Timex edpedition comparison review......I think it would help if the model number is printed on the product or paper work somewhere......Oh well
This is going to be nothing more than my opinion of the two watches.This is also my first review of a product, I know it is long but please let me know what you think of it in terms of review ness.
A few days ago, my three yr old timex expedition got seriously smashed up.
Becuase of my experience with it I decided to get a replacement.....The new one is quite different but essentially the same design. For the same price as I paid for the last one 50 quid from argos.
Heres a pic of the old and the new side by side.
You can guess that the two watches are virtually identical in size, and upon closer inspection they are....
If your unfamiliar with the lay out of chrono graphs I will add a few links to the bottom of this review.
But heres the lay out of this watch for now. Photo from instruction sheet
Aesthetics
The general appearance of the new version is kinda military styled, and I don't have a problem with this. As it mixes very well but It's a bit on the offensive if you know what I mean, where as with the older colours it was more neutrel. softer even.
The new one is a bit blocky in some ways with less smooth lines, but it is well finished and smooth where it is meant to be.
However, with the new watch the dial looks so much larger, this is perhaps due to the thinner strap that it comes with giving an optical illusion. Certainly in comparison to what I was used to looking at.
If I stay with size.....
The T43251 (T4 for this article) has larger crowns and buttons. And also generally larger display fonts.....This does make the internal numbers much easier to read in the dark, with the indigo night light in operation.
The font on the exterior dial/bezel is also very large, but this seems to give it a bulky look also. Which I don't really like that much.
The larger crown and buttons are actually much easier to use, the old one was at times tricky to move the crown to it's second or third position without having to jump to the fourth then push it back in.
The added size of the buttons on the T4 using the normal strap may end up getting in the way considerably, I will be however changing the strap style to my usual braided version for other practical benefits which I will discuss briefly later. If I make my own strap the buttons will become a little more protected from anything scraping across the skin etc.
The addition of the second crown, on the left side is quite nicely positioned if you are using the stop watch feature for precise measurements, But for any bush use The old stop watch reset button is in a much better position. I don't think it would have been difficult for timex to do this again, eg using the alarm crown as a push button.
The strap
As usual Timex offers a very strong sturdy strap, probably a lot stronger than my own versions.
It is double stitched and in several layers, and looks especially tough around the strap pins.
The water resistant inner band is not stitched through in order to avoid bacteria build up on long treks through less than suitable climates.
The buckle on the T4 is or seems a lot more sturdy than the older version though it is less likely to allow over tightening which I actually prefer it to have.
Features
Heres a list of the general features and what I think of them.
Setting the time and date is a simple process, with the hour hand adjusting seperatly to the minute hand, makes it much easier.
The date is set by turning the hour hand only.
A note on the buttons themselves.
With probably all watch buttons there is a definitive limit as to how far the button can be pushed, Almost every timex expedition model I have bought there has been a noticable click on the start stop watch button. This new model is no different, Which may lead to a trip to the factory when it stops working. The older version shown was no different. But the replacment is a painless operation as long as the watch is in warranty, I have never had to use the factory out of warranty.
Back to the watch
The date window.
Times expedition watches have yet to develop a readable date display using nothing but the indigo night light.
The date window under normal light conditions IMO is the perfect size, for quick glances.
And the new model seems to have a clearer looking font too. and possibly better centre placement.
The night light.
As we just touched on it I will add my opinion now.
This is set up the same as the old one, holding the button for four seconds turns it on for two seconds after any button push. Holding for another four seconds reverses this operation to normal.
The night light in the new model is considerably duller than the older version, But the colour choice used in the dials makes it so much easier to read you would not believe.
http://picserver.org/i/9NG1L2K3KOJH
This will dramatically effect the battery life giving much longer times. I think this watch is estimated at 4.5 yrs with the standard battery. This can probably be increased if you have top of the line batteries installed.
The glow in the dark hands are or seem to be smaller than the old version, and last night after not long being out of the box they didn't work too well, But just now under a few blankets after having recieved light for the last few hours they work fine, infact they work well.
The markers to indicate hours are wider in the new version which seems to work better, as the old version has longer but thinner markers.
