Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

rhemy123

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 12, 2021
233
175
Does anyone know if the recycled titanium in ultra 2 is worse than the titanium used in ultra 1. I feel like apple would find ways to cheap out on the new product after they released those horrible recycled finewoven cases.
 
Does anyone know if the recycled titanium in ultra 2 is worse than the titanium used in ultra 1. I feel like apple would find ways to cheap out on the new product after they released those horrible recycled finewoven cases.
Ultra 2 is tested to the same specs as the original, all listed I. The specs - so what’s your point?
 
Does anyone know if the recycled titanium in ultra 2 is worse than the titanium used in ultra 1. I feel like apple would find ways to cheap out on the new product after they released those horrible recycled finewoven cases.
What if newly harvested material is just as bad? Apple cheap out on mining techniques? At this point Apple should just say nothing so fewer people would induce unnecessary worry to themselves.
The air you breathe is also "recycled".
Air, water, food, all of which have been “recycled” one way or the other. The only brand new parts probably are those microplastic particles.
(Yes I know the OP is sarcastic)
 
I'd pay more attention to the titanium alloy or grade than its recycling status, it's more informative. Metals recycling is generally an excellent process and not subject to the same problems as plastic recycling and the finewoven products those become.

IIRC, the original Ultra was made from Grade 2 commercially-pure Titanium, while the Ultra 2 is made from Grade 5 Titanium.

When it comes to watchmaking, titanium comes in two forms: Grade 2 and Grade 5. Grade 2 is all titanium. Grade 5 is an alloy that also includes aluminum and vanadium (6% aluminum and 4% vanadium, which is why it's also referred to as Ti 6Al-4V). Grade 5 is harder; expect to see Grade 5 in higher-end manufacturing, while lower-priced options might use Grade 2. As just one example, the Deepsea Challenge uses Grade 5, while the Tudor Pelagos 39 uses Grade 2 ($26,000 v. $4,400, as a reminder).

In conclusion, both Grade 2 titanium and Grade 5 titanium are excellent options for various industrial applications. While Grade 2 is the most commercially pure titanium alloy known for its high corrosion resistance, Grade 5 is significantly stronger and better suited for high-performance applications.

Grade 5 Titanium is definitely not as pure as Grade 2, but the grade has nothing to do with its recycling status, just what properties it has. Whether recycled or made from newly mined materials, Grade 5 is stronger than Grade 2, but slightly more susceptible to corrosion for example.
 
Ti 6 Al -4 V is the most common Ti Alloy. It's been used for a bunch of applications. That would be my first choice over aluminum. Stronger. Stainless Steel is heavy for a phone. I've always wondered why they went the SS route. Even on a watch as well.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TroyJam
I'd pay more attention to the titanium alloy or grade than its recycling status, it's more informative. Metals recycling is generally an excellent process and not subject to the same problems as plastic recycling and the finewoven products those become.

IIRC, the original Ultra was made from Grade 2 commercially-pure Titanium, while the Ultra 2 is made from Grade 5 Titanium.





Grade 5 Titanium is definitely not as pure as Grade 2, but the grade has nothing to do with its recycling status, just what properties it has. Whether recycled or made from newly mined materials, Grade 5 is stronger than Grade 2, but slightly more susceptible to corrosion for example.
This is the key, here.

The Titanium 5 that Apple is using in the Ultra 2 should actually make it more durable than the virgin pure titanium in the original Ultra.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tagbert
Thanks to all those who responded. I wasn’t sure how or if the recycling would diminish the quality of the ultra 2. I didn’t know the ultra 1 was grade 2 and the ultra 2 was grade 5. They should have just listed that as one of the differences.

I don’t care much for introducing recycled materials just to “save the planet”. That seems like a marketing gimmick that’s often used to lower manufacturing costs and increase profits. I think it’s a gimmick because a lot more needs to and could be done to save the planet beyond creating a carbon neutral Apple Watch ultra.
 
