Five Great Titanium Sports Watches Under $5,000

Sports watches have been produced primarily in stainless steel throughout their history, with the occasional special release of precious metal variants. Recently though, titanium has taken the spotlight as an improved alternative to even high-end stainless steel alloys like 904L used by Rolex. Titanium is touted as lighter, stronger, more corrosion and scratch resistant – but is it aesthetically as attractive as stainless steel? This would depend on personal taste, and it would also come down to many aspects that can only be judged from a watchmaker’s viewpoint.

Some watch brands, and specific models of watches from these brands, are going to vary greatly in the quality of titanium they choose and the level of detail and craftsmanship they’re going to dedicate to a titanium sports watch variant. It is indeed possible to make a titanium watch a work of art in its own right in comparison to stainless steel, but it will always have a darker more tool-like luster to it than our favourite tried and true metal. Titanium is also harder to work with, and requires more time and precision to shape into a watch case, bracelet, or even a small part like the crown – with these challenges comes the average watch collector’s largest obstacle: an increased price point. 

There’s a few common grades of titanium watchmakers have been working with, with Rolex always setting the premium standard and using a special alloy blend they’ve coined “RLX Titanium” which is categorized as grade 5. There’s a slew of Titanium grades out there, many of which are not used by watchmakers for various technical reasons. By far the most common type is grade 2 which is used by Omega, Hamilton and a handful of other watch brands.

Now that we’ve had a little overview of this relatively trending metal, let’s take a look below at some of the most notable and intriguing newer watches that use titanium as their metal of choice for under $5,000 each. We’ll explore why this metal is beneficial to the specific model in terms of functional use and its design, as well as some of the other aspects of the watch like its history and specs.

Longines Spirit 

Longines makes a lot of watches, and they offer a huge variety of watch types in their catalogue, so it’s no wonder that they have a really great titanium offering that’s topping our list. The Spirit is a watch that really encompasses Longine’s deep aviation heritage. 

The Longines Spirit variation we’re highlighting here is available on both a nylon Nato strap and the all metal bracelet. If you want to get the most out of this watches’ titanium advantage it would be advisable to go with the titanium bracelet version. The dark bracelet and matching case really flow well together with the beautiful directional brushing, and if you’re going to go titanium – why not go all the way? It’s going to be incredibly light weight on the wrist compared to anything in steel that you own or have tried in the past. If you did want to go with the nylon strap you’d be getting an ultra-lightweight package which could be desirable for some. 

The very thin case coming in at 12.2mm tall and weighing only 99.6 grams is also going to help with feel on the wrist. Having done a hands-on review of the steel version of this watch I can attest to its very sleek design and exceptional comfort in the denser metal, this titanium version would be an outstanding upgrade if comfort is your priority.

Metal aside, the Spirit is also equipped with an automatic Caliber L888.4 movement that beats at 25,200 VPH and features a monocrystalline silicon balance-spring. Although not in-house produced this is a nice reliable every-day wear type of movement especially with its 72 hours of power reserve.

Tudor Pelagos 39 

The Tudor Pelagos is the quintessential dive watch, and the introduction of this model in Titanium really exacerbates its authentic tool watch heritage for the modern era. This Pelagos is entirely constructed using Grade 2 titanium in a satin finish. On initial inspection the bezel appears to have a ceramic look to it, and we’re all accustomed to expecting that these days on modern dive watches, but this reference here also has a titanium unidirectional rotating bezel. 

The Pelagos 39 is a very capable dive watch with the required specs to boot, including the 200m water resistance rating, screw down crown and highly legible white on black no date dial. The dial on this watch is outstanding with oversized markers, and of course it also features the Tudor snowflake hour hand that some enthusiasts either love or hate. The divisive snowflake hand does seem to suit this specific model quite well, matching the rest of the broad hour markers on the dial.

Being a dive watch, the Pelagos is of course going to wear a little larger on the wrist than the sleek Longines Spirit above. Although, when compared to other dive watches it’s going to be placed near the top of the echelon due to the technical edge provided from its all titanium construction. This is a watch that’s going to wear lighter and arguably more comfortable than a Submariner, for almost exactly half the cost.

Another big standout feature of the Pelagos is the use of a fully in-house movement from Tudor, namely the Manufacture Calibre MT5400 which is COSC certified and provides a nice 70 hours of power reserve. 

Farer Bernina Titanium

The Bernina chronograph is a stunningly colorful watch from British watch brand Farer. Farer is really pushing the boundaries in the watchmaking world, not only within the UK but globally. Where traditional British watchmaking has a reputation for conservative and sober design, Farer is the opposite with their entirely new concepts and colorways – pushing the boundaries and veering away from tried-and-true designs. 

The Bernina is a prime example, with its all-titanium vintage looking cushion case, exposed pushers, and intricate (to put it lightly) dial layout featuring three classic sub-dials with each one displayed differently. The dial is mesmerizing in a good way, and the more you discover it, the more you might love it. 

The dial is also cream colored, with a boldly contrasting paper white ceramic bezel. The ceramic bezel is actually etched and filled with red to allow the tachymeter scale to be easily read, and match the rest of the red on the dial. There is some “sky blue” to be found here as well, filling in the text for “tachymeter” on the bezel and coordinating with the sub-dial 60 second counter hand. 

Farer definitely has an ear open to the watch enthusiast community, as they’ve nailed a series of specific features that we all desire. The sizing is very attractive for a chronograph with a case size of 42mm and a short lug to lug distance of 44mm, it also has a reasonable thickness of 12.9mm not including the additional height from the domed sapphire crystal. The Bernia is also equipped with a hand-wound Sellita movement, the calibre SW510m b, which is viewable through exhibition caseback providing some horological intrigue to this watch.

TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 Date

The Aquaracer Professional from TAG Heuer can often be overlooked in a sea of really great modern dive watch offerings. The one we’re featuring here is special though, as you might have noticed from its deep green sunburst etched dial and bezel set against a rather unique sandblasted titanium case and bracelet. This is the only watch on our list that’s made from grade 2 titanium with a sandblasted finish.

The special finish on the titanium provides a really neat texture that you can feel on the watch, it brings out the darker hue of the metal as well, and it serves a functional purpose by offering increased scratch resistance. This darker and lower sheen of the sandblasted titanium complements the green hue fantastically and creates a look that’s going to stand out even when compared to other similar titanium watches.

The Aquaracer has roots that date back to 1978 with the introduction of the Ref. 844. This was not yet officially known as an Aquaracer yet, this transition came after the original TAG brand acquired Heuer in 1985. After this acquisition process the 2000 series was launched, and it was only in 2004 that the first official Aquaracer was created. After many years of progression and design adjustments we now have this titanium version that really embodies the diving history and timing function of an icon.

As should be with dive watches, the dial is easy to read on quick glance in many settings on land, under water, and in pitch black lighting due to strong luminescence displayed in both green and blue for increased legibility. This specific reference, WBP208B.BF0631, comes with an automatic ETA modified by Tag Heuer and branded as the Calibre 5 Automatic. It’s a fairly basic movement with 38 hours of power reserve, but you’ll also notice it has a date function as displayed on the dial at 6 o’clock through a small bubble window.

Breitling Avenger Seawolf Night Mission

The largest and darkest titanium watch we have on our list is going to be the Avenger Seawolf Night Mission from Breitling. This is a fairly large pilots watch that also doubles as a diver, coming in with a 45mm case size, and it’s only available on either a military leather or rubber strap. 

The dark or nearly black case is not its organic titanium color, but rather a DLC coating on top of the titanium. The overall design of the watch is very Breitling infused, with the long swooping lugs, and the classic unidirectional ratcheted bezel with the embossed sections at the 15, 30, 45, and 60 timing intervals. 

Even though the titanium will help this watch fit comfortably on a wide range of wrist sizes, the sizing and proportions are still best suited to those who have a larger wrist size. This is indeed a chunky sports watch, and should be recognized as so with its excessive 18.3mm case thickness and lug-width of 22mm. 

This watch has all the bells and whistles you’d imagine a hefty pilot diver from Breitling would have, such as a 3,000 meter water resistance, screw down crown, and a screw down caseback for extra waterborne safety. Even though you can’t see it, under the caseback is the self-winding calibre Breitling 17 oscillating away. This movement is ETA based and has a small power reserve of 38 hours, but it vibrates at a smooth 28,800 bph and features incabloc shock protection.