Used by the finest watchmakers for more than 50 years, titanium is blessed with many highly desirable characteristics. While possessing the hardness of stainless steel, titanium is far lighter and it offers excellent resistance to corrosion and hypoallergenic qualities. Sophisticated craftsmanship enables the metal’s precise honing into cases and bracelets of the desired specifications. Its range of hues provides an appealing – and much utilised – extra layer of versatility, too

A combination of strength, lightness and rust resistance explains why titanium is widely used in other precision industries including the automotive, aerospace and marine sectors. Medical instruments, like quality watches, benefit from its skin-friendly properties. Pure, grade 2 titanium or the harder, grade 5, a titanium alloy including vanadium and aluminium, is the metal of choice in watchmaking.

Vacheron Constantin utilised the noble qualities of the metal in a new all-titanium version of the Overseas Tourbillon. By incorporating the robust, featherweight and hypoallergenic qualities of grade 5 titanium into its Overseas catalogue, the Maison gave a further fillip to the sporty and hard-wearing characteristics of the collection.

Unveiled at last year’s Watches and Wonders, the new timepiece is distinguished by the aesthetics of its translucent blue-lacquered dial – emblematic of the line – featuring a sunburst satin-finished base complete with velvet-finished flange. Given the rigidity of the material, the titanium-hewn case, bracelet, crown and bezel required extremely careful workmanship. Powered by the in-house, ultra-thin, self-winding Calibre 2160, the watch is further enhanced by a tourbillon regulator visible at six o’clock through an aperture in the dial.

Chopard has also harnessed the outstanding resistance and aesthetics of this metal to accentuate the signature qualities of some of its finest watches. For instance, the ultra-thin Alpine Eagle 41 XP TT (technical titanium) in grade 5 titanium radiates a darker hue than steel and attributes like lightness of feel and supreme resistance to corrosion will strike a chord with outdoor sports enthusiasts.

Its latest limited-edition L.U.C Full Strike, meanwhile, utilises the enhanced qualities of ceramicised titanium to house its famous minute-repeater movement. Achieved by the oxidation of the surface layers of titanium at extreme temperatures, ceramicised titanium is even harder than grade 5 titanium and in no way compromises the quality of chime emitted from the solid sapphire gongs attached to a sapphire crystal resonator. Joining other special editions crafted from gold, steel, platinum and sapphire respectively, the anthracite hue of its ceramicised case contrasts beautifully with a verdigris (grey-green) brass dial with a finely frosted centre.

A brand with strong aviation roots, Longines has recently added a model adorned with titanium to its Pilot Majetek range. The Pilot Majetek Pioneer Edition pairs a 43mm cushion-shaped case in grade 5 titanium with a signature bidirectional rotating bezel with Starting Time Indicator – details, along with the recessed dial at six o’clock, that betray a flying tradition. At back, the inhouse calibre L893.6 offers high resistance to magnetism and the case is engraved with the words “Pioneer Edition / One of 1935”.

Maurice Lacroix combines the fine qualities of both grades of this light metal for its new 42mm Aikon Automatic and 44mm Aikon Automatic Chronograph timepieces. Some sport dials of incredibly rich colours that perfectly offset the titanium hues of the case, while an intriguing interplay of finishes between grade 2 and grade 5 is also conjured.

Krayon’s workshops in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, have released their first titanium watch in the form of Anywhere Aurora. Powered by the Calibre C030 movement designed by brand founder Rémi Maillat, this ultra-slim watch weighs just 50g thanks to its titanium construction and the light but super-hard material is shaped and polished assiduously by hand.

The smooth glow of the shimmering case contrasts superbly with an emerald-green dial that changes radiance – from pale to iridescent tones – according to the angle of the sun’s rays. This feat is enabled by an Atomic Layer Deposition process, which coats the dial with ultrathin films of select compounds that can interact with the light. Underscoring the technical marvels of this watch, a peripheral ring around edge of the dial is split into day (mother-of-pearl white) and night (deep green) sections which change length as the days pass and seasons change – a masterstroke that can be altered as the wearer moves around the globe.

A satin-finished and polished titanium case, case back and bezel sets off the masterful visual imagery of Hublot’s Spirit of Big Bang Titanium Dragon. An amazing three-dimensional, multi-level dial recreates the traditional Chinese paper-cutting art of Chen Fenwan, morphing the watch face into a silhouette of a dragon. This fantastical motif continues its journey along the scale-like marquetry bracelet.

By introducing the Chronodate Titanium Magnetic Silver watch, Angelus embellishes its Chronodate range with a new tone-on-tone colour scheme. Bezel, bracelet, folding buckle, crown and monobloc middle case are all crafted from titanium, projecting a grey hue which extends into the sunray-brushed ‘magnetic silver’ dial. The design of the latest timepiece is deliberately configured to offer enticing colour contrasts.

Ressence’s Type 3 Eucalyptus watch features a unique titanium dial in an attractive soft green hue and a futuristic look. Backed by a patented automatic movement offering 36 hours of power reserve, its 44mm case – also crafted from grade 5 titanium – is partly filled with oil to ensure that the floating hands-free dial can be read from all angles through indicators for days, seconds, minutes and hours. A textile strap is fashioned from plush Alcantara.