. The high-intensity titanium bracelet has hexagonal connectors between the links and a folding clasp with push-button release. Part of the permanent collection, it retails for EUR 14,500.

For more information, please visit Credor.com.

Quick Facts – 38.8mm x 8.9mm – hexagonal high-intensity titanium case – shaped bezel with functional screws – sapphire crystal – solid caseback – offset crown – 100m water-resistant – green dial with hexagonal motif – applied markers & hands, luminous – date at 3′ – calibre CR01, in-house automatic – 28,800vph – 45h power reserve – high-intensity titanium bracelet with folding clasp – permanent collection – EUR 14,500

Armin Strom One Week Skeleton Titanium

The final option is the mighty impressive One Week Skeleton Titanium, by Armin Strom. Pulling back all the covers on its mechanical movement, the exterior is machined from grade 5 titanium, which is brushed and polished. The flat sapphire crystals on either side of the case protect the extensively skeletonised movements. You can really dive in to discover tons of details, such as the dual openworked barrels, the power reserve indication, the keyless works and so on. It also tells the time with central hour and minute hands and a small seconds display at 9 o’clock. Worn on an integrated titanium bracelet, it costs CHF 39,000 and is limited to 100 pieces.

For more information, please visit ArminStrom.com.

Quick Facts – 41mm x 10.6mm – grade 5 titanium case, brushed & polished – sapphire crystal front & back – 100m water-resistant – openworked dial – black minutes ring & small seconds sub-dial – markers & hands with Super-LumiNova – calibre ARM-S21, in-house – manual winding – 25,200vph – double barrel with 7-day power reserve – conical power reserve indication – integrated titanium bracelet with folding clasp – limited to 100 pieces – CHF 39,000