Traditionally, wristwatches have been divided into two broad categories. Dress watches, made from precious metals like gold and platinum, and sports watches, made from stainless steel. But in more recent years, stainless steel’s lofty perch as king of the sports watch materials has come under threat from a lighter and stronger upstart: titanium. Titanium watches have been gaining in popularity over the past few years thanks to advances in technology that make them more practical, and the best titanium watches of today may make you think twice about purchasing another steel watch.

Titanium struggled, for a while, to achieve mainstream acceptance among watchmakers thanks to the material’s high production costs, lack of luster, and easy scratchability when compared to stainless steel. But recent advancements have largely left those worries in the past, as they have reduced some of titanium’s drawbacks to help make its considerable advantages over steel shine through even more. So read on to discover all you need to know about the benefits and drawbacks of titanium as a watch material, and then discover the best titanium watches on the market at a wide range of prices.

The Benefits & Drawbacks Of Titanium

The Good: The most obvious advantage of titanium is its light weight. Titanium weighs around half as much as stainless steel, meaning it feels considerably lighter and more comfortable on the wrist. It’s also stronger than steel pound-for-pound — titanium has the highest strength-to-weight ratio of any known metal — so it can match steel’s durability in a lighter-weight package. Win-win. Titanium also possesses very strong anti-corrosion properties that are much better than steel’s, as it’s almost impossible to make titanium rust. Those anti-corrosion properties play into titanium’s classification as hypoallergenic and non-toxic, as it does not react to the human body. This makes it the ideal metal to be worn against the skin, as does its lower thermal conductivity, which makes titanium feel less cold or hot than steel during temperature changes.

The Not So Good: Titanium is a lot more expensive to produce than stainless steel, so if you’re a watchmaker operating on a budget or looking to maximize your profits, titanium probably isn’t the way to go. Titanium is also much softer than steel, making it easier to scratch. An untreated titanium watch will look worn much more quickly than a steel one, but modern coatings and alloys seen in some of the watches below are solving this issue by actually making titanium harder than steel. Another drawback is that titanium is arguably less attractive than stainless steel. It doesn’t take to polish or intricate finishing as well as steel, which is why you often see titanium watches with matte or blasted finishes. Finally, the lightness of titanium — normally a positive — is considered by some watch enthusiasts to be a negative, as they associate the light weight with low quality. This is, of course, a misconception, but it’s still something to be aware of.

Types of Titanium Grades in Watches

Grade 2: Although it’s not as strong or scratch-resistant as higher grades, grade 2 titanium still boasts all the signature traits of the material, including the light weight and corrosion resistance. It’s one of the most common titanium grades (along with grade 5) due to how ductile it is for molding.

Grade 5: You will see a lot of grade 5 titanium in watches as well, which won’t be as easy to work with as grade 2, even though it’s more scratch-resistant and has a higher strength-to-weight ratio. It gets some of its properties by being alloyed with aluminum and vanadium.

What To Look for in a Titanium Watch

Aesthetic: Titanium will inherently have a slightly different shade of silver than stainless steel, which provides its own unique style. However, within those parameters, a watch can have an array of aesthetics, varying depending on color, size, bulk, design language, or something else. This is one of the most fun parts of choosing a new timepiece.

Brand: A brand’s reputation is there for a reason. And when you’re looking for quality construction, the name behind it is one of the most important factors, with some exceptions of course.

Watch Type: What you’ll be using your watch for will depend on which ones you choose. If you want a solid timepiece for the office or vacation, perhaps opt for a GMT or pilot’s watch. However, a quality dress watch is a great option for classier occasions. Divers have a lot of range these days, swinging from casual beach wear all the way to evening dinners with clients. There are great titanium pieces across the gamut.

