Titanium in modern watchmaking
For many watch collectors inspired by more classical approaches to watchmaking, the plethora of new materials and manufacturing techniques being used in contemporary watchmaking can seem quite confusing, daunting, or even incomprehensible. Titanium cases have been around for a long while now; today ceramics, sapphire, new mettaloid alloys, carbon, recycled plastics, bean protein and much more are entering the world of watchmaking.
How on earth can one determine the true technical worthiness and/or economic value of a particular material when applied to horology under such circumstances? Do these new materials represent real advances or are they just there for a fashionable ‘show and tell’ with one’s friends over a glass of wine?
Value and values
The economic value of these new materials within watchmaking is an aspect everyone can easily relate to and therefore a good place to start. At the risk of oversimplification, and omitting discussion of R&D costs and the psychological perception of value, there are only three aspects to consider in this horological value equation: material costs + manufacturing = a specific value.
If we take wristwatch cases as an easy example, and ignore the historical, sentimental and traditional values given to various types of gold and/or platinum, this leads to some interesting calculations. The several grades of titanium used in some watches today are all relatively cheap as a material in comparison to gold and platinum, but the titanium manufacturing process is much more expensive than that of gold or even steel.
Regarding cases, the result is that a titanium case in real economic terms ends up costing the same as one of gold despite the price difference in raw materials. And for many years, many watch companies have ignored this very basic cost issue. We forget that the wear and tear on cutters and tools of fire proofed, multiple-axis machines (yes, titanium dust is highly flammable!) has to be paid back in expensive man-hours when the cutter replacements – oftentimes created by hand – need to be made after only twenty cases or bezels are finished and the machines need to be totally recalibrate and reset for the next batch.
Many watch companies in the past deliberately kept the price of their watches in titanium lower than their gold models because they felt that the market would not accept such equalization between precious and mundane metals. However, in recent years, due to a new awareness, this has slowly been changing.
To fill out the description here, I should add that complex shapes made in most non-precious metals or materials usually increase the cost of manufacturing due to their hardness or structure, which often requires additional preliminary stages before actual cutting begins.
For instance, a flat circular bezel of titanium is relatively quick and easy to produce. However when a complex three- dimensional shape is involved,the process is much more time consuming since a ‘secondary ingot’ needs to be pre-formed in a rough outline of the watch case directly at the smelter’s in order to save the above-mentioned wear and tear on cutting machines. Working on a rectangular block would slow down the production process and create excess waste.
In the end there is a lot more than meets the eye in regards to casemaking in new materials of various kinds, each will make specific demands on know-how and the methods of execution used in their production. For instance it is interesting to remark that the manufacture of cases in carbon based materials will oftentimes create even more wear and tear on the cutters used in the production process than is the situation with titanium case manufacturing...But at least carbon dust is not flammable like titanium dust !
My experience as a Swiss watch industry insider spans about 27+ years, with 20 years (and presently) in the role of company spokesman at a Swiss brand, as well as a long term background in watch journ...
Awesome insights! Thank you for this write up!
Very interesting. Do go on...
I came to the thread to hate on illegible RM watches and stayed for the discussion on manufacturing processes! Titanium is a swine to work with (I first read about this in Skunkworks by Ben Rich - but he was building something bigger) and more recently Tantalum has been used a bit in watchmaking but it sounds like a nastier thing to work than Ti.
Great news! That means that it won’t take long until we can buy a solid gold watch from a microbrand for 300 $ 🥳
Interesting. I have however been on a bronze kick recently. Bronze has been used in watch cases for a very long time, but used to always be plated with something else. I think it is fairly recent that non coated bronze cases have become more popular. Anyways, I just like watching bronze patina over time.
Let's hope so now that yellow gold has gone out of fashion 🤣 !
3d printed titanium is a thing now
3d printed titanium is a thing now
Sure, but not in higher end watchmaking...The difference in granularity and resistance to stress with 3D Ti and solid milled Ti is different and in addition 3D printed surfaces cannot be treated in the same manner as solid milled.
