For all these reasons, today this material is used in various fields, from space and aeronautical industries to architectural, biomedical and watchmaking engineering. It is an abundant material but in the past the high processing cost has limited its use by a lot.
On the other hand, some titanium alloys suffer more scratches than steel. While a good 316L stainless steel offers a certain resistance to scratches and scratches, in its natural state or almost the titanium is very scalable, although thanks to the patina that frees replique montre it has a discreet ability to repair itself.
One is that until the late 1960s most of the wristwatch cases that were not gold were not even steel. To limit the price, gold-plated brass was often used but this combination suffers a lot from corrosion.
So the field was looking for better alternatives at the time. It is in this regard that Citizen opened in 1964 a research center dedicated to the study of new materials with advanced features and it was precisely on that occasion that its engineers began to approach titanium.
And you could only start with those who know the most about titanium. It is a brand new 2020 model that stands out for its rather modern design. The wide bezel that does not seem so since it is flared downwards gives way to an equally spacious blue dial with very thin applied indexes as well as the hands that fly over it. The properties of Super Titanium, which we will discuss in the next paragraph, make the polished parts shine like steel. To move it is the usual – for me very comfortable – Citizen Eco Drive movement powered by light that offers 8 months of power reserve and eliminates the stress of changing batteries.
Nicknamed “Baby GS Snowflake” for the snowflake dial like his older brother Grand Seiko, we are starting to get serious with this Presage. Introduced in 2017, it is a replica watch with a very high price-quality ratio that exhibits high-end finishes. Titanium case and bracelet are coated with the exclusive DiaShield proprietary treatment that offers protection against scratches equal to steel. The Snowflake dial with polished finish applied hour markers has magic. Unfortunately it is difficult to find here in Italy, but in case the advice is not to miss it.