Titanium is a common known material. Everyone has already heard about this precious material. Most people know it is used for the space, medical, paints and pigments industries. But not everyone knows it is also used in jewelry, the watch industry in particular. This metal is so popular that if it wasn’t so expensive, it could replace stainless steel for good because of its excellent characteristics.
The advantages of titanium are:
- Titanium is lightweight. It weighs half the weight of steel with the same volume.
- It is highly scratch-resistant.
- Titanium is much less expensive than gold, platinum and palladium.
- The material is also anti-magnetic.
- It is corrosion resistant, especially in saltwater. This makes it ideal for underwater use, like diving watches.
- Titanium is impervious to nearly all acids.
- For those who suffer from allergies, titanium is hypoallergenic.
- Titanium used in the watch industry is far stronger than ordinary steel. It is Grade 5 Titanium with 1,000MPa.
- Even normal titanium is already 350MPa strong.
- It is shock resistant as it can absorb around 20 joules of energy on impact.
- And it is environmentally friendly because it is recyclable.
The only 2 disadvantages of titanium are the price (due to its rarity) and the hardness as it asks more effort to work it. Titanium cannot be cast easily.