Great post, thanks for making the effort. I learned a lot. But are you sure a Ti case costs the same as a gold one? At current gold prices? You can get a Ti watch for a few hundred bucks, there's probably more cost than that just in the gold of a decent sized gold watch.
Fantastic Theodore, but no surprise given your extensive knowledge.
I'm wondering about the ethical dimension of this equation. Certain materials are sourced in certain ways which sometimes concern buyers (for example, the list of titanium suppliers includes a country many are concerned with right now). Carbon dust is perhaps not useful for "recasting" so it is true waste whereas perhaps other filings can be gathered and used for something else?
It would be interesting to hear this part of things.
Fantastic Theodore, but no surprise given your extensive knowledge.
I'm wondering about the ethical dimension of this equation. Certain materials are sourced in certain ways which sometimes concern buyers (for example, the list of titanium suppliers includes a country many are concerned with right now). Carbon dust is perhaps not useful for "recasting" so it is true waste whereas perhaps other filings can be gathered and used for something else?
It would be interesting to hear this part of things.
Indeed a good question; I will gladly go in depth on that topic if you can bear with me 😊:
Within the Swiss watch industry, it has been daily practice to mechanically recycle every bit of metallic dust and debris from titanium, platinum, gold, etc. for something like the past 30 years or so. (For that matter, even goldsmiths in 'ye olden days' recycled their gold from sawing and filing jewelry - it is just a very sensible practice where it can be done.) You are right; carbon dust is another story: too light and as dust not valuable enough to recoup.
As we all know, about 90% of the steel used in the world is recycled to begin with. So, seen all these points, I think it quite fair to say that the watch industry has already for years been way ahead of the curve about recycling, long before it became such a flash point within social media and watch PR.
Sourcing is a very tricky area however, and almost impossible to control, and ethically the reality is more complicated to discuss.
Indeed a good question; I will gladly go in depth on that topic if you can bear with me 😊:
Within the Swiss watch industry, it has been daily practice to mechanically recycle every bit of metallic dust and debris from titanium, platinum, gold, etc. for something like the past 30 years or so. (For that matter, even goldsmiths in 'ye olden days' recycled their gold from sawing and filing jewelry - it is just a very sensible practice where it can be done.) You are right; carbon dust is another story: too light and as dust not valuable enough to recoup.
As we all know, about 90% of the steel used in the world is recycled to begin with. So, seen all these points, I think it quite fair to say that the watch industry has already for years been way ahead of the curve about recycling, long before it became such a flash point within social media and watch PR.
Sourcing is a very tricky area however, and almost impossible to control, and ethically the reality is more complicated to discuss.
Thank you Theodore, fantastic. 👏🏽👏🏽
I also find the idea of solar furnaces for metallurgy really interesting. I'm sure there are all kinds of practical challenges but I'm just glad someone is trying.
https://grist.org/article/this-company-wants-to-make-steel-and-cement-with-solar-power-heres-how/
Thank you Theodore, fantastic. 👏🏽👏🏽
I also find the idea of solar furnaces for metallurgy really interesting. I'm sure there are all kinds of practical challenges but I'm just glad someone is trying.
https://grist.org/article/this-company-wants-to-make-steel-and-cement-with-solar-power-heres-how/
Thxs for that, looks like a very interesting and meaningful development!
Does Ti really “heal itself”??
Yes - but only the very outermost layer of metal. It does not grow back large areas of metal like a wound on the skin 😊
Simplified: from the moment titanium is cut/machined/milled, it starts a process somewhat like oxydation, and a 'skin' gets built up. This 'skin' increases (we are talking micorns here) as the material ages. You can see this subtle effect in the color seen on older Ti timepieces that have not been polished.
If there is a scrape on the case and this older layer is gone, then the process starts over again with the 'naked' section.
This also menas that Ti gets more (surface) scratch resistant as it ages.....
Late to the party but wow what a great read! Thank you for the insight. Makes me even prouder of my new Ti watch!
solid post
Great post.
Awesome read! Thank you for taking the time to share. I learned a lot. Titanium is my latest fixation. I appreciate my Titanium watches even more now