The number marker on the internal dial cannot be read at night at all, even with the night light, this would be improved if timex made a sharper angle on the edge eg 50 degrees maybe. this would of course make the watch too high and there fore far too bulky looking.
Of course everyone knows where the number three on a watch is anyway so it makes little difference in this case.
The chronograph stop watch
A really simple thing to use and much easier than digital watches to access.
The three dials represent different measurements.
You have the regular second hand measuring seconds,
The 2 O clock eye measuring to one twentith of a second.
And the 9 O clock eye measuring minutes but only out of thirty.
The split timer on this can be repeated indefinatly for upto or more than 100 laps.
Because of the general nature of chronographs it continously allows two seperate measuring systems to work.
The chronograph automatically stops and resets after four hours, incase of accidental initation.
Okay the watch itself comes with a Tachymetre, uneducated american spelling however spells it Tachymeter.
The older version had a more suitable tachymetre display for quick times. Officially a tachymetre only starts working at I think 7.85 seconds.
On the older version it started at the Nine second mark with four hundred.
The T4 starts at 12 second mark with 300. Which would make it completely unsuitable in many circumstances eg a hundred metre sprint, with fit ppl racing.
This shortening of the usefullness of the tachymetre is due largely to the very large font on the bezel. And pointlessly large spaces around the word tachymetre.
If you didn't know allready how to use a tacymetre. heres a quick run down.
It is basically a way of measuring speed in any paticular process.
Eg if it takes a ZZR1100 bike 22 seconds to travel 1 mile then the speed according to the tach is 164-166mph.
If it takes 18 seconds to put tops on 20 bottles, the 18 second mark stops pointing to 200 on the tach scale (TPM) then in an hour you could bottle 200 x 18 bottles..
Or if you want to be more bushcrafty...
If it takes 10 seconds to hit a target with your sling the hand is stopped just after the 400 mark so perhaps the stone is travelling 380 distances per hour. what ever distance you are away from the target. Of course you can measure the distance in paces if you know your gait. But this one starts at 12 seconds remember. So just remember to put a three hundred at 9 seconds in your head.
But in this example you can judge the relative speeds of different sized stones and types of stones to find the best combination of speed and density.
This is where the 7 second tachymetre scale would be more appropriate.
You can also use this to judge your speed in different inclinations going up a mountain
So that if you are having to travel 3 miles at an incline of 38 degrees you can work out how long it should take to get there.
Like this
If it takes you 47 seconds to travel 100 metres measured by gait. I don't think you would but lets use it as an example.
The TPM reads 77. Multiplying this will give you 7700 metres per hour
But you need to convert miles to metres before you can do anything.
Knowing the formulae for converting kilometres to miles is handy here....5/8. Five miles to 8 kilometres that is.
SO that works out to nearly 8 kmph which is nearly 5 miles, if you have three miles to go then it should take about 36 minutes to travel the three miles at that incline.
Writing different walking speeds for different inclines will enable you to work out much more accuratly how long a route will take
In reality you might have to measure it to 50 metres then double it.
That probably all sounds a bit complicated, there are other links to look through in reference to the tachymetre at the bottom of this review.
Chrono alarm
A completely new feature on the basic expedition model and a welcome one at that.
This new feature can work either as a 12 hour time alarm, or as a 60 minute countdown timer.
I say twelve hour because it works on one revoloution only, Which is handy enough unless you plan to sleep more than twelve hours at any one time.
They could improve this to 24 hours I think by adding some sort of feature to increase the revoloutions to 2 or more. eg the alarm rings on the second revoloution not the first. The display for this feature would sit well adjacant to the date window.
The sound itself would not be suitable for very heavy sleepers as proved this morning when worn on the wrist, but in the woods you tend to sleep lighter anyway. Generally speaking it is actually quite loud, and with heavy sleepers would probably work if it was placed near your ears eg hanging on a branch above you.
Obviously in bushcraft this has more beneficial use in cooking times, and would remind you when that oven cooked meal is ready. Or more appropriatly when your five minute rest is up.
I am pretty sure this feature doesn't waste power as it is mechanically started using pressure springs, but I am unsure of this. The sound probably doesn't use too much power.
