The life of the rich and famous is something we all dream of having. From the glamorous parties and lavish houses to the restaurants they eat at and the places they vacation, there’s something about their lives that has the rest of us intrigued.
Superyachts are one of those things the rich and famous usually flaunt, with the likes of Jay Z and Beyonce being snapped recently cruising on their 450 foot long, $2 million a week superyacht charter. However, with BorrowaBoat, you don’t need to be rich and famous and you don’t need to own an expensive boat you can just borrow it instead.
Below, we’ll look at the yacht hiring experience and give you everything you need to know on a charter vacation.
Choosing the yacht
While hiring a yacht isn’t just for the rich and famous, you do need to be realistic when it comes to budget. It’s best to set a budget that you can afford before looking into which yachts you would like to charter as you could be swayed to go over budget once you start looking at them.
Besides the budget, other factors that should influence which yacht you choose include the countries you’ll be visiting and the climate there, your sailing ability if sailing it yourself and the level of comfort you would like.
If you’re a first-timer then a catamaran is usually a good option as its two motors make it much easier to maneuver. A catamaran is also ideal for mooring just offshore with its shallow draught so you can enjoy the sandy beaches or lie back on the large deck space available.
For more experienced sailors, a multi-hull boat is probably a preferable option, however, it’s worth bearing in mind that it will cost more to keep in a port.
Image: Unsplash
Need for speed
When choosing your boat, you should also keep the purpose of your trip in mind. For those that enjoy sailing and being out at sea, a larger and slower boat will be best suited. Bear in mind that while these kinds of boats will have a large amount of living space, they can be tricky to maneuver into busy ports.
Generally, guests with young families will opt for a larger and slower boat as they provide more comfortable living space with plenty of home comforts.
However, if you’re planning on stopping at multiple destinations then you should opt for a slightly smaller and more agile boat that can get you to destinations much quicker. It’s worth noting that the faster the boat, the more fuel you will use so this should be factored into your budget.
Bareboat or Skipper
A bareboat is a boat that doesn’t have any staff. If you’re an experienced sailor who enjoys sailing then a bareboat is usually the best option, however, if you’re less experienced or would like to sit back and relax more, then a skipper may be preferable.
It’s also possible to arrange staff for your charter. As well as the skipper, a yacht crew is there to keep you safe and ensure you have a good time. Some of the types of staff people usually hire include a watersports instructor, a chef, waiting staff, and even a masseuse.
Image: Unsplash
When to book your charter
If you’re wanting to go on a charter in the peak months; which are usually June, July, August and Christmas, and New Year, then it’s best to book at least 10 months in advance as these months can get very busy. If you have a specific date in mind, it’s worth even booking ahead of a year in advance.
Out of peak season, you will most likely be able to find your ideal charter with just 3 months’ notice. Some popular events to keep in mind that may affect yacht availability include the Cannes Film Festival and the Monaco Grand Prix.
Image: Borrowaboat
How much experience do you need to go on a yacht charter?
In most places in Europe, it’s mandatory for at least one person on the boat to have a skipper license. In Greece, it is a requirement for a second person to have a skipper license too. This means you may need to consider that it will be mandatory to have staff on your boat if you have no sailing experience.
When chartering around the Mediterranean with a warm climate and calm seas, you will need less experience of sailing than when in a cooler climate with rougher seas. Its best not to get caught out in a storm.
Travel information
It’s important to bear in mind that even though you’re on a boat, there are still visa requirements for each destination you visit. You should check with your own government’s travel advice before heading off on your charter to ensure everything is smooth sailing once you begin your yacht vacation.
Overall, a yacht vacation is much more accessible than people assume. Ready to try out the lifestyle of the rich and famous, minus the price tag? Get searching today!
Head over to BorrowaBoat to check out what’s available.
The Nike Air Max Pre-Day LX has an upper made with recycled materials, an exposed Air window for cushioning, and an updated rubber Waffle sole for traction.
Cryptocurrencies have been popping up everywhere recently, and Capucinne is staying ahead of the curve by allowing customers to purchase using cryptocurrency as a mode of payment.
The jewellery brand has announced that it now accepts Bitcoin, Ethreum, DAI, Litecoin, and USD Coin. The option for payment with cryptocurrency is in its checkout process, making it convenient for everyone.
Capucinne is among one of the first jewellery brands to offer cryptocurrency as a form of payment. So if you’re out shopping for an engagement or wedding ring, it has never been easier and hassle-free. Payment and personal information are safe and secure.
Capucinne began as an Etsy shop in Slovenia in 2016 and has since become a top-rated jewellery catering to customers worldwide. It specialises in wedding and engagement rings, with a sister site specifically for silver jewellery called Capucinne Blue. The brand also offers customisations and commissions, making sure your accessories are up to your liking.
Like all gemstones, Moss Agate comes with healing properties. Image: Capucinne
A few collections Capucinne has available is its Moss Agate gemstone engagement rings. No two of these stones look the same, making sure your jewellery is uniquely beautiful. The gemstones also come in a variety of cuts, including their signature kite-shaped gemstones.
Image: Capucinne
Capucinne’s website also offers diamond necklaces and its diamonds are conflict-free, ensuring you enjoy your new bling guilt-free. Available in a variety of styles, these necklaces are a lovely dainty addition to any outfit. Prices for these necklaces are from US$160 upwards.
So if you’re looking for jewellery to signify your everlasting love or a new dainty piece of jewellery, Capucinne has your bases covered.
More information can be found on their website here.
