Collection: Titanium Watches

Titanium watches from Citizen and Bulova

Titanium is the metal to choose when you want a watch you hardly notice on your wrist. Nearly every watch here is Citizen Super Titanium, which Citizen describes as more than five times harder than stainless steel and around 40% lighter, so a large chronograph or dive watch feels lighter than its size suggests.

What Super Titanium is

Citizen made the first titanium watch, the X-8 Chronometer, in 1970. Super Titanium is its current version: titanium with a surface hardened by Duratect, Citizen’s own treatment, which Citizen rates at over 1,000 HV on the Vickers hardness scale. Citizen also says the material resists corrosion. Most of these watches pair a Super Titanium case with a matching titanium bracelet, so the weight saving runs right around the wrist.

The range

• Three-hand and dress: the Zenshin Three-Hand at 39 mm with day and date, the Brycen AW1840-50E at 41 mm and the Super Titanium Garrison, all Eco-Drive. The Zenshin Mechanical is a 40.5 mm automatic whose seconds hand stops while you set the time, with an aqua, blue or white dial, and the Photon has a 39.6 mm cushion case only 10 mm thick.
• Chronographs: the Zenshin Chrono at 42.5 mm and the Super Titanium Armor CA7058-55E at 44 mm, with a one-way rotating bezel and a dark grey DLC-plated link set into the bracelet.
• Pilot’s and world-time watches: the Promaster Skyhawk A-T JY8108-53E in black titanium, which sets itself from atomic time signals, and the Tsuki-yomi A-T, which adds a moon phase and world time in 24 zones.
• Dive watches: the Promaster Dive Automatic NB6021-68L, based on Citizen’s 1970s Challenge Diver, in a 41 mm case rated for scuba diving; the NB6005-05L puts the same calibre 9051 in a 46 mm case on rubber. Both resist magnetism and run within -10 to +20 seconds a day. The Promaster Diver BN0200-56E is a 44 mm Eco-Drive, water resistant to 200 m. See also Citizen Promaster Dive.
• Titanium and steel: Bulova’s Curv 98A162, a 44 mm chronograph with a curved movement, combines titanium with stainless steel.

Wearing it

The first thing you notice is the weight, or how little there is. Water resistance varies: most of the dress and chronograph models are rated 100 m, fine for swimming and snorkelling; the dive watches are rated 200 m; the Photon is 50 m and the Curv 30 m. Titanium bracelets are sized by removing links, the same as steel. Each watch comes from us as an authorized Citizen and Bulova retailer, with the full manufacturer warranty.

Questions

Titanium or stainless steel? Titanium is lighter, and Citizen’s Super Titanium has a hardened surface that resists scratches and corrosion. Steel has more heft, which some people prefer.

Does Super Titanium need special care? No more than steel. Wipe it with a soft cloth, rinse it in fresh water after the sea or a pool, and see our watch care habits for the rest.

Which is the titanium Skyhawk? The JY8108-53E, a 45 mm Promaster Skyhawk A-T in black Super Titanium on a titanium bracelet.