Oris Pro Pilot X Automatic

Best Overall: Oris’ Pro Pilot X has served as the platform for an array of some of the independent Swiss company’s most impressive watches yet. However, at its core, the PPX is brilliantly simple yet elegant, if not understated. With a full titanium case and bracelet, this reference may be the most representative of the realm of titanium timepieces. Featuring a unique braided bezel, the watch sports a blue dial and a small date window at the 6 spot, while also housing the brand’s in-house Calibre 400 movement that features 38 hours of power reserve. Also impressive is the aviation belt-inspired “LIFT” folding clasp, which adds a whimsical touch of engineering ingenuity to this classy-looking pilot’s watch.

Bertucci A-2T Original Classic

Best Budget Titanium Watch: If you’re looking for a lightweight beater that offers a classic and rugged military aesthetic, strong reliability, and well-tested durability, then you can’t go wrong with our budget pick. About as utilitarian as it gets, this fan-favorite field watch probably won’t win you any beauty contests, but thanks to its 200m water resistance, integrated “unbreakable” titanium spring bars, and unibody construction, it will take as much punishment as you’re willing to put it through. And since it only costs around $130, you might as well put it through a lot.

Citizen Super Titanium Armor Chronograph

Best Quartz-Powered: No company is more associated with titanium watches than Citizen, and with good reason. The Japanese brand invented the segment with the X-8 Chronometer way back in 1970, before anyone else was even dreaming of using the material in a watch. And they’re still innovating today with their Super Titanium, which combines Citizen’s proprietary titanium alloy with Duratect surface-hardening technology, resulting in a highly scratch-resistant material. This stylish and modern integrated bracelet Eco-Drive quartz chronograph utilizes the material and features a unique rotating bezel that can be used to hide or reveal the chronograph pushers and crown.

Hamilton Khaki Field Titanium Auto

Best Field Watch: The Hamilton Khaki Field is the prototypical field watch, having been in use in some form or another since World War II when it was on the wrists of American servicemen. You’d think that such a time-tested design couldn’t be improved upon, but you’d be wrong. Now fashioned in a full titanium case and bracelet, this version of the Khaki Field offers everything you love about the classic original but in a far lighter package.

Christopher Ward C60 Elite GMT 1000

Best GMT: Christopher Ward made their name by making luxury watches more attainable, but the C60 Elite GMT is almost too good for the money. This titanium diver features — deep breath — a fully-lumed ceramic dive bezel, an inner 24-hour bezel, a helium escape valve, 1,000m water resistance, a 3.4mm-thick sapphire caseback, and a chronometer-certified automatic GMT movement. It is a ton of watch for the money, but it’s so lightweight you’d never know it.

Longines SPirit Titanium

Best Pilot’s Watch: Longines has been making moves lately, digging through their extensive and impressive archives to create some head-turning modern-day reissues. And this traditional pilot’s watch is one of their best efforts yet. Based on the brand’s history of guiding aviators for nearly 100 years, this particular Longines Spirit is crafted from premium titanium and features a stunning anthracite dial with applied Arabic numerals. Inside the classically styled 40mm case is the automatic chronometer boasting 72 hours of power reserve.

Tudor Pelagos

Best Dive Watch: Tudor’s feature-packed modern diver is somewhat of an unsung hero in the brand’s collection, often taking a backseat to the popular vintage-style Black Bay. But don’t sleep on the Pelagos, as this is easily one of the best divers under five grand. Loaded with tech, the COSC-certified Pelagos diver has a fully-lumed ceramic bezel, full titanium case and bracelet, helium escape valve, 500m water resistance, and a patented in-clasp bracelet extension system that is among the best quick-adjust systems in the industry. Oh, and it looks awesome.

Grand Seiko “Snowflake”

Best Dress Watch: Nobody finishes titanium like Grand Seiko. Their craftsmen’s acclaimed Zaratsu finishing process is able to make their scratch-resistant high-intensity titanium look better than most other companies’ stainless steel watches, and the Snowflake is arguably the best-known and most-beloved model the brand makes. With an intricately-finished dial made to evoke the snow-peaked mountains outside the company’s Japanese studio, a hybrid Spring Drive movement that combines quartz accuracy with mechanical energy generation, and a blued steel seconds hand that features a perfect sweep, few watches can match the Snowflake’s serene beauty.