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars announced today that it will be releasing its first fully electric car, the Spectre. The vehicle is an ode to its founding fathers, Charles Rolls and Sir Henry Royce who both wanted to create the best motorcar in the world.
Rolls had prophesied an electric future for automobiles. In 1900, Rolls created an early version of an electric car called the Columbia and decided electric vehicles would be ideal.
“The electric car is perfectly noiseless and clean,” he said. “There is no smell or vibration, and they should become very useful when fixed charging stations can be arranged. But for now, I do not anticipate that they will be very serviceable – at least for many years to come.”
The Spectre is the answer to Rolls’ promise to himself. And CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös has promised that Rolls-Royce will go electric starting this decade, expecting to be fully electric by 2030.
Müller-Ötvös described the car as “the first super-luxury car of its type”.
Rolls-Royce has been involved in electric automobiles since 2011, when it revealed the 102EX, an electric-battery operated Phantom. This was followed by the 103EX in 2016, its first entirely electric vehicle. The Spectre, however, is the real deal and is scheduled to hit the market in Q4 2024.
It is also said that Rolls-Royce has conceived the most demanding testing programme in its history. It will push the car to its limits, covering 2.5 million kilometres, travelling the world to test them on road. It will be tested in all conditions and terrains.
Rolls-Royce isn’t the only automaker with exciting electric vehicle news. US-based Rivian is also set to launch its own line of electric trucks and SUVs, scheduled to be released later this year. Offering electric vehicles to those with an outdoorsy lifestyle. Its hoping to offer consumers what Tesla can’t, in terms of functionality and personality.
As the 25th James Bond movie arrives in cinemas this week, we say goodbye to Daniel Craig as he retires from the 007 role. However, there is some good news for James Bond fans as “No Time To Die” features an extremely exciting car chase scene.
One of the most iconic aspects of James Bond movies is the various cars that make their way onto the silver screen. While fans everywhere would like to debate who the best Bond is, we’re wondering which Bond had the coolest car?
Arguably the most famous Bond car of all, Aston Martin’s DB5 made its first appearance with Sean Connery in “Goldfinger” — a movie that would catapult the James Bond franchise into its legendary status.
It introduced audiences to the famous suite of gadgets: machine guns, tyre slashers, hydraulic rams, and the ejector seat. The DB5 was also launched only three months prior to filming the movie.
2. Lotus Esprit S1 – The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
Image: MGM
Another car also made iconic by the film franchise, the Lotus Esprit first appeared in 1977’s “The Spy Who Loved Me” starring the late Sir Roger Moore. This car was especially unique as it was a fully functioning working submarine with anti-aircraft missiles.
The actual vehicle right now is owned by Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla.
3. Aston Martin V8 Vantage – The Living Daylights (1987)
Image: MGM
Another Aston Martin, this time for Timothy Dalton in 1987. Gadgets included a control panel under the armrest for wheel lasers, missiles, pop-out spiked tyres, a rocket booster, and a police radio receiver.
The car was also bulletproof. If all the gear were real, the car would weigh in at an estimated 800 million kilograms.
Technically not really an actual “car”, this Bajaj RE, or tuktuk or autorickshaw was driven by Roger Moore for the 13th 007 film, “Octopussy”.
The scene involved Bond winning a high-stakes backgammon game against an Afghan prince, and then hooking up with MI6 agent Vijay for a sharp exit. The duo is then pursued by said prince’s goon, wielding a shotgun in a similar-looking vehicle.
5. Renault 11 TXE – A View To A Kill (1985)
Image: MGM
The car became famous for its ability to soldier on after suffering a mortifying injury: the roof being removed as Bond drives under a lorry, and the rear half of the car being cut off after being hit by another vehicle. Funnily enough, both halves of the car went on sale just a couple of years ago. Watch the iconic scene below:
6. Mercury Cougar XR7 – On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)
Image: MGM
This one isn’t technically a Bond car. It belonged to
Tracy di Vicenzo (played by Diana Rigg), Bond’s (played by George Lazenby) wife. The Mercury Cougar was the brand’s take on the Ford Mustang, fitted with a ram air hood scoop, rally wheels, high-backed bucket seats, and a full gauge kit.
7. Citroen 2CV – For Your Eyes Only (1981)
Image: MGM
While it was lacking in gadgets, this car more than made up for it in boldness. While Roger Moore’s Bond escapes from villains in more powerful Peugeot 504s, the little yellow car manages to escape bullets and drive down the side of mountains without breaking. It also survives being inverted and then thrown back onto its wheels by helpful bystanders.
The Columbia Hyper-Boreal Metro Boot features a waterproof and breathable upper, with a Tech-lite midsole and Omni-Grip outsole for better grip on wet or slippery surfaces.
The SimpleReal Stainless Steel Collapsible Cookware packs down to a 3cm thin disk at a liter capacity, comes with a leakproof silicone cover and latches to keep it steady.
While Tesla is dominating the world of electric vehicles, some people might be put off by their lineup of vehicles, its eccentric CEO Elon Musk, or both. This could be a blessing for rival company Rivian.
The US automaker is focused on electric trucks and SUVs that are expected to go public later this year. A key part of Rivian’s appeal is how different it is from Tesla.
In an interview with CNN Business, drivers who have pre-ordered with Rivian say that the vehicles are better suited for an outdoorsy lifestyle, and have a more conventional, rugged appearance. Some have also said Rivian’s environmental focus seems more sincere and its mission more people-oriented compared to Tesla.
“Sometimes Musk can come across as a Bond villain or something, RJ does not give me those vibes,” said Stephen Henken, who has ordered a Rivian R1S.
