THE TITANIUM TAKEOVER

Heavy on performance yet light on the wrist, this industrial metal has found a permanent place in luxury watchmaking.

- CHARMIAN LEONG

Tougher, lighter, more corrosion-resistant, and kinder to the skin than most metals in watchmaking, titanium is basically the teacher's pet of metallurgy.

Its industrial career began in the 1940s and 1950s, mostly for military and aerospace applications, but it was Citizen, inspired by the Apollo missions, that wondered if this metal could also excel at something as down-to-earth as casing time. In 1970, the Japanese brand unveiled the world's first titanium watch, the X-8 Chronometer. To mark that milestone, the Super Titanium 55 Years Anniversary Event travelling exhibition has made its way to Tokyo, New York, and most recently, Singapore, to showcase Citizen’s decades of tinkering with the material. Because for all titanium’s virtues, it does have flaws — namely its eagerness to collect scratches and its reluctance to gleam like polished steel. Citizen’s answer was Duratect, a surface-hardening process that keeps the watch looking pristine for longer, giving rise to what it now calls Super Titanium. They even found ways to coax a mirror finish out of this famously uncooperative metal.

Colours soon followed, with Super Titanium appearing in Sakura pink, dark blues, stealthy black with crystalline patterns, and more. The latest is Amber Yellow, inspired by the soft lustre of antique gold.

Of course, it didn’t take long for the Swiss to get in on the act. While Citizen’s shades stay politely within muted territory,