I wore the titanium and aluminum Apple Watch Series 10. This is the one I would buy

For the last few weeks, I’ve worn the latest Apple Watch Series 10 in titanium to find out if it’s the first smartwatch to take me away from only wanting to wear my various quartz and mechanical watches. I wanted to find out if paying more for the titanium version would help it give me that same warm feeling, like meeting up with a good old friend, I get when I put on one of my other favorite watches.

I thought I had the answer quickly, but then things were complicated when the aluminum Series 10 arrived for me to try. It changed my opinion, but was it enough to make me want to return the titanium smartwatch?

The aluminum vs titanium Apple Watch choice is ultimately simple. The aluminum model is the sensible buy, but the titanium Series 10 is the one I’d choose for its more substantial feel, sapphire crystal, and premium finish. The Series 10 is now a previous-generation model, though, so check current retailer pricing because discounts may narrow the original price gap between them.

Aluminum vs. titanium Apple Watch Series 10 at a glance

It’s not just about the titanium

I bought the 46mm Apple Watch Series 10 in Slate titanium, which is far more black than gray, unlike its promotional images, and was instantly attracted to the beautiful shine. The dark finish means it blends in with the sapphire crystal over the screen, making the smartwatch appear to be one solid, delectable piece. I matched it with the Milanese Loop metal band and am really pleased with the overall look.

I don’t think anyone else would ever guess just by looking, but I know my Series 10 is made from titanium. I own one other watch with a titanium case and love the way the cool metal feels against my skin, something nicely repeated on the Apple Watch. I marvel at Apple’s winning effort to polish the grade-5 titanium. It’s genuinely beautiful, and so far, despite wearing it for a variety of activities, it has not picked up any scratches or marks.

Lightweight titanium appealed to me more than the past stainless steel versions, but I didn’t fully expect to fall for the sapphire crystal over the screen as much as I have. It’s utterly wonderful. It has a deeper, clearer sheen than the Ion-X glass on the aluminum Apple Watch, and it’s immediately apparent when you put the two next to each other.

Even if you don’t have them side by side, the sheer clarity of the glass in a wider range of lighting is noticeable every time you look at the watch on your wrist. It glints and shimmers in the sunlight and replicates the experience of looking at the sapphire crystals on some of my non-smart watches.

What about wearing the aluminum Series 10?

I was quickly sold on the titanium Apple Watch, but after a week of wearing it, the aluminum version arrived for me to try, and it did change things. At first, I was surprised at the amount of difference between the hardware. I’ve already mentioned the difference in the glass and how the sapphire crystal is a step up from the Ion-X glass, but the aluminum and titanium metal bodies also change how the smartwatch feels.

The titanium version has a solidity missing from the lighter, almost tinnier aluminum, and it’s most noticeable when you press the Digital Crown or the button. You can even hear it, and if you want to use the speaker, the titanium version has a deeper sound if you listen closely. However, here’s where it started to get confusing: the haptic feedback on the titanium version isn’t as noticeable, and the aluminum model delivers a more prominent vibration on your wrist.

I can live with the tradeoff, as I much prefer the substantial feeling of the titanium Apple Watch Series 10, but if you want strong haptics, the aluminum version delivers. I wasn’t initially convinced it would be worth spending more on the titanium model, but it is a genuinely higher-quality product when you focus solely on the materials.

Next to it, the aluminum model’s even lighter form is less confidence-inspiring when it comes to thinking about durability, too. But the haptics had already caused me to think twice, and what I looked at next made me question my opinion even more.

The Milanese band is the must-buy

Over the years, I’ve mostly worn the Apple Watch with a Sport Loop, Solo Loop, or a similar band, and outside of a few third-party bands, I have never worn a metal one long-term. I decided to change that with the Series 10 titanium, as the Milanese Loop fitted the style I was going for perfectly. It’s one of Apple’s most expensive bands, but I am extremely glad I chose it.

It’s one of the best Apple Watch bands I’ve worn and matches the excellent Braided Solo Loop for comfort and versatility, just with an added touch of class. The mesh is astonishingly soft, it’s hugely adjustable, it’s fine to wear during a workout, doesn’t get particularly hot, and crucially doesn’t pull at the hair on my wrist very often. It does sometimes, but it only needs a wriggle to painlessly solve the problem. Yes, it’s made of stainless steel and not titanium, which diminishes its luxury credentials a bit, but the magnetic clasp is a big part of its appeal and wouldn’t work if the band was titanium.

Here’s where the aluminum Series 10 made answering the question of whether the titanium Series 10 is really worth the money much more difficult. The Milanese Loop band is available to buy separately, so you can pair it with the aluminum Series 10.

The band has been such a big part of why I’ve enjoyed the titanium Series 10 so much. I knew it would be possible to replicate a large part of it simply by getting one to go with the aluminum model, and saving quite a lot of money. I’ve tried to illustrate in the photos above that it’s hard to visually tell the difference when you do this, so is my titanium version in danger of being returned?

Aluminum over titanium?

You may think I’m about to conclude that it’s far more sensible to buy an aluminum Apple Watch Series 10 and splash out on the wonderful Milanese Loop band. There’s no doubt that it’s the financially sensible decision, but here’s where the titanium Apple Watch backs up my opinion that it has now become a watch rather than simply a smartwatch because it abandons such logic and appeals in the same ridiculous way as many luxury timepieces. The titanium model is a higher-quality, more solid, and more expensive-feeling watch on your wrist. Practically no one else will ever understand or notice, but I assure you, you’ll know, and you won’t care it’s functionally the same as the aluminum one.

I said in my last piece the titanium Apple Watch Series 10’s biggest rival for wrist time was my beloved Tudor Black Bay, and it turns out there is an interesting similarity between them. For example, I love that the Black Bay has both the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC) and Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology (METAS) Master Chronometer certification, confirming its precision and durability.

But it doesn’t make any real difference when I wear it on a Sunday drive out for coffee. By contrast, my quartz Seiko Marinemaster SBBN017 costs less than half of the Black Bay yet is still hugely capable and, as far as diving goes, will actually go deeper than the Tudor watch; plus it needs less upkeep, too. It’s the more “sensible” buy but considerably less luxurious. I adore them both for different reasons.

This is the titanium Series 10 versus the aluminum Series 10. Both are superb, and as a whole, both are the best smartwatch you can buy. But the titanium version is absolutely the more special of the two. I love wearing it and the feeling it gives me, and I consider the Milanese Loop just about perfect. Although the aluminum version comes very close in most respects (certainly as far as technology, as they are identical), I’d still choose to put the titanium version on every time.

You may have already realized that the titanium Apple Watch Series 10 has lived up to my expectations and does give me the feeling I wanted when I look at it on my wrist. It’s not going anywhere, but I can also confidently say that if you buy the aluminum Series 10, get the Milanese Loop band, too, and you’ll have a high percentage of the experience I’m having without such a high investment. Watches rarely make sense, so don’t go looking too hard for any here.