Scaringe graduated with a PhD in mechanical engineering from MIT and founded Rivian in 2009. From then until now, the company has made sure to turn itself into a full-fledged automaker before ever selling a car.
Rivian purchased a former Mitsubishi manufacturing plant in 2017 and the company has raised US$10.5 billion since 2019 from various sources, including giants Amazon and Ford. The company markets itself as an adventure-focused brand. Its mission? To “inspire people to do more of the things they love, while minimizing our impact on the planet”.
Rivian also offers the option to purchase a tent that mounts atop its vehicles and sells specific mounts for bikes, snowboards, skis, kayaks, and surfboards. Other companies such as Ford and Subaru offer similar attachments, while Tesla does not.
Image: Rivian
Of course, there’s a risk that Rivian will overpromise and under-deliver. David Kirsch, a professor at the University of Maryland’s business school, said Rivian’s team, product, and investors all look promising, but there are no guarantees it will meet expectations.
“You see concept images of a car, you get excited. You see a facility to build it, you get excited. You see production versions and get more excited,” said Karl Brauer, executive analyst at iSeeCars.com. “But none of that means anything once the person buys the car.”
Also happening in car news, Audi Sport has been running tests on its Audi RS Q e-tron in Morrocco in preparation for the Dakar Rally next year in Saudi Arabia. The war was pushed to its extremes in the high temperatures of the desert, along with sandstorms hampering progress.
Australian studio Bury Design has unveiled concepts for two yachts: a 57m trimaran and the 24m Inception — which is a monohull design.
57m trimaran
The larger of the pair of concepts is a 57.18m ‘stabilised monohull explorer’ built on an aluminium trimaran platform. It has a beam of 12.84m and a shallow draft of just 2.4m at full load. It is designed for global exploration and has upper and lower lounges with expansive views, plus accommodation for 10 guests and nine crew.
Forward is a touch-and-go landing pad with tender storage underneath. Its huge open aft deck, on the other hand — measuring 16m x 12m (192sqm) — provides configurable space for tenders, submarines, and other toys to be stowed and launched. The deck is also load rated for specialised lifting equipment and containerised hardware — useful for research and exploration missions.
57m trimaran. Image: Bury Designs
The yacht features a marine-grade aluminium alloy build, and has a diesel-electric drive system with four CAT diesel-driven generators. The latter power twin 1100kw electric motors driving controllable pitch propellers. With a fuel capacity of 71,000 litres, the yacht touts a range of 6,000nm at its cruising speed of 18 knots and a transatlantic range at its top speed of 22 knots, both with reserve.
Paul Bury, founder and Director of Bury Design, said: “Designed to travel the world, whether for cruising, intrepid arctic exploration or open ocean transits, the stabilised monohull explorer provides exceptional levels of comfort, safety, and speed. The trimaran configuration is key to this.”
Inception 24. Image: Bury Designs
Inception 24
Inception 24, on the other hand, is a 23.98m monohull motor yacht with a sleek profile and hull design derived from ocean racing sailing yachts.
It features a beam of 5.13m and can accommodate 12 guests during the day and four guests and two crew overnight. Designed to be a dayboat, overnighter or a megayacht tender, the lightweight build features an intriguing ‘future-proof’ diesel/battery/electric drive system and has the option of a high-speed foiling system.
Its lightweight, narrow hull is designed for high efficiency at moderate speeds. Also, the use of a modern hull form — inspired by ocean racing sailing yachts — enables the vessel to far exceed theoretical hull speed. Power comes from its diesel-electric hybrid system driving a single, highly efficient, ducted propeller. As mentioned it also has an electric drive supported by a large battery tank, providing silent motoring for over an hour at 15 knots and much longer at lower speeds. This configuration is future proofed by allowing technical innovations in power generation to be incorporated into the drive chain.
Inception 24 lower deck. Image: Bury Designs
Where speed is concerned, the Inception 24 tops out at 25 knots and has a cruising speed of 15 knots. With a fuel capacity of 2,000 litres, it has a range at cruising speed of 750nm with 10 per cent reserve. If more speed is desired, a fully foil-borne, electric-drive solution will be available, offering speeds of over 40 knots.
The Inception 24’s main deck features an open aft area with outside helm, twin settees and a large sunbed with tender storage underneath.
Its lower deck, however, includes a lounge midship with a C-shaped sofa to port and a row of chairs to starboard. This makes the space ideal for business meetings or even just commuting. A sunken galley is forward to starboard, an en-suite double cabin is to port and the master cabin with en-suite is in the bow.
For more information on either yachts, head to bury.com.au.
The liquidity woes of Evergrande may spread to Southeast Asia property markets and construction supplies even if financial risks are contained. There is growing concern if Evergrande and other property developers come under pressure and default on Southeast Asian overseas projects and suppliers.
Chinese flags are seen near the logo of the China Evergrande Group on the Evergrande Center in Shanghai, China. Image: Reuters
BOXED: Who is Evergrande? It is a Shenzhen-based developer that employs about 200,000 people and creates 3.8 million jobs each year. Founded by billionaire Xu Jiayin who was once the richest man in Shenzhen. Evergrande boasts to own 1,300 projects in more than 280 cities across China. It even invested in theme parks, electric vehicles, owns F&B businesses, selling bottled water and groceries across China. It even bought a soccer team at a cost of USD 185 million in 2010 which is now known as Guangzhou Evergrande. It was poised to construct the world’s biggest soccer stadium shaped like a lotus flower and will accommodate 100,000 spectators. Troubles surfaced when its debts ballooned and is now have more than USD 300 billion worth of liabilities. So far, Evergrande shares have crashed by almost 85 per cent in 2021. This has caused the Chinese government to step in to help. The People’s Bank of China has offered a cash injection into the financial system to help boost liquidity. A Bloomberg report cited some 460 billion yuan (USD 71 billion) is expected to be injected by this week, then another 70 billion yuan (USD 10.8 billion) by 1 Oct 2021.