In night mode the alarm markers are very easy to distinguish from their shadow alone and this works well.
One thing I have noticed is that there is a slight brushing of each of the markers used in the alarm system, they don't stick too long and abrasion will soon wear it down so it doesn't stick at all, I doubt there is much point in raising concern about the microscopic debris doing damage to the rest of the watch.
A few personal recommendations based on previous timex expeditions models.
They last quite a long time, I am one of those people who would wear out a standard watch in a matter of months mainly because of abusive shock. With timex I don't have to worry about spending years chopping wood effecting either the accuracy or normal use, I simply get on with what ever needs doing and don't need to worry.
The pressure inside the dial or what ever makes it not steam up is very good on timex, I have never worried about having a shower wearing it, And rarely would see any condensation build up.
And a few things that bug me about this model or suggestion if timex ever reads this.
Why the hell doesn't the external bezel rotate, for easy multiple time zone use???
Cause they changed the TPM to the outside instead of the inside.
If they kept it on the inside it could be read indefinatly, where as the T4 TPM scale can get banged up and marked leaving the possibility of difficult measuring.
With the 12 point bezel as in the old version, readability isn't so important as every one knows where the two is.....
Grrrrrrrr
Something for them to consider for future models.....
The block raised area where the alarm chronos come from, could quite easily be painted with a telemetre. This would be an invaluable tool for assessing the distance to storms......Infact I think combining the use of the telemetre and the tachymetre you may actually be able to judge the direction of a storm and therefore make arrangements to go around it as much as possible........You may need to know wind speeds for this to work though. Any one know better?
Expanding on this model as a basic building block and adding simple features like the perpetual date feature would be pretty cool, or how about the digitally controlled ananlog compass.......
General run down.
Very good watch, I am very impressed and believe I shall continue to be over the next few years. For the price it is certainly one to think heavily on.
A few links to browse over if your interested........
http://www.oz.net/~chrisp/tachymetre.htm
http://www.ozdoba.net/swisswatch/chronograph.html
http://home.xnet.com/~cmaddox/tachymetre.html
http://www.righttime.com/rt/quest.htm
This is going to be nothing more than my opinion of the two watches.This is also my first review of a product, I know it is long but please let me know what you think of it in terms of review ness.
A few days ago, my three yr old timex expedition got seriously smashed up.
Becuase of my experience with it I decided to get a replacement.....The new one is quite different but essentially the same design. For the same price as I paid for the last one 50 quid from argos.
Heres a pic of the old and the new side by side.
You can guess that the two watches are virtually identical in size, and upon closer inspection they are....
If your unfamiliar with the lay out of chrono graphs I will add a few links to the bottom of this review.
But heres the lay out of this watch for now. Photo from instruction sheet
Aesthetics
The general appearance of the new version is kinda military styled, and I don't have a problem with this. As it mixes very well but It's a bit on the offensive if you know what I mean, where as with the older colours it was more neutrel. softer even.
The new one is a bit blocky in some ways with less smooth lines, but it is well finished and smooth where it is meant to be.
However, with the new watch the dial looks so much larger, this is perhaps due to the thinner strap that it comes with giving an optical illusion. Certainly in comparison to what I was used to looking at.
If I stay with size.....
The T43251 (T4 for this article) has larger crowns and buttons. And also generally larger display fonts.....This does make the internal numbers much easier to read in the dark, with the indigo night light in operation.
The font on the exterior dial/bezel is also very large, but this seems to give it a bulky look also. Which I don't really like that much.
The larger crown and buttons are actually much easier to use, the old one was at times tricky to move the crown to it's second or third position without having to jump to the fourth then push it back in.
The added size of the buttons on the T4 using the normal strap may end up getting in the way considerably, I will be however changing the strap style to my usual braided version for other practical benefits which I will discuss briefly later. If I make my own strap the buttons will become a little more protected from anything scraping across the skin etc.
The addition of the second crown, on the left side is quite nicely positioned if you are using the stop watch feature for precise measurements, But for any bush use The old stop watch reset button is in a much better position. I don't think it would have been difficult for timex to do this again, eg using the alarm crown as a push button.