  • Sad
Reactions: arc of the universe
I'd pay more attention to the titanium alloy or grade than its recycling status, it's more informative. Metals recycling is generally an excellent process and not subject to the same problems as plastic recycling and the finewoven products those become.

IIRC, the original Ultra was made from Grade 2 commercially-pure Titanium, while the Ultra 2 is made from Grade 5 Titanium.





Grade 5 Titanium is definitely not as pure as Grade 2, but the grade has nothing to do with its recycling status, just what properties it has. Whether recycled or made from newly mined materials, Grade 5 is stronger than Grade 2, but slightly more susceptible to corrosion for example.
How do you know which grade of titanium the watches use?
 
Ti 6 Al -4 V is the most common Ti Alloy. It's been used for a bunch of applications. That would be my first choice over aluminum. Stronger. Stainless Steel is heavy for a phone. I've always wondered why they went the SS route. Even on a watch as well.

Titanium is harder, but not necessarily stronger in every measure of strength. It's also brittle - which I suspect is why it is composited with aluminum in the new iPhone. The hardness also makes it more expensive to machine - the CNC bits have to be harder, get dull faster, and take more shallower passes. As for machining, while titanium is perfectly safe with the oxidation layer just sitting there, extra precautions have to be taken when machining titanium due to it's reactivity and ability to burn spectacularly. I'm impressed Apple is able to cost-effectively mass produce something like this with titanium.
 
I'd pay more attention to the titanium alloy or grade than its recycling status, it's more informative. Metals recycling is generally an excellent process and not subject to the same problems as plastic recycling and the finewoven products those become.

IIRC, the original Ultra was made from Grade 2 commercially-pure Titanium, while the Ultra 2 is made from Grade 5 Titanium.





Grade 5 Titanium is definitely not as pure as Grade 2, but the grade has nothing to do with its recycling status, just what properties it has. Whether recycled or made from newly mined materials, Grade 5 is stronger than Grade 2, but slightly more susceptible to corrosion for example.
Interesting stuff, thanks. I’ve always wondered about second-use metal…how do you get precise control of the final alloy when you can’t really (I assume you can’t?) know the exact composition of the pieces that are going into your recycled/second-use metal. Edit: this turns out to be only partly correct, because a major source of “recycled” titanium is waste from operations such as turning and machining, which can produce a lot of waste that the manufacturer would know the exact composition of.) On the other hand, for uses like this, maybe it’s irrelevant? There’s a world of difference between a watch case and internal jet engine parts or airframe parts in jet aircraft.

THere’s an interesting discussion of sources for “recycled” titanium here.

And OBTW, referring to one of the posts above, apparently sub hulls are a major source of recycled titanium, though I’m sure that’s done with intentionally decommissioned subs, not one-off disaster casualties. 🥺
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: arc of the universe
Indeed … in every glass of water you drink, there’s a non-zero number of water molecules that once passed through the kidneys of a certain Gaius Julius Caesar.

… and, believe me, you do NOT want to know where the atoms of your daily bread have been …

b&
or the atoms in your own body.
 
I just checked it's not mentioned anywhere in the keynote that its grade 2.
They discussed the composition somewhere as Ti-6Al-4V. I was certain it was in the keynote somewhere. Unless it was edited out.... I watched it live and recall looking up Ti-5.

Regardless, Apple's specifications indicate aerospace grade titanium for the Ultra 2, which is titanium 5 alloy.
 
Last edited:
They discussed the composition somewhere as Ti-6Al-4V. I was certain it was in the keynote somewhere. Unless it was edited out.... I watched it live and recall looking up Ti-5.

Regardless, Apple's specifications indicate aerospace grade titanium for the Ultra 2, which is titanium 5 alloy.
They said that for the ultra 1. I’ve had grade 5 watches and the color is more SS vs the grayish of the grade 5. They should have said aerospace grade for the iPhone 15 pro max but they stated grade 5.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.