To get a sense of this financial meltdown: The Chinese property developer has as liabilities is close to 2 per cent of China’s GDP, clearly dwarfing the cash it holds on hand. With its growing daily debt, Evergrande is on a slippery slope to financial stability, coupled with rising cost in land prices, and that the fact that the Chinese government is cooling China’s hot property market, does not bode well.
It seems like history is repeating itself. Analysts fear it could turn into a Lehman Brothers situation, where the world’s second-biggest economy could suffer from a mountain of debt that Evergrande is in.
Meeting Strict Requirements
In August 2021, a series of financial metrics deployed by the Chinese government to improve the financial health of property developers and cool lending to developers failing three so-called “red lines”, was an impediment to Evergrande. Undoubtedly, the firm did not pass all three red lines. The repercussions of Evergrande defaulting may pose a systemic risk to the Chinese banking sector is improbable for several factors.
Firstly, Evergrande’s borrowings tallied 571.8 billion yuan (USD 89 billion) as of end-June, hardly constitutes half a per cent of China’s total yuan loans of 186.7 trillion yuan as of August 2021.
Evergrande properties in China. Image: Qilai Shen-Bloomberg
Secondly, based on a stress test conducted by the Peoples’ Bank of China to stress test Chinese banks proved that the entire banking system could withstand financial shocks but has also become robust over the past year.
Based on the test, findings also revealed that three of 30 large and medium banks are expected to crumble under these stress tests, down from nine from last year.
Thirdly, many Chinese banks have been cutting their risk to property loans since 2020 according to a JP Morgan report.
However, the much bigger concern is putting pressure on investors because as Evergrande’s woes broaden to China’s real estate sector, it could weigh down on Chinese property developments overseas, not forgetting foreign investments that have taken root in the industry.While Evergrande has no projects in Southeast Asia, there are other Chinese developers who have been black-listed by Chinese authorities who have expanded into the region in recent times.
One of the casualties of this “red line” fallout is China Fortune Land Development (CFLD). It is the first major Chinese developer who defaulted on USD 3.6 billion worth of bonds since the beginning of this year but has also dabbled in many big Indonesian projects since 2015.
Sizeable Downgrade
Under the microscope of Moody’s, Guangzhou R&F properties have been downgraded as it faced funding stress and has begun liquidating assets to boost its cash. This firm has residential projects in Malaysia such as Princess Cove luxury condominiums in Johor Bahru, Malaysia.
Rendering of Lotus Stadium in China touted to be the world’s largest stadium to house 100,000 spectators. Image: Hospitality-on.com
Another casualty is Country Garden which happens to be China’s largest property developer by sales. The firm violated one of three red lines and has a handful of projects in Malaysia and Indonesia. Over in Singapore, none of the Chinese developers – four of the largest in fact – thankfully have not violated any red lines. These include Logan, QingJian, Kingsford, and CSC Land Group. Their land bids total some SGD 8 billion.
While growth for trade and economy might be affected because of the slowdown in the Chinese property market, it will still pose a risk to Southeast Asian suppliers. News of late payments to suppliers dogged Evergrande’s reputation. Its trade and payable grew by 15 per cent from December 2020 to an eye-watering 951.1 billion yuan in August 2021. More troubling is when overdue payments are more than 180 days late, which have doubled to 67 per cent in 2020, thereby spiking credit risks, as cited by a May 2021 China Corporate Payment Survey report done by credit insurer Coface.
The producers of construction and building materials and even manufacturers of electrical machinery in Southeast Asia are not spared from the melee because there would be a negative impact on the Chinese housing sector. This puts their credit positions in jeopardy. Just to give you some perspective of the far-reaching ramifications: China imports more than a quarter of Thailand’s plastic and rubber products, and its demand for metal and wood exports from Indonesia is about 25 per cent, to name a few.
Guangzhou Evergrande. Image: XinHua
Trade Demand Plummets
The slowdown in China’s housing market can also affect its trading partners. As the real estate market is pivotal for China’s growth, let us not forget that the related sectors such as construction and manufacturer of machinery could also take a beating.
So, it will funnel down to household consumption if home prices head south as real estate stems from 70 per cent of household wealth. This could send economic shockwaves to Southeast Asia as trade grinds to a halt.
In 2020, Southeast Asia took pole position as China’s biggest trading partner, putting the European Union in the second position. While the pandemic shrinking global merchandise trade, the bilateral trade between China and ASEAN climbed 7 per cent from 2019 to USD 731.9 billion at the expense of China’s trade with some of its major trading partners.
It is because that Singapore has relatively greater trade flows with China than its neighbouring countries such as Thailand and Malaysia, the Little Red Dot will be most affected. Vietnam will also suffer from China’s real estate deterioration. Evergrande is a juggernaut and its fall will clearly spell trouble for Southeast Asia. The plot is further thickened when most countries battle the pandemic and face lockdowns.
In the coming weeks, Evergrande will have to make an interest payment of nearly USD 84 million that was due 23 September 2021, and thereafter, it will have to make another bond payment by next week.
Gucci has presented its Aria campaign and its one that properly celebrates the brand’s centennial year.