Omega Seamaster Diver 300m 007 Edition “No Time To Die”

Best Special Edition: This will be the next watch worn by James Bond, provided that No Time to Die ever actually gets released, that is. But regardless of whether or not this special Seamaster ever ends up adorning the wrist of 007 on the big screen, it’s still worth a serious look. Blending elements from the iconic “Bond” Seamaster with mid-century vintage touches, the full titanium watch features a generously-domed sapphire crystal, yellowed fauxtina lume all over that somehow glows blue, a tropical brown aluminum dial and bezel, and an absolutely killer titanium mesh bracelet. And, like all modern Seamasters, it’s a METAS-certified Master Chronometer.

IWC Pilot’s Watch Double Chronograph Top Gun Ceratanium

Best Chronograph: Rather than turning to a coating to solve the issue of titanium’s scratchability, the mad scientists in Schaffhausen decided to create an entirely new material. This pilot’s chronograph is made from IWC’s proprietary Ceratanium, a material that combines the low weight of titanium with the hardness of ceramic. The result is an incredibly light and durable watch that’s ready for anything, including the timing of two simultaneous events thanks to its spilt-seconds automatic chronograph function.

TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 200 Solargraph

Best Solar-Powered: TAG Heuer’s adventure-ready Aquaracer Professional diver line became its first-ever solar-powered timepiece last year, and already the Swiss brand has given the model a grade 2 titanium case option to make it lighter in weight and more comfortable on the wrist. Housed inside the 40mm case with 200m of water resistance is the TH50-00 solar movement, which ticks for 6 months and is charged to full capacity in less than 20 hours. In the chance that it does die, only 10 seconds of sunlight is required before it begins ticking again.

Rolex Yacht-Master 42

Best High-End Titanium Watch: Recent technological advancements have made titanium watches much more affordable than in decades past. However, a Rolex is still a Rolex. At over $30K, this Yacht-Master 42 features a classic 18k white gold Oyster case, a bidirectional ceramic diving bezel, and a beautifully legible black dial with white hour markers. It runs on the Rolex Caliber 3235 automatic movement, which sports a perpetual calendar function and basic three-hand time telling with 72 hours of power reserve. Attached to the timepiece are Rolex’s ultra-comfortable Oysterflex elastomer strap with a supremely durable Oysterlock safety clasp and Glidelock extension system.

RZE Endeavour

Microbrand RZE only makes titanium watches, and they do it extremely well. Living up to their slogan “Assembled For Adventure,” their Endeavour dive watch has a case and bracelet made of full titanium that’s been coated with the brand’s proprietary UltraHex coating that makes it around 8x harder to scratch than stainless steel, solving the biggest issue of titanium watches. Of course, the watch’s bi-color Super-LumiNova lume, 200m VITON gasket-backed water resistance, and sapphire crystal don’t hurt the adventure-readiness of the watch, either.

Mido Ocean Star 200C Titanium

The Ocean Star is the flagship diver of the underrated Swiss brand Mido and it comes in a number of variations, including a GMT, a chronograph, and a vintage-style diver. But our favorite has to be the titanium version. It looks killer with the waved pattern on the anthracite dial and is adorned with this titanium bracelet that gives off a vintage diver aesthetic. Not to mention, the watch’s ETA-based Mido Caliber 80 movement boasts an impressive 80-hour power reserve.

Sinn T50 Diver

We couldn’t leave off Sinn’s recent T50 dive watch, which swapped the steel cases of its popular U50 with titanium material, all while maintaining the impressive 500m dive rating and bringing back the 41mm case size and 4 o’clock crown placement. The bezel is also given some grade 5 titanium, hardened with the brand’s patented TEGIMENT, which makes it more scratch-resistant than typical titanium. To make it easier to read the time, the minute hand, hour hand, and bezel pip are each given a different colored lume.