Titanium in the watch application

Titanium as a watch material, from the high-grade waterproof, with the timing function of sports watches began. In order to apply titanium to watches, in the course of nearly 30 years of research, researchers have solved seven technical problems, including pressure forming technology, cutting technology, surface processing technology, wear-resistant treatment technology, weldability, decorative and biological adaptability.

Therefore, modern titanium watches have the following characteristics: light weight, is 60% of stainless steel; Resistant to human sweat and seawater corrosion; Has the best specific strength among metal materials; The surface hardness is 2 times that of stainless steel; There is no general metal cold feeling when wearing; Good affinity with skin, no allergic reaction; Decorative effect is good, etc.

At present, the titanium materials used in the production of watches are industrial pure titanium, Ti-6Al-4V and titanium alloy Ti-15333. In the early 1990s, the first all-titanium watches entered the market and the price is very high, and then due to the increase in production, process improvement, watch shell can be mined investment casting, sheet stamping and powder metallurgy manufacturing, the price is reduced accordingly, all-titanium watches have turned to high-end watches.

With the development of 3D printing technology, personalized customized printed titanium watches continue to appear. The Luminor 1950 case, made of titanium, is sensitive and erosion-resistant, and is 40% lighter than steel. To further reduce the weight of the watch, the watch uses innovative technology to hollow out the inside of the case, which Outlines extremely complex geometric patterns, while retaining the excellent waterproof function of the case (up to 10 bar, approximately equal to 100 meters depth) and the strong properties of resistance to tension and distortion. This technology is called "direct metal laser sintering", using titanium powder to light fiber laser technology layer by layer to form three-dimensional parts, each layer of material is only 0.02 mm thick, after fusion to form solid titanium metal. The finished product is not made with traditional technology, is lighter in weight, and has a uniform and flawless appearance.