Following Gucci’s Balenciaga-hacked Aria collection, Alessandro Michele has looked to re-showcase the collection this month through a completely different and edgy approach: a hazy, erotic film — which even has an 18+ advisory.
Gucci has taken inspiration from Greek mythology to set the tone for its crystal-laden suits, monogram-clashing cuts and equestrian-themed headgear. Thematically, the campaign is inspired by Eros, the Greek God of Love and a term that denotes sensual love.
The film features many nods to Gucci’s storied history. In particular, the setting pays homage to the Savoy Hotel, where Guccio Gucci worked as a lift boy in his youth. The hotel was a popular spot for politicians and celebrities that visited London, and it was there where he observed and learned the styles of the upper-crust of society. Their clothing, jewellery, manners and habits, and from there he founded the house of Gucci in 1921.
The cast was carefully handpicked by Alessandro Michele, as the creative director of the campaign. Legendary American model Kristen McMenamy and Italian Eurovision contest winners, Måneskin masterfully portrayed roles as mysterious hotel residents. The musicians were also sporting pieces from the house’s Fall Winter 2021 collection.
Each look in the collection has an underlining aesthetic that connects mind and body. Following a narrative called the “Ontology of Desire”. It is broken down into five parts: Androgyny, Eros, Body, Clothes, and Philosophy.
Image: Gucci
“Androgyny”, the first part, talks about the evolution of mankind theorising that every human being was originally an androgynous creature. The creatures were split in half by Zeus and have since been wandering the earth in search of a lost half. “Eros”, on the other hand, posits that the essence of desire is what drives humans to mend the separation of the halves.
The “Body” is referred to as “reserves of erotic power” that liberates into transformative energy. It is in this skin on which Eros has built its temple. “Clothes” is defined as the skin we live in — an identity artefact, but also an epidermic prosthesis that catapults us in the erotic game of life. And lastly, “Philosophy” dictates our relationship our erotic relationship with the world that is defined by everything.
In a world where everything is defined by how we touch, feel, and know, Gucci is offering more than just a runway show for its 100th anniversary.
Though we spent plenty of pages last year looking at high-tech ceramics in watchmaking, the most timely story to pursue would have been titanium. As you no doubt know, dear reader, 2020 marked 50 years since Japanese watchmaker Citizen introduced a titanium watch. Given what is (still) happening in the world, you may not have noticed – and nobody would blame you of course.
It is relatively easy to identify the material benefits of titanium versus stainless steel, and the opposite of course. It is not the case that one is simply better than the other, which is where a few definitions can help shed some light. Now, if you recall the David Guetta number called Titanium, you might have the wrong idea about this metal. Nevertheless, the metal has a mythical reputation, which watchmaking brands often lean into.
Reality paints a different picture, which does not take anything away from titanium’s virtues. It is best to embrace this approach because if you buy a titanium model over a steel one because you are convinced of its superpowers, you will be in for some rude surprises, while simultaneously missing some very impressive facts.
This might seem needlessly nerdy, or perhaps pedantic, but think of it this way: if you love cars, you probably also know something about how they work. Also, titanium watches can be more expensive than the same in steel, just like ceramic. No doubt there is a limit to what you want to know, and we have tried to draw from and summarise from a number of sources here.
For further reading, we will recommend some excellent materials (online as far as possible), but also if you want to skip the purely technical definitions and get on to the pure value of titanium as it relates to watchmaking, you are of course free to ignore whole sections, as you please. That said, there will be a very necessary nerd-out in this special section.
Titanium features in movements, not just cases, as demonstrated by the movement of the Romain Gauthier Insight Micro-Rotor Squelette Manufacture-Only Carbonium Edition
First, we must spare a few words about this special focus on materials, a recurring thematic chapter for WOW. It represents an effort to build editorial bridges and structure across the years, and it happens to bear a passing resemblance to how watchmakers plan their releases.
In planning this section, we ask ourselves why this material at this moment. We start thinking about this section a couple of years in advance. As a further clarification, we can say that we actually have a shortlist of materials, and we cycle to the most relevant one.
Once more, this has nothing much to do with trends, and titanium is not trending – it is already an accepted part of the watchmaking landscape, from Switzerland to Japan. It is even a staple at all levels of watchmaking, fine and otherwise. You probably have a watch in titanium, or you know people who do.
It is because of this that we, the watch collecting community, know there is no hidden danger in this material. There is no need for caveat emptor statements; a watch in titanium will not shatter or possibly stain your clothes. Titanium is as reliable in this regard as steel and gold, and perhaps goes a good bit further than either in some areas.
Our present moment showcases a particular strength of titanium. In these trying times, going with ceramic and titanium is very obvious because these are both hypoallergenic. This feature might even mean both materials will become ever more popular for all sorts of wearables.
Gear Patrol even calls titanium the most comfortable material in watchmaking. While we will not go so far, it is telling that many watch brands opt for titanium casebacks in their bronze models, and that TAG Heuer, Montblanc and Tissot all use the material for their connected watches.
Now, given that titanium is hardly new in watchmaking, a specific approach was needed here. The section is thus organised into a few parts, as follows:
History, both general and specific to watchmaking
Material Properties
Pros and Cons: steel versus titanium
Milestones in watchmaking
The aforementioned definitions are to be found towards the end of the section, before the next major part of our materials special.
A big part of the appeal of any material in watchmaking is the story. Cynics and realists will call this the marketing aspect, but this plays a real and valuable role in what makes titanium appealing as a material in watchmaking. On that note, it is time for a history lesson, because that is where the story begins. Unlike most other materials though, we need only go back to the aftermath of the Industrial Revolution in Europe.
The Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Ultra Deep Professional is made from the same stock Grade 5 titanium as the hull of the DSV (deep submergence vehicle) of Victor Vescovo that went to the bottom of the Mariana Trench
Titanium in the world
If you know anything about titanium, then you may agree that one of the most overlooked aspects about this metal, compared with steel, is that it is a metal, not an alloy (see Material Properties). In watchmaking terms, it is best to think of titanium as one thinks of gold, because there are many versions in play, based on the other materials mixed in. This story will refer to grades of titanium, where relevant, and generally not distinguish between commercially pure titanium and other titanium alloys, except where noted.
Unlike the previous subjects of our special focus on materials, titanium has not been in use for very long. It was only discovered in the 18th century, by amateur geologist and clergyman William Gregor, in Cornwall, England. It was named, as you might think, for the titans of Greek mythology, although the material properties that we know today would have been a surprise to Martin Heinrich Klaproth, the Prussian chemist who named it thus in 1795.
No one could find a use for the metal outside the laboratory until 1932, because producing it from the raw ores it was present in was impractical. Luxembourgish metallurgist William Justin Kroll solved that via the process that bears his name, which is still in use today to extract titanium from raw ore.
Despite the wondrous name, there were no applications for this metal from its discovery all the way to the mid-20th century. The Soviet Union first recognised the potential of titanium in military applications, and the US followed suit, bringing the material to the world of aviation by the 1960s.
No less an authority than Wikipedia confirms that the US Department of Defense supported commercialisation of titanium, in a famous example of tax-payer funded spending creating completely novel commercial opportunities. The jets such as the F-100 Super Sabre introduced titanium to the public eye, and thus shaped its image. In other words, if steel defined the 19th and 20th centuries, titanium would take the world into the future.
Citizen Watch has been making prototypes for the lunar lander.
Jets such as the A-12 by Lockheed Martin captured people’s imagination, when they belatedly became aware of it of course. The A-12, for example, was the precursor to the SR-71 Blackbird, which is probably one of the best-known aircraft in the world. Indeed, it still comes to mind when people think of the Cold War era’s defining military aircraft, alongside the U2 spy plane.
One particularly interesting bit of news from this period that is still striking is how the US managed to acquire enough titanium for these advanced jet projects. The problem was that the Soviet Union had the largest stockpiles and produced the most titanium in the world (today it is China – Ed). The Big Red Threat was actually experimenting with making submarine hulls out of a titanium alloy, so it had developed the expertise and supply that no else had.
Given that A-12 and SR-71 projects were driven by the CIA, the agency came up with a nicely capitalistic strategy to deal with the problem – buy the stuff from the Soviets. Needless to say, it worked, and laid the foundations for the contemporary aerospace industry.
Today, some two-thirds of all titanium produced goes into this industry. In these kinds of volumes, titanium sped into people’s consciousness rapidly, but it was another feature of the Cold War that made titanium legendary: the space race. In the 1970s, when the US shuttle programme was on the drawing table, titanium first entered the picture.
The aforementioned issues that plagued the Air Force with the CIA programmes meant that NASA had developed a preference for aluminium, which was also cheaper. The command module that brought Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins back to earth was largely made of aluminium, for example. The Apollo programme did use titanium, in particular for the fuel cells, and certainly had an understanding of the value of the metal (and its alloys) to their endeavours.
Eventually, the engineers at NASA figured that, with titanium’s better heat tolerance (see Definitions), it might actually be a more practical solution than aluminium after all, while also being cheaper because the material would require a less robust heat shield (sourced from publicly available NASA documentation – Ed). Given that the space shuttle was meant for reentry into our atmosphere, and to be reused, this was a big deal.
To make a long story short(er), titanium remains a big part of the space programme in those countries that have one, and the European Union of course. Interestingly, Citizen Watch is working with Japanese private space exploration firm ispace on the Hakuto-R project on what might be the world’s first commercial lunar exploration programme. The Japanese watchmaker is making prototype parts for the lunar lander’s legs in the brand’s signature Super Titanium (more this elsewhere in this section).
This is actually the most direct example we have of actual evidence of watch firms working with space agencies to do anything other than keeping time. This one is commercial but is indirectly linked with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
Of course, the most famous brand associated with the space is Omega, and its advertising campaign with George Clooney to commemorate the anniversary of the moon landings in 2019 makes the case for why people were so interested in everything that made the space programme tick.
From Sputnik onwards, the public were interested in both the reality and the fantasy of space travel. People of a certain age were sold on eating and drinking what the NASA astronauts did; this trend may have passed but the interest in space-age materials remained.
Image: Breguet
Back on earth, titanium made its way into the automotive industry. One might imagine plenty of opportunities here, but the relatively high cost of titanium is a significant stumbling block. Once again, it was – and remains – a race between steel, aluminium and titanium, although these days carbon fibre is also in the mix. Just like the space race, aluminium is the preferred option, thanks to both depth of expertise and availability of raw materials.
Even today, titanium tends to get lumped in with exotic materials such as carbon nanotubes, although it is more of an OG like carbon fibre. Like carbon nanotubes and such, titanium tends to be reserved for high performance motorsports, where the cost of the material can be justified. To be clear, the material itself is not that expensive, machining it is (see Definitions).
Being a little expensive, for whatever reason, does not hurt titanium’s reputation as far as watchmaking goes. Too expensive for space? Sounds like a marketer’s dream, but the story begins on uncertain footing because titanium is hardly what one could call rare, by any measure of that word (see Material Properties section).
