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Initial Report November 21, 2009

 

Product Information and Description Product: Timex Expedition WS4 Wide Screen 4 Function Watch Manufacturer: Timex Year of Manufacture: 2009 Manufacturer Website: www.TimexExpedition.com Listed Weight: None Measured Actual Weight: 2.95 oz (84 g) Listed Case Width: 50 mm (1.97 in) Case Width Actual Measurements: 48 mm (1.89 in) Watch Lens Actual Dimensions: 38 mm x 25 mm (1.50 in x 0.98 in) measured at the widest point Available Colors: White, Orange, Blue, Yellow, Black/Orange. Black/Gray Color Tested: Black/Gray MSRP: $200.00 US Warranty: 1 year limited warranty (U.S. only)

The Expedition WS4 came packed in a box that noted to be designed and produced to reduce environmental impact. It came with a 147 page user manual (in English, French and Spanish) that is small enough to fit in my pocket and a pocket guide that is larger than the user's manual. Hum. The WS4 has an oversized wide screen rectangular shape display versus a circular display found with many of the watches on the retail market. And boy is it ever oversized! The large face follows the shape of my arm due to the rectangular shape. It is easy for me to read the display since it is so large and the text is in a large font. I can even read it without my glasses on. The acrylic lens has orange markings on it for the clock; a squared off area for the time and the main function displayed; and the words altimeter, barometer, thermometer and compass in letters I can barely read on the left side of the face. On the steel top plate of the watch is the word "TIMEX" on the bottom and a logo for the expedition series on the top just above the lens. The watch case is made of a durable and lightweight resin.

The band is 1.25 in (3.17 cm) wide and is made of resin. It has the words expedition embossed on it along the side of the buckle type fastener. Expedition is also embossed on the strap holder slide. The fastener is a traditional buckle type, which is metal. The strap is held on with four screws and it can be removed and replaced with a fabric type of strap if I wish.

The case of the watch has three buttons on the right side. One round button in the center is for the INDIGLO night-light feature. The other buttons are rectangular shaped and are "