Six Titanium Watches For People Shopping On A Smaller Budget

Just last week we showed you six high-end watches that utilised all the benefits of titanium; lightweight, a tactile feel, robust and hypoallergenic. While all that is fine, the most affordable watch on that list cost CHF 7,700 and the most expensive one has a price that’s on request which needs little explaining in this industry. That’s money not all of us can or want to spend on a watch, really. To give you some friendlier priced alternatives, this week’s Buying Guide once again looks at titanium watches but this time ranging from EUR 650 to just under EUR 2,000 that deliver boat-loads of character and all the pleasurable attributes titanium has to offer!

Citizen Promaster Mechanical Diver 200M “Fujitsubo” NB6021-17E

Last year, Citizen impressed us with the retro-cool Promaster Mechanical Diver 200M “Fujitsubo NB6021-17E. Quite the mouthful, so we just call it the Fujitsubo. This absolute performance bargain of a watch comes with a Super Titanium case that’s 41mm in diameter and 12.3mm in height and finished with a Duratect hardening treatment. It’s modelled after a dive watch from 1977 that was salvaged from a beach in 1983 after spending quite some time in the water! It comes with a blue dial on a Super Titanium bracelet for EUR 750, or a black dial on a black polyurethane bracelet (which is the one to get!) for EUR 650.

For more information, please visit CitizenWatch-Global.com

Quick Facts – 41mm x 12.3mm – Super Titanium case with Duratect hardening treatment – unidirectional rotating bezel with black insert – sapphire crystal – screw-down crown – solid caseback – 200m water-resistant – black dial with luminous applied markers and hands – Calibre 9051, in-house automatic – 28,800vph – 42h power reserve – black dial with luminous markers & hands – black polyurethane strap – EUR 650 (black dial, strap) – EUR 750 (blue dial, bracelet)

Baltic Aquascaphe Titanium 41mm

The Baltic Aquascaphe in steel or bronze was already a funky and robust dive watch, but adding the titanium version to the collection only upped its appeal. The 41mm wide titanium case shows a lot of character and comes with a blue or black dial with a matching bezel insert. The luminous markers and hands are nice and large to easily check the time at a glance, even at night. Power comes from the Miyota 9039 automatic, which is part of the reason the price is very reasonable, coming in at EUR 710. It is worn on a blue rubber Tropic-style strap which can be ordered in two different lengths.

For more information, please visit Baltic-Watches.com

Quick Facts – 41mm x 13.6mm – grade 5 titanium case, brushed – unidirectional rotating bezel with blue or black insert – double-domed sapphire crystal – solid caseback – screw-down crown – 300m water-resistant – blue or black dial with luminous markers & hands – Miyota 9039, automatic – 28,800vph – 42h power reserve – blue or black rubber Tropic-style strap (available in two lengths) – 600-piece numbered launch edition, part of the permanent collection – EUR 710

Hamilton Khaki Field Titanium Automatic

We escape the waters and take to land for the next entry, which is the Hamilton Khaki Field Titanium Automatic. It’s been available for a couple of years now but remains a very cool military-inspired field watch. The 42mm grade 2 titanium case, optionally with a black PVD coating, makes it nice and light on the wrist. The grey or black dial has the signature double 12h and 24h scales, with green or beige luminous indices and hands. Inside we find the Hamilton Calibre H-10, which is basically the Powermatic 80 with a Hamilton rotor. Priced at EUR 1,095 (bare titanium) or EUR 1,145 (black PVD), it’s certainly a good deal!

For more information, please visit HamiltonWatch.com

Quick Facts – 42mm diameter – grade 2 titanium case, with optional black PVD coating – sapphire crystal front & back – 100m water-resistant – grey or black military dial with inner 24h scale – Arabic numerals and hands with Super-LumiNova – Hamilton H-10 calibre, automatic winding – 21,600vph – 80h power reserve – brown calf leather strap with H-shaped pin buckle – EUR 1,095 (non-PVD coated) – EUR 1,145 (black PVD coated)

Certina DS Action Diver Titanium

The Swatch Group is home to more than just one cool brand that operates within the, let’s say 500-1500 euro window. From Certina comes this rather good and surprisingly affordable DS Action Diver Titanium. It ticks a lot of the right ‘vintage diver’ boxes, yet has a full titanium case and bracelet. However, the black and beige NATO-style strap that perfectly matches the dial is the way to go with this one. It also relies on the solid Powermatic 80 movement, which of course gives it a lengthy power reserve of 80 hours. Retailing for EUR 1,110 on the NATO-style strap, or EUR 1,195 (incl. VAT) on the titanium bracelet, it is a very good value proposition.

For more information, please visit Certina.com

Quick Facts – 43mm x 13.10mm – full titanium case, brushed & polished – unidirectional diving bezel – sapphire crystal – solid caseback – screw-down crown – 300m water-resistant – black dial with beige coloured indices & hands – applied Double-C logo – Powermatic 80.611, automatic – anti-magnetic Nivachron hairspring 21,600vbh – 80h power reserve – beige and black NATO-style strap or titanium bracelet – EUR 1,110 (textile strap) – EUR 1,195 (titanium bracelet)

Seiko Shogun Titanium SPB189 & SPB191

We can’t pass up on Seiko when it comes to relatively affordable watchmaking, and we turn to the somewhat overlooked Shogun collection for the next entry. Already on the market since 2020, this duo of titanium divers come with a black or white dial with a two-tone bezel. The lightweight material of the 43.5mm wide case is matched with either a titanium bracelet or a rubber strap. The SPB189 is the one with a black dial, retailing for EUR 1,550, while the white dial SPB191 will set you back EUR 1,350. Both rely on the in-house Calibre 6R35 automatic, with 70 hours of running time.

For more information, please visit Seiko-Watches.com

Quick Facts – 43.5mm x 13.3mm – superhard-coated titanium case – unidirectional titanium bezel with two-tone insert – sapphire crystal – solid caseback – 200m water-resistant – black or white dial with applied luminous markers and hands – Calibre 6R35, in-house automatic – 21,600vph – 70h power reserve – black rubber strap (white dial) or titanium bracelet (black dial) – EUR 1,350 (SPB191J1, rubber strap) – EUR 1,550 (SPB191J1, titanium bracelet)

Delma Shell Star Titanium

Delma recently introduced a smaller and lighter version of its stylish Shell Star dive watch. Now coming in at 41mm and in a full titanium exterior, it still packs a visual punch from top to bottom. The dial has a sandy texture and comes in classic black, blue or orange with applied markers and hand finished with lume. Inside we find the reliable Sellita SW200 automatic, with 38 hours of power reserve (step up your game Sellita!). Worn on a full titanium bracelet, this limited edition of 499 pieces in total costs EUR 1,790 and is on slightly more expensive option (but still good value for money).

For more information, please visit Delma.ch

Quick Facts – 41mm x 13.6mm – full titanium case – unidirectional rotating bezel with black ceramic insert – screw-down crown – sapphire crystal front & back – black, blue or orange dial with sandy texture – applied indices and hands with Super-LumiNova – Sellita SW200, automatic – 28,800vph – 38h power reserve – titanium bracelet – limited edition of 499 pieces in total – EUR 1,790