Even as titanium struggled to move beyond aerospace, it was its high corrosion resistance that drew the interest of other industries. Specifically, titanium proved very interesting to doctors and specialists in biotechnology. Since it is extremely biocompatible, it is attractive for internal medicine. Here is what the professionals have to say about it:
Titanium alloys are biocompatible in nature. They commonly contain amounts of vanadium and aluminum in addition to titanium. The most used titanium alloy in knee implants is Ti6Al4V. Titanium and titanium alloys have great corrosion resistance, making them an inert biomaterial (will not change after being implanted in the body).
compared to other metals used in knee implants. Additionally, the elastic nature of titanium and titanium alloys is lower than that of the other metals used in knee implants. Because of this, the titanium implant acts more like the natural joint, and as a result, the risk of some complications like bone resorption and atrophy are reduced. – Prasanta Sahoo et al; Mechanical Nature of Biomaterials; 2019.
This appears to be a growth area for titanium, and was cited as a potential application for the gold and titanium alloy developed by researchers Emilia Morosan and Eteri Svanidze at Rice University, USA
Titanium in watchmaking
Last year was actually the 50th anniversary of the first wristwatch made in titanium. The honour goes to Citizen, which rocketed ahead of the entire watch trade. This is the somewhat famous Citizen X8 model, and the firm says that it went with titanium because of the Apollo missions. Some observers suggest, off the record, that the Japanese firm was too quick – an assertion that Citizen jumped the gun, in other words.
There is some degree of prejudice in such sentiments, perhaps, because Japanese watchmakers were humbling the entire Swiss trade throughout the 1970s. Perhaps illustrating this point, rival Japanese watchmaker Seiko followed Citizen with the world’s first dive watch in titanium in 1975.
What is factual though is that titanium took awhile to gain favour with Swiss watchmakers, first making waves with the 1980 Porsche Design Titan Chronograph. Built in partnership with IWC, the watch was developed by Lothar Schmidt, the man behind Sinn, which the man himself told us about while explaining his keen interest and expertise in materials.
This watch only became more popular over the years, attaining a sort of iconic status that obscured the efforts of Citizen and Seiko in this area. In 2020, various online publications ranging from ABlogtoWatch to Monochrome published stories about the Citizen X8, noting that Porsche Design is sometimes incorrectly credited with bringing titanium to watchmaking.
Near as we can tell though, this Porsche Design collaboration with IWC did the trick for Swiss watchmaking as plenty of brands jumped on the bandwagon. Coincidentally, this was roughly contemporaneous with the era of the space shuttle at NASA. The first space shuttle, Columbia, launched in 1981, though the programme was in development from 1969.
Fittingly, both titanium and high-tech ceramic captured the public’s imagination in the 1980s, allowing for all sorts of material experiments from watchmaking firms. The big Swiss names were still suffering from the quartz hangover and material experiments allowed them to strut their stuff, so to speak.
And so it was that virtually every brand began offering something in titanium. Well, not every brand but definitely enough that titanium cases and bracelets became fixtures, rather like steel and gold. Like the other staple materials in watchmaking, it is deployed freely across every level of watchmaking.
The key to titanium’s success lies in the aforementioned adoption of the material by the biomedical industry. If titanium is good enough to spend a lifetime inside the human body, without ill effect, then it is certainly suitable for a material destined to live on skin. That is the logic that prompted the bold Gear Patrol assertion, and the nature of titanium bears this out (see Definitions).
As for the future, we were excited to report on the development of promising titanium and gold alloys back in 2016, and WatchesbySJX also picked up the same news. While we have been eagerly scanning new releases since then for this novel alloy, we have yet to see it.
Tudor Pelagos in titanium, with ceramic bezel insert
Behind the curtain: What makes Titanium special?
In Tudor’s video introducing the Black Bay 925, they have a cheeky moment when discussing how exactly that silver is made – that is to say the alloy’s constituent parts that make it impervious to base silver’s tendency to tarnish. Even if you do not know anything about silver, nor own anything in the material, you might have seen or heard stories about silverware and how it was prized by upper crust Western families. There is always some reference or other to “good silver” as if there were a bad kind, or something. Alloys are never a simple matter, unfortunately, but we digress.
The funny bit about the Tudor video was that it showed the component parts of the silver alloy as a fine dust, with the illuminating message that they used a bit of this and a bit of that. Even the colours were not particularly helpful. It was all in the spirit of fun though, and that is perfectly fine.
By way of contrast, the Omega presentation of their bronze gold variant was painstakingly meticulous. Once again, alloys change the nature of the game significantly. Here is what makes up 904L stainless steel, to illustrate the point:
Nickel, 23-28%
Chromium, 19-23%
Carbon, 0.02% maximum
Copper, 1-2%
Molybdenum, 4-5%
Manganese , 2% maximum
Silicon, 1.0% maximum
Iron, (balance)
The different percentages could have serious impacts on how the alloy works, and indeed how hard it is to work. The same is true of titanium alloys, but first an important note. If you have a watch cased in Grade 2 titanium, then that is commercially pure titanium; yes, commercially pure titanium is suitable for use in finished products. This is one of the amazing things about titanium, and is quite unparalleled (as far as watchmaking goes). So what is titanium anyway?
A metallic element, titanium appears grey, or perhaps like unshinning silver. In other words, it is colourless and not particularly lustrous. Its chemical element symbol is Ti and its atomic number is 22. A Group 4 transition metal, it lends its name to its grouping of metals, including zirconium (Zr), hafnium (Hf), and rutherfordium (Rf). This is sort of like the more famous platinum group.
Comparing the weights of the same Citizen watch, with different materials.
