IN-DEPTH: How titanium became watchmaking’s go-to material in 2026
Amid the rising prices of gold and steel, and with new production and hybridisation techniques available, brands are now turning to titanium for everything from high-concept watchmaking to dress watches.
And customer appetite is responding: searches for “titanium watch” have increased 140% since 2021, according to Google Trends.
Despite being discovered in the late 18th century, titanium wasn’t used in watches until the 1970s, due to its high production costs, difficulty in machining and finishing, and limited availability. Then, in 1970, Japanese brand Citizen introduced its X-8 Chronometer, widely considered the world’s first titanium wristwatch.
Uptake was swift by other Japanese watchmakers like Seiko and Casio, who saw the attraction of the material for its durable, lightweight, hypoallergenic, and corrosion-resistant qualities.
After a period of innovation and refinement, when things like machining and polishing methods were improved, brands like IWC and Omega started using titanium for their sports watches. Heuer launched its “Titanium Collection” in 1983, which was marketed as having “space-age” technologies — a case and bracelet made entirely of titanium. The material shifted from being purely functional to a semi-luxury status.
The last mainstream watch brand to implement the material was Rolex, which launched its Deepsea Challenge 126067 model in RLX Titanium — its proprietary version of grade 5 titanium — in 2022. It was this release that finally legitimised titanium as a luxury watchmaking material, and perhaps prompted the upsurge in customer appetite in the years since.
Now, titanium is a recurrent favourite material for watchmakers looking to push the boundaries of design and innovation. Back in 2025, Bulgari launched its Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon, which became the world’s thinnest tourbillon watch at just 1.85mm thick. It’s made out of ultra-light, ultra-strong titanium, combined with a tungsten carbide main plate.
In March this year, IWC unveiled the Portugieser Chronograph Ceratanium, made from a patented mix of ceramic and titanium that combines the lightness and robustness of titanium with a hardness and scratch-resistance similar to that of ceramic. TAG Heuer’s new smartwatch, the Connected Calibre E5 in collaboration with Formula 1, is made from diamond-like carbon-coated titanium. And the Chopard Lab One Zagato Concept, a collaboration with Italian automotive design house Zagato, is an experiment with architecture, weight, and load-bearing design, and the lightest titanium watch Chopard has ever produced.
In recent weeks, Greubel Forsey has launched a new edition of the Balancier 3, in titanium with a frosted titanium bridge, and Ressence has also unveiled several experimental designs in recent months in titanium. Norqain’s new titanium concept watch Wild One Skeleton X-Lite weighs just 45 grams.
And brands are demonstrating that titanium isn’t just for tool and sport watches. Independent brand Toledano & Chan has just revisited its inaugural B/1 model, and reinterpreted it in titanium with a gold dial, its industrial quality underlining the timepiece’s Brutalist inspiration.
Finally, in late 2025, Cartier unveiled a fully titanium Santos de Cartier, proving that the material can very much hold its own in the dress watch category, too.