The strap
As usual Timex offers a very strong sturdy strap, probably a lot stronger than my own versions.
It is double stitched and in several layers, and looks especially tough around the strap pins.
The water resistant inner band is not stitched through in order to avoid bacteria build up on long treks through less than suitable climates.
The buckle on the T4 is or seems a lot more sturdy than the older version though it is less likely to allow over tightening which I actually prefer it to have.
Features
Heres a list of the general features and what I think of them.
Setting the time and date is a simple process, with the hour hand adjusting seperatly to the minute hand, makes it much easier.
The date is set by turning the hour hand only.
A note on the buttons themselves.
With probably all watch buttons there is a definitive limit as to how far the button can be pushed, Almost every timex expedition model I have bought there has been a noticable click on the start stop watch button. This new model is no different, Which may lead to a trip to the factory when it stops working. The older version shown was no different. But the replacment is a painless operation as long as the watch is in warranty, I have never had to use the factory out of warranty.
Back to the watch
The date window.
Times expedition watches have yet to develop a readable date display using nothing but the indigo night light.
The date window under normal light conditions IMO is the perfect size, for quick glances.
And the new model seems to have a clearer looking font too. and possibly better centre placement.
The night light.
As we just touched on it I will add my opinion now.
This is set up the same as the old one, holding the button for four seconds turns it on for two seconds after any button push. Holding for another four seconds reverses this operation to normal.
The night light in the new model is considerably duller than the older version, But the colour choice used in the dials makes it so much easier to read you would not believe.
http://picserver.org/i/9NG1L2K3KOJH
This will dramatically effect the battery life giving much longer times. I think this watch is estimated at 4.5 yrs with the standard battery. This can probably be increased if you have top of the line batteries installed.
The glow in the dark hands are or seem to be smaller than the old version, and last night after not long being out of the box they didn't work too well, But just now under a few blankets after having recieved light for the last few hours they work fine, infact they work well.
The markers to indicate hours are wider in the new version which seems to work better, as the old version has longer but thinner markers.
The number marker on the internal dial cannot be read at night at all, even with the night light, this would be improved if timex made a sharper angle on the edge eg 50 degrees maybe. this would of course make the watch too high and there fore far too bulky looking.
Of course everyone knows where the number three on a watch is anyway so it makes little difference in this case.
The chronograph stop watch
A really simple thing to use and much easier than digital watches to access.
The three dials represent different measurements.
You have the regular second hand measuring seconds,
The 2 O clock eye measuring to one twentith of a second.
And the 9 O clock eye measuring minutes but only out of thirty.
The split timer on this can be repeated indefinatly for upto or more than 100 laps.
Because of the general nature of chronographs it continously allows two seperate measuring systems to work.
The chronograph automatically stops and resets after four hours, incase of accidental initation.
Okay the watch itself comes with a Tachymetre, uneducated american spelling however spells it Tachymeter.
The older version had a more suitable tachymetre display for quick times. Officially a tachymetre only starts working at I think 7.85 seconds.
On the older version it started at the Nine second mark with four hundred.
The T4 starts at 12 second mark with 300. Which would make it completely unsuitable in many circumstances eg a hundred metre sprint, with fit ppl racing.
This shortening of the usefullness of the tachymetre is due largely to the very large font on the bezel. And pointlessly large spaces around the word tachymetre.
If you didn't know allready how to use a tacymetre. heres a quick run down.
It is basically a way of measuring speed in any paticular process.
Eg if it takes a ZZR1100 bike 22 seconds to travel 1 mile then the speed according to the tach is 164-166mph.
If it takes 18 seconds to put tops on 20 bottles, the 18 second mark stops pointing to 200 on the tach scale (TPM) then in an hour you could bottle 200 x 18 bottles..
Or if you want to be more bushcrafty...
If it takes 10 seconds to hit a target with your sling the hand is stopped just after the 400 mark so perhaps the stone is travelling 380 distances per hour. what ever distance you are away from the target. Of course you can measure the distance in paces if you know your gait. But this one starts at 12 seconds remember. So just remember to put a three hundred at 9 seconds in your head.
