Q: Which one is more scratch-resistant: titanium watch vs. stainless steel watch? This article, through an examination of the physical, mechanical, and working properties of steel and titanium, can help designers choose which material is right for their job. The hardness of titanium is lower than some steels, so it scratches easier than most steel. I think only time will tell how well Fenix 5 Plus titanium holds, but I wouldn't hold my breath. Asked by Nancy J; 17 Sep 2019 Flag as inappropriate Is brushed titanium more scratch resistant than stainless steel, can you polish out scratches from the brushed titanium like you can with the steel? On top of that, titanium cookware tends to be more durable than its ceramic counterpart. Titanium is has a longer lifespan than stainless steel, but when new, the variant of stainless steel used by Apple is harder than Titanium. Titanium is a popular metal choice in watches due to it being lightweight and non-corrosive, so you're guaranteed a watch that will last. I've seen a SBTi in store 3 days after release and it already looked like it came straight from Cyberpunk 2077, on the other hand the SBSS - which was not tucked away in a drawer - was still flawless. How much more expensive is titanium than steel? The latest ones are more scratch resistant than stainless steel where pressure bonding treatment is used on the titanium. View Profile View Forum Posts ... SS is far superior on all round performance. Titanium is therefore valued more — and therefore more expensive — than steel. Regular titanium Apple watches scratch very easily. It's mainly an aesthetic preference though as both are incredibly resistant to scratches regardless. This next generation of titanium watches by Citizen and Seiko are 5 times harder than stainless steel and over 40% lighter, using the latest surface-hardening technology. It’s used to make our simple, dependable systems in MSR’s Alpine Line. Sticking to that script, the Armor line's Super Titanium is reportedly 50% more scratch-resistant than stainless steel while maintaining the material's characteristic light wrist presence thanks to titanium being some 40% lighter than steel. The starting price of the stainless steel Apple Watch is $100 lower than the starting price of the titanium model, so if $100 more is a deal-breaker for you, don't get the titanium Apple Watch. Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. Titanium is more expensive than stainless steel and tends not to be as flashy, but it’s also stronger, lighter and more scratch-resistant. There are dozens of titanium alloys and hundreds more steel alloys, so it can oftentimes be challenging to decide where to begin when considering these two metals. ADVERTISEMENT. It will still scratch and will more scratch easily then titanium, as its a naturally weaker element. Overall, these alloys are hard, scratch-resistant, and offer a unique, deep, nearly titanium hue. After some research, I have read a lot of mixed things about whether stainless steel or grade 5 titanium is more scratch resistant. Options. Apple Watch stainless steel vs titanium: Price differential. You will not have to worry about scratching, as the titanium is pressure bonded to create an unrivalled and incredibly strong material that is scratch resistant which can be up to 5 times stronger than stainless steel. This extremely strong metal is more scratch-resistant than stainless steel jewelry which results in a higher cost. Neilw3030. Stainless Steel. Facebook Twitter Watch. Titanium is strong for its weight, but not particularly scratch resistant. The Mohs scale of mineral hardness (/ m oʊ z /) is a qualitative ordinal scale characterizing scratch resistance of various minerals through the ability of harder material to scratch softer material. Further in both cases it is the DLC coating which provides the real scratch resistance. At the same time, this means that jewelry makers use less titanium per ring, as smaller amounts have densities equal to stainless steel, which is usually less dense. Gr4z I would have thought the main benefit of Titanium is the lower weight rather than scratch resistance - steel is often harder than comparable titanium alloys but much lighter and much more chemically inert so does not corrode in situations where an equivalent steel will do I guess in this case though it's the coating that you have scrathed rather than the Steel itself. Pure titanium is hypoallergenic which makes it an ideal metal for those with sensitive skin. Titanium - When it comes to light-weight, stylish and long lasting rings, titanium has become a popular choice. The ceramic is highly scratch resistant, but it doesn’t have DLC Coating like the space black/space black titanium have. Titanium is super-light compared to stainless steel but it’s also has a less scratch-resistant surface so Citizen utilized their proprietary Duratect treatment which results in the so-called “Super Titanium.” This treatment makes the titanium 50% more scratch-resistant than stainless steel, without sacrificing its weight advantage over steel. Therefore, when money is an important part of the equation, stainless steel is sometimes chosen over titanium if both substances are deemed suitable. As for scratches, titanium is significantly harder than steel, but it tends to scratch more easily - this does depend on coating and titanium grade, but generally, what most watches use is not the hardest version in existence. Other than this, it has other basic properties of steel as above mentioned. 