: Well, upon consideration of the facts you
: present, I suppose I have to admit to being
: a bit of a titaniumophile, and buying into
: the material's mystique. It sounds like you
: agree that its corrosion resistance is
: superb, and for a watch that's designed for
: deep ocean conditions that makes it a
: definite plus. In three years I'll be living
: on a boat in the Caribbean most of the time,
: so my watch is going to get its fair share
: of seawater on a dialy basis. Its light
: weight is also a plus, as I had a 2296.80
: for three weeks, and while it was a knockout
: as far as appearance, it WAS a heavy watch.
: Full size Seamaster's are neither light nor
: small, and having a titanium one makes a
: perceptible difference in wearing comfort. I
: once tried on the Corum sailor's watch with
: not only the moon phases but also the tides,
: and the thing was UNGODLY heavy. The
: complications of that model with the use of
: SS (or even worse, the gold model) made it
: unwearable, and I'm 6'3" and weigh 250
: lbs.
: In two other areas titanium has very real
: utility in the watch world, and one is
: exclusivity. Even Rolex doesn't have any
: titanium models, and there are probably less
: than 10 manufacturers in the world that
: offer a watch in this metal. With that
: exclusivity comes a certain reverse bling
: factor which is unique to titanium, which is
: useful in both very bad and very good
: neighborhoods. Unless you know what you're
: looking at, a titanium watch is so low key
: that practically anything else made out of
: SS or gold looks like a more appealing
: target for theft. Go to an exclusive
: shopping area with lots of high end watches,
: and it's exactly the opposite. Vulturelike
: watch salesmen who will hit you up in a
: second to buy a gold Rolex can spot that
: telltale gray color 10 feet away, and
: generally leave you completely alone because
: they know somebody with a titanium watch
: isn't going to fall for a BS sales pitch.
: In conclusion, I think the metallurgical
: properties of titanium of lightness,
: corrosion resistance, and strength, coupled
: with its exclusivity, stealthy appearance to
: normal people, and instant recognizability
: to informed people, make it a superior metal
: for marine watches.
It would be tough to take issue with anything you've said. As I mentioned, I've had my eye on a Ti watch and may soon get it. Enjoy your boat.
Regards,
Manuel