But in this example you can judge the relative speeds of different sized stones and types of stones to find the best combination of speed and density.
This is where the 7 second tachymetre scale would be more appropriate.
You can also use this to judge your speed in different inclinations going up a mountain
So that if you are having to travel 3 miles at an incline of 38 degrees you can work out how long it should take to get there.
Like this
If it takes you 47 seconds to travel 100 metres measured by gait. I don't think you would but lets use it as an example.
The TPM reads 77. Multiplying this will give you 7700 metres per hour
But you need to convert miles to metres before you can do anything.
Knowing the formulae for converting kilometres to miles is handy here....5/8. Five miles to 8 kilometres that is.
SO that works out to nearly 8 kmph which is nearly 5 miles, if you have three miles to go then it should take about 36 minutes to travel the three miles at that incline.
Writing different walking speeds for different inclines will enable you to work out much more accuratly how long a route will take
In reality you might have to measure it to 50 metres then double it.
That probably all sounds a bit complicated, there are other links to look through in reference to the tachymetre at the bottom of this review.
Chrono alarm
A completely new feature on the basic expedition model and a welcome one at that.
This new feature can work either as a 12 hour time alarm, or as a 60 minute countdown timer.
I say twelve hour because it works on one revoloution only, Which is handy enough unless you plan to sleep more than twelve hours at any one time.
They could improve this to 24 hours I think by adding some sort of feature to increase the revoloutions to 2 or more. eg the alarm rings on the second revoloution not the first. The display for this feature would sit well adjacant to the date window.
The sound itself would not be suitable for very heavy sleepers as proved this morning when worn on the wrist, but in the woods you tend to sleep lighter anyway. Generally speaking it is actually quite loud, and with heavy sleepers would probably work if it was placed near your ears eg hanging on a branch above you.
Obviously in bushcraft this has more beneficial use in cooking times, and would remind you when that oven cooked meal is ready. Or more appropriatly when your five minute rest is up.
I am pretty sure this feature doesn't waste power as it is mechanically started using pressure springs, but I am unsure of this. The sound probably doesn't use too much power.
In night mode the alarm markers are very easy to distinguish from their shadow alone and this works well.
One thing I have noticed is that there is a slight brushing of each of the markers used in the alarm system, they don't stick too long and abrasion will soon wear it down so it doesn't stick at all, I doubt there is much point in raising concern about the microscopic debris doing damage to the rest of the watch.
A few personal recommendations based on previous timex expeditions models.
They last quite a long time, I am one of those people who would wear out a standard watch in a matter of months mainly because of abusive shock. With timex I don't have to worry about spending years chopping wood effecting either the accuracy or normal use, I simply get on with what ever needs doing and don't need to worry.
The pressure inside the dial or what ever makes it not steam up is very good on timex, I have never worried about having a shower wearing it, And rarely would see any condensation build up.
And a few things that bug me about this model or suggestion if timex ever reads this.
Why the hell doesn't the external bezel rotate, for easy multiple time zone use???
Cause they changed the TPM to the outside instead of the inside.
If they kept it on the inside it could be read indefinatly, where as the T4 TPM scale can get banged up and marked leaving the possibility of difficult measuring.
With the 12 point bezel as in the old version, readability isn't so important as every one knows where the two is.....
Grrrrrrrr
Something for them to consider for future models.....
The block raised area where the alarm chronos come from, could quite easily be painted with a telemetre. This would be an invaluable tool for assessing the distance to storms......Infact I think combining the use of the telemetre and the tachymetre you may actually be able to judge the direction of a storm and therefore make arrangements to go around it as much as possible........You may need to know wind speeds for this to work though. Any one know better?
Expanding on this model as a basic building block and adding simple features like the perpetual date feature would be pretty cool, or how about the digitally controlled ananlog compass.......
General run down.
Very good watch, I am very impressed and believe I shall continue to be over the next few years. For the price it is certainly one to think heavily on.
A few links to browse over if your interested........
http://www.oz.net/~chrisp/tachymetre.htm
http://www.ozdoba.net/swisswatch/chronograph.html
http://home.xnet.com/~cmaddox/tachymetre.html
http://www.righttime.com/rt/quest.htm