2nd April 2016, 21:35 #8. This allows the Waveform to not only be 30% lighter than regular stainless steel watches, but also over 8 times tougher and more scratch-resistant than regular titanium. A: A titanium watch provides the durability and bio-compatibility that stainless steel and other watch materials cannot provide. However, titanium is much much harder than gold, platinum and aluminum. Which titanium alloy and which steel alloy? Stainless steel is by far the toughest and most scratch-resistance of the three materials MSR uses, though it weighs a bit more than aluminum and titanium. It is easy to be confused about the durability of titanium in a watch because titanium is advertised as stronger than stainless steel but there are different types of strengths in metals and titanium is actually weaker in scratch resistance than stainless steel. Titanium is resistant to corrosion in sea water, aqua regia, and chlorine.. Titanium was discovered in Cornwall, Great Britain, by William Gregor in 1791 and was named by Martin Heinrich Klaproth after the Titans of Greek mythology. Titanium is a lighter material, stronger than stainless steel and, in many situations, a better choice for durability than the ceramic. Is brushed titanium more scratch resistant than stainless steel, can you polish out scratches from the brushed titanium like you can with the steel? The DLC on the titanium doesn't offer much scratch protection. Titanium is more expensive to produce as it requires a lot of energy during manufacturing using the Kroll Process and is much more difficult to work with than stainless steel. The Waveform's entire case, bracelet and clasp is made out of our Reinforced Titanium. Thanks! Stainless steel is different from carbon steel due to the amount of chromium present. It contains minimum 10.5% to 11% chromium amount by mass. It’s more brittle if you break it, but it’s also extremely resilient against scratches. I have not owned the ceramic, so I can’t attest to that, but I can say the space black with the ceramic coating is literally impervious to scratching against every day services. Titanium cookware heats up more evenly and more quickly than ceramic cookware. There are virtually no materials other than a diamond that can scratch tungsten carbide. Ceramic pans and pots are infamous for chipping more easily. One of the main issues with producing products out of titanium is the tools used to machine … Today Citizen watches utilize the next generation ‘super titanium’ with a unique IP treatment which makes their titanium watches scratch resistant. Titanium alloy blends titanium with other metals, such as aluminum. When found in the watch world, it’s most often in dive and tool watches. Obviously, I realize that Ti is quite a bit lighter than SS, but I am just curious about its resistance to scratches dents and such compared to SS. That is why people have invented alloys. Stainless steel is virtually scratch-resistant. Grade 5 titanium has around 35 Rockwell C (Rc) hardness. Coatings can improve the hardness of titanium as well, and there are many coatings out there that we might cover in another article. Titanium is significantly lighter and stronger than steel. When it comes to cooking, stainless steels lies somewhere between aluminum and titanium in terms of its performance and suitability. With the passage of time, your titanium watch will get more scratches as compared to your stainless steel watch. Titanium is light, scratch-resistant, corrosion-resistant, durable, and hypoallergenic, but still, at present, more expensive to machine than stainless steel or aluminum. My guess is because the carbon atoms do not hold to Ti as much as they do on steel but I'm no material engineer. Metal Surface Hardening Ceramic is more scratch-resistant, but it's an overall more brittle material. So, if you're looking for a new titanium wristwatch, shop our pick of the best below. It is a lustrous transition metal with a silver color, low density, and high strength. Thus, it’s more energy-efficient and time-saving. Like many metals, the pure form is much weaker than the alloyed forms. Would love to hear some first hand experience with the Ti. Titanium is a lustrous, low-density, high-strength metal which is highly resistant to corrosion in sea water and able to withstand high and low temperatures. In short, the material offers all the traits one would want for a wearable item that accompanies you everywhere. Answer. This means you can travel, work, ... Consequently, titanium is typically more expensive than stainless steel per price point. Click to expand... Titanium is generally softer than most steels. There are dozens of common titanium alloys in use and thousands of steel alloys. Despite being lightweight, titanium is a durable and strong industrial metal, which makes jewelry scratch resistant. Titanium jewelry is available in two forms. However, it scratches easily, which is why our Reinforced Titanium has an added scratch-resistant coating. Scratch-resistance - Due to its hardness tungsten carbide handily beats titanium when it comes to scratch-resistance, though titanium is still considerably more scratch-resistant than other popular materials. Much more scratch resistant than the stainless steel GSs I have. A: Stainless steel is a lot more scratch-resistant than titanium. Titanium is more expensive, though, than stainless steel, making it cost-prohibitive for some industries, such as construction, which requires large quantities. Ceramic, meanwhile, is more familiar in the Apple Watch world. But titanium is rust and corrosion-resistant. They're more scratch-resistant than steel and more biocompatible too, for those who have allergic reactions to steel. Stainless steel is different from other steel alloys because it doesn’t corrode or rust. Though only slightly harder than 316L (~300 HV), this steel is highly corrosion resistant and used in dive watches subject to frequent immersion in salt water. Created in 1812 by German geologist and mineralogist Friedrich Mohs, it is one of several definitions of hardness in materials science, some of which are more quantitative.