One of the main benefits of titanium, as demonstrated in its extraordinary use in the aerospace industry, is that it offers a high strength-to-weight ratio, also known as specific strength, creating an extremely strong substance. This simply means that titanium is relatively strong at low weight. The easiest way to think about this, in terms of watches, is to consider the difference between a watch in titanium and a watch in steel, if they are roughly the same size.
The best case scenario is to consider the exact same watch in steel and in titanium. As you can see in the above image, same watch, different materials for dramatically different weight. The titanium watch might be somewhere between 40-50% lighter than the same in steel.
Does this mean that this titanium model is stronger than the same in steel? Well, not really. A steel watch that weighed the same as a titanium one? If so, then yes the titanium version is stronger. This is one of the points that marketing messages often obscure, unintentionally (most of the time).
When watchmakers create models in titanium, of something that exists in steel, they are effectively making something lighter, not stronger. It is the lightness, with relatively good strength, that makes titanium so useful. The titanium watch is much stronger at its weight than a steel watch would be, at that same weight. Titanium is simply less dense than steel, and certainly than iron.
To continue the little experiment with the same watches as above, holding each in your hands gives a clear indication of the difference in weight, but little sense of any difference in strength. You might be shocked to find that the both would be rated the same for strength, relatively and informally of course. Hardness, something else that you cannot tell from a simple physical examination, is another matter.
Now, titanium offers a high level of mechanical resistance, otherwise known as mechanical impedance, making it extremely durable. It would not be suitable for a long-wearing item such as a wristwatch otherwise. It would certainly be no good for something like a dive watch, where it will be expected to take a beating and keep on ticking, as the saying goes.
Unlike ceramic for example, titanium does not easily reach critical failure. In other words, it bends but does not break, like steel and aluminium. The point that it deforms is not that important here, but we will explore it a little.
To compare between metals, it is necessary to introduce a titanium alloy into the picture, which for our purposes will be Grade 5. This is an alloy of titanium, aluminium and vanadium under the following formulation: Ti- 6Al-4V (see Grade 5 titanium). For stainless steel, we will use the standard 316L that most watchmakers favour.
We will use ultimate tensile strength here, with 316L clocking in at 485 MPa and Grade 5 rated at 1,170 MPa; MPa stands for megapascals, a unit of pressure. This does not mean that titanium is simply stronger, because some kinds of steel can reach 3,000 MPa.
As an outside reference here, aluminium is rated at 50MPa, and that is among the reasons why cases are so rarely executed in this material (again some alloys and forms offer different properties).
On the matter of hardness, we will use the Rockwell scale (see Hardness). Approximately, 316L registers 79 while Grade 5 registers 41. Now there are some subtleties to this measure, but broadly speaking this result speaks to the point some collectors have noted on forums about titanium being softer than steel.
Again, there are treatments that increase the hardness of both steel and titanium (famously Duratect from Citizen, and DLC just about everywhere else), but this has an impact on one of titanium’s more attractive properties.
In the air, titanium creates a powerful oxide layer that prevents the material from reacting any further (see Passivation). This has the effect, in watches, of titanium cases looking less obviously scratched than stainless steel cases. The muted colour of titanium helps here too, but the effect is similar in Grade 5 titanium that has been polished. Of course, surface treatments upend all this, and should be considered when discussing with your friendly neighbourhood sales specialist.
A dramatic illustration of Citizen’s Super Titanium and stainless steel in saltwater solutions. Can you guess which is which?
We can report from a variety of collectors (including this author) that titanium watches pick up lots of dents and nicks, but these add character to the watches without detracting from the aesthetics. Again, this is mainly in the versions that are not polished. The contrast that is most useful is what happens when your case gets scratched and when your sapphire crystal gets a nick. The latter is more visually disturbing.
The main benefit of titanium versus steel though, as far as watches go, comes down to its corrosion resistance (see Passivation). This is a defining characteristic of titanium, and carries over to most of its alloys. It marks the metal as quite special, as noted in the previous segment on why the biomedical field uses it. In simple terms, a watch in titanium will not react to fresh water, sea water, typical swimming pool water, alkalis, acids and just about anything. It is the next best thing to platinum, but is much cheaper, obviously.
Titanium also sports high heat transfer efficiency, which is one of its selling points when used in the aerospace industry, and also the space shuttle as mentioned earlier. On the wrist, the practical effect is that the metal stays at a relatively standard temperature, not getting too warm or cold depending on the ambient temperature. In other words, a titanium watch is excellent in very cold weather, which is a benefit well-known to seasoned watch collectors.
Another interesting feature of titanium is in the oxide layer’s photocatalytic properties, which are well understood when discussing TiO2 in various forms. The oxide layer on any given titanium or titanium alloy might only be 1nm thick, and cannot really be easily separated from the metal.
This oxide layer interacts with UV light, and the powdered version is used in sunblock. The effects of this photocatalytic ability, as it relates to wristwatches, might be to make them self-cleaning. You would just have to leave the watch exposed to direct sunlight, and turn it over now and then.
As for cost, titanium is more expensive than steel, primarily because it is relatively more difficult to machine (it has to be worked in a contained setting with inert gasses such as argon) and somewhat more expensive to process. The cost has little to do with rarity.
In fact, it is the seventh most abundant metal on earth, but it is mainly present in igneous rocks such as ilmenite. It is correct to note that pure titanium in its natural state would be rare, with a special exception. As highlighted by Panerai recently, titanium is also used in a recycled state, which is important in supplementing the use of this metal.
We get into more details on this in the “No Lightweights These” part of our two-part article series, coming soon.
