UPDATE, 6/11/23: Review: Timex Tide/Temperature/Compass/Date Watch

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Bottom line reason for purchase:

  • I needed a watch that can keep track of the tides.

Backstory:

  • I like to fish. All kinds of fishing, but mostly surf fishing. For any of you who also like that kind of fishing, you know that when to fish is important, and by that I mean you need to know what the tide is doing and time your arrival at the beach correctly.

  • In addition, my wife likes to go shelling, which means low tide is important to her success, since many shells which are normally covered at high tide reveal themselves at low tide.

Review:

I needed a tide watch and found this Timex Expedition on Amazon. It looked perfect for my needs. The big orange arrow hand is the hand associated with the tide/temp/compass functions and it moves among the functions with an elegant glide.

Interestingly, it did not arrive with a manual, nor a directive to view it online. A quick YouTube search came up with the instructions: instructions

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  • It has an integrated compass (adjustable for declination, which I've done), which works for 10 seconds when the 8:00 pusher is activated, then it goes back to either temperature or tide, whatever mode it was in prior to activating the compass. (This is the only feature that won't stay activated, you get 10 seconds at a push.)

  • The thermometer (orange pusher, 2:00) won't give the correct temperature when you're wearing it, naturally, since your body heat will skew the reading, but if you put it on a table it works just fine, and it's accurate to within one degree. It will also give you the water temperature if you submerge the watch. It has a 100m WR rating.

  • But the part I really love is the tide feature (4:00 pusher). Once you get to the beach, look up the tide chart for that day and set the tide to the current tide position (or do it in advance, of course). Once that's set, all you need to do is look at your watch and it will tell you how many hours before the next high or low tide. In my example below, you can see the orange hand is just under the "4" in the tide ring, which means the next tide - low, in this case - is in less than 4 hours. You can guesstimate by the hand position between the 4 and the HALF (3-hour) mark.

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The band is soft, comfortable silicone. At the tail end of the band there's a nub to keep the tail inside the keeper, a thoughtful touch given this watch will be used during outdoor activities where it could get bumped, such as hiking.

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[ADDED]: Forgot the lume shot. Indiglo, outer ring only:

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The functions make it really cool, and it's a cool-looking watch as well, so it's quickly become a favorite in my collection.

Two minor suggestions for improvement, which resulted in a missing star for Quality and Dial:

  1. The bezel moves a tad too freely, as bumping it will move it.

  2. I would have preferred the hour & minute hands done in black, for more contrast.

I definitely recommend this watch if you're in the market for such, and you can pick one up on Amazon for around $200US. There are several styles available.

UPDATE, 6/11/23: Just got back from a week long beach trip and this is the watch I wore the whole time. Let me explain what I did to it:

  1. It got dunked in the ocean many times.

  2. I sprayed it with aerosol sun block when doing my arms.

  3. It got bumped and knocked during (admittedly) drunken actions.

  4. I showered with it after each day and washed it with soap and water.

In short, it upheld the Timex reputation for toughness and dependability. The suntan spray did not affect the silicone band, nor anything else. I was really pleased with how it performed, the tide function in particular - it was so easy to tell when the next tide was happening. The thermometer was spot on when left on the night stand for a bit (I did mention in my review above that when you wear it you skew the temperature reading, naturally). For the compass, make sure you're not around anything big and metal, it will skew the reading, but I believe any compass is susceptible to that.

In short, this is a GREAT beach watch worthy of your consideration. And this is not the only style, they have others. Check them out!

Cheers! 🍻

-Eric

UPDATE, 6/11/23: Review: Timex Tide/Temperature/Compass/Date Watch

4.6
Yes No
4/5
5/5
4/5
5/5
5/5
  • One distinct button per function
  • All functions work perfectly
  • Design - handsome, purposeful appearance
  • Band nub on the tail to keep it in place
  • Soft silicone band with orange accent is perfect for this application
  • Big orange hand differentiates itself very well as the Function hand
  • Smooth motion of the function hand
  • Bezel rotates a little too easily
  • Hour/minute hands not contrasty enough
Reply
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I just learned something new today.

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Mr.Santana

I just learned something new today.

I didn't even know there was such a thing as a tide watch until recently myself.

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The very definition of a tool watch.

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I have several Casio watches for the same reason but I have to say this is one good looking watch

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Imbriolo12

I have several Casio watches for the same reason but I have to say this is one good looking watch

I agree, the design team earned their money on this one! There are other flavors out there, but this one did it for me.

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Pallet_Fork

I agree, the design team earned their money on this one! There are other flavors out there, but this one did it for me.

I know I’m looking at them now. Looks like they have a more expensive model with a sapphire crystal and with Father’s Day coming up time to drop some hints ( a plus to having 3 working adult children)

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Great features, smart choice, WTG Timex on this one!

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Thanks, I'll be shark fishing, we'll see!

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