What’s better? Titanium vs Oystersteel

[El Patron]

My 1st watch was a Movado Valor Tungsten Carbide Watch. I used that watch out in the field as a technician. I beat the crap out that watch, still looks like new and has a really nice weight to it, i wish Rolex would use this in their professional watches.

[brandog]

Oystersteel. Titanium has no luster and looks dull. You also cant polish titanium back to a nice finish after years of wear like oystersteel.

[thenewrick]

Originally Posted by brandog

Oystersteel. Titanium has no luster and looks dull. You also cant polish titanium back to a nice finish after years of wear like oystersteel.

Depends on the titanium. Grand Seikos can be zaratsu polished during a service for an extra fee. It's a more premium product and costs more to service.

[Smobews]

Originally Posted by brandog

Oystersteel. Titanium has no luster and looks dull. You also cant polish titanium back to a nice finish after years of wear like oystersteel.

Not true. My seven year old titanium Omega PO came back from a service looking brand new. You need to see a grade 5 titanium watch in person; polished surfaces have plenty of luster and contrast the brushed surfaces beautifully.

[zengineer]

Originally Posted by brandog

Oystersteel. Titanium has no luster and looks dull. You also cant polish titanium back to a nice finish after years of wear like oystersteel.

Errr, my SBGR disagrees (pic from the net). My Seamaster is "dull" but I like the unique look. There are all sorts of ways to be Titanium.

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[rolexjackson]

Ti is lighter than steel, I see the biggest trade off is that ti can be brittle. I had a ti bracelet shatter once from a knock on the kitchen counter edge. I’ve been leery of it ever since.

[ndrs63]

I don’t like titanium because it does not have the heft one would expect from a time piece, plus it will never shine like the oystersteel


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[Dirt]

Originally Posted by thenewrick

I’ve seen some deep discussions on titanium in grand Seiko forums.

Titanium is just a base metal and the alloys are what’s important. Other watchmakers use oystersteel also it’s just a marketing term. Seiko uses multiple titanium alloys based on price point. Highest end titanium is more scratch resistant than steel. It’s lighter and people say it feels cheap because of the weight.

Titanium alloys can also attract fingerprints and scratches might not as easy to ignore and polish out.

It all depends in the end. I’d like to try titanium as I think I’d prefer a lighter watch.

Oystersteel may not be a marketing term.
And it may very well be a proprietry name for a material that's defined by a particularly stringent acceptance criterior that upon casual observation appears to be something similar.
At this juncture, only Rolex knows.

[JSolution]

Tried on the Pelagos recently, liked it in pictures but too light for me didn’t like the feel of it at all. But I am used to heavier watches ;)

[HogwldFLTR]

I've not seen many Ti watches with finishes that I like. I know it can be done but in general I like the Fe alloys much better!!!

[Harry-57]

I have a Titanium Speedmaster. It's light. Unfortunately it doesn't wear comfortably. Swings and roundabouts.

Like many things, you won't know until you have the specific watch on your own wrist. Past that there are too many variables.

[Where]

Originally Posted by Dirt

Oystersteel may not be a marketing term.
And it may very well be a proprietry name for a material that's defined by a particularly stringent acceptance criterior that upon casual observation appears to be something similar.
At this juncture, only Rolex knows.

It's 904L steel. We're not getting anything more than that, it's just marketing by Rolex. Steel is a nice entry-level material, but well-finished Titanium is premium. It's stronger, lighter, and more scratch resistant than steel. It would be great if Rolex made a titanium watch, but unfortunately it doesn't align with their design philosophy.

[HiDive]

Originally Posted by thenewrick

Depends on the titanium. Grand Seikos can be zaratsu polished during a service for an extra fee. It's a more premium product and costs more to service.

Actually, my Grand Seiko spring drive cost less than a Rolex to service. It took longer because it had to go to Japan and a relatively small number of technicians are allowed to work on them.

The polished parts on it on it are every bit as lusterous as the soft 904L SS or 316L used in Rolex or other high end sports watches.