Titanium is now in the spotlight. This lightweight, durable metal has been popular with consumers for decades, but in the last few years, titanium has been used in more products and for purposes beyond just performance. In 2023, Apple introduced the first iPhone (iPhone 15) to use titanium as part of the smartphone’s construction. Titanium has already been part of the Apple Watch family since the Apple Watch Series 5 introduced titanium as a premium option for some Apple Watches. Titanium really made a big impact on the Apple Watch when Apple introduced the Apple Watch Ultra in 2022. The larger, even sportier version of the Apple Watch came exclusively in titanium, and it was a surprising success for Apple. Today, we’re going to take a closer look at the titanium Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Apple’s choice to finally use the material, including in the new iPhone 15.
Ask most consumers about titanium, and only a few years ago, the only things that would come to mind would be golf clubs and medical implants. Although this important metal has long been studied and utilized by engineers for specialized purposes, the average consumer has had very little direct association with titanium or tools and devices made from it. I first came across titanium during my journey studying and collecting watches. If you are a watch enthusiast, it doesn’t take long to learn that many watches are made from titanium. And you become curious as to why you might want a titanium watch over, say, a steel metal watch. In 2012, aBlogtoWatch published this article on the material titanium, explaining a bit more about its industrial properties and why titanium is a good choice for a watch case material. In the years since aBlogtoWatch published that article on titanium, the metal has become even more popular in watches, spanning the spectrum from very high-end watches to watches that cost hundreds of dollars.
Titanium cased watches are nothing new. In the 1970s, watchmakers first experimented with titanium as an attractive metal that avoided some of the problems associated with heavier metals. At the time, titanium was an expensive material and difficult to manufacture. In the 1980s and 1990s, lower grades of titanium became available for watches, but they were rarely used in luxury watches. For example, it was around this time that the Japanese Citizen Group began using titanium in their relatively affordable sports watches. It wasn’t until the late 1990s and early 2000s that titanium really took off in luxury watches, when the metal started to become useful to mechanical watch movement manufacturers. The non-magnetic, lightweight metal became much easier to manufacture, allowing for a variety of new shapes and forms. Watchmakers were fascinated by all the capabilities of titanium inside watches that steel and other metals were not suitable for. Titanium then became more and more popular as a material for watch cases. Grade 5 titanium began to replace grade 2 titanium (there are many grades of titanium). Manufacturing techniques have caught up with titanium, allowing it to be shaped and polished almost identically to steel.
Titanium’s main advantage is that it is about 30% lighter than steel. It is also harder than steel, but actually soft. Titanium has many advantages, but it scratches easily, so manufacturers must be careful when using it for luxury applications. As a solution to the soft surface nature of titanium, companies that rely on this material have tried various finishing and surface coating techniques. Some of the most sophisticated titanium materials on the market are still offered by Citizen of Japan, which calls them “Super Titanium”. Titanium also has a very powerful presence in very high-end watches. Titanium is not only a popular case material for ultra-luxury watches that cost over $100,000, but it is also very popular with mainstream luxury watch manufacturers such as Omega and Rolex. It was in 2023 that Rolex decided to launch its first all-titanium watch with the Rolex Yacht-Master 42 in RLX Titanium. Consumers can easily spend $10,000, $20,000, or even more on a titanium-cased watch.
Titanium’s prevalence in the consumer zeitgeist extends beyond the metal’s industrial benefits. The term titanium has become heard as a value-added feature in the minds of many consumers. Even if using the material is consistent with larger product goals, it’s the perfect time for Apple to lean into titanium in a big way. The Apple Watch Ultra and Ultra 2 feature all-titanium cases. With a mostly matte finish, it’s a smart choice in terms of both style and aging (polished titanium will visually wear the quickest). Considering the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is the largest smartwatch Apple has ever produced, it makes perfect sense that the watch is made from a metal designed for lightness.
Perhaps encouraged by the popularity of the original Apple Watch Ultra, Apple has adopted titanium for the construction of the iPhone 15. As you can see, the surface finish of the titanium is slightly different compared to the Apple Watch Ultra 2, being a “watch finish” rather than a “device finish”. This is not surprising, as you would not necessarily expect the same manufacturing techniques to be used for the Apple Watch Ultra 2 case and the iPhone 15 outer case (although both are titanium parts). However, what both of these devices have is the excellent weight-saving dynamics of the key alloy. Thus, most titanium devices are not entirely titanium, but titanium alloys specially formulated for precision industrial needs. For the Apple Watch, Apple uses very strict manufacturing techniques, as the tolerances in watchmaking are very small and the parts must be very precise. Looking closely at the Apple Watch Ultra case, it is hard not to admire its difficult details. From the graceful lines to the perfectly shaped holes, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 case is beautiful from both an aesthetic and manufacturing standpoint. Because radio signals don’t pass through most metals, there’s a small, non-metallic ring at the bottom of the bezel that’s an exposed antenna used for critical Apple Watch functions, like communicating with GPS satellites.
While titanium may not be the only factor in its success, Apple is getting serious with the Apple Watch Ultra and Ultra 2. Over the past year, we have noticed that the larger size and unique personality of the Ultra has made it the Apple Watch of choice for many, especially men. It is important to note that many of the more advanced adventure and safety features of the Apple Watch Ultra are not really needed by the average consumer. But just as consumers are drawn to the “adventure potential” of many SUVs, the rugged design and capable features of the Apple Watch Ultra endear it to wearers in a way that most other smartwatches don’t. Wearers benefit from a lightweight feel that belies the case size, resulting in a similar experience to the smaller Apple Watch profile.
There aren’t many big changes between the Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch Ultra 2. Perhaps the most notable is the slightly brighter screen and always-on state. I remember when Apple first introduced the always-on screen, it was definitely on the dark side. Now, the always-on state of the Apple Watch is surprisingly bright, with the Apple Watch Ultra 2 being the brightest. Apple further claims that despite the brighter screen, users won’t experience a noticeable drop in battery life. This is made possible by software and performance optimizations, and likely evolved LED light technology. The Apple Watch Ultra 2 also has an upgraded processor chip that Apple calls the S9 SiP. Where consumers will see the biggest benefits of the new chipset is when they need on-board processing. This includes features like Siri voice control, and a new “double tap” gesture that allows the watch to sense and recognize a finger tap as an input method. This finger tap gesture eliminates the need to use your other hand (or your voice) to enter specific commands into the software.
Titanium has long been an important material in luxury watchmaking, but it is only recently that the alloy family has gained popularity among general consumers. Many watchmakers claim to have chosen titanium as the material to use on both the inside and outside of their watches. The hypoallergenic, lightweight, and strong metal has numerous benefits, but it is also used to make many watches and luxury items more appealing. Apple benefits on both counts. Not only does titanium provide substantial benefits to the weight, durability, and practicality of the product, it also has a beautiful appearance and a trendy name that now impresses buyers. Titanium will likely remain an important item in Apple’s material tool chest for the foreseeable future, and we are confident that it will continue to be used heavily not only in the Apple Watch, but also in other Apple devices such as the iPhone and even computing hardware. The Apple Watch Ultra 2 will be priced at $799 USD. For more information, visit the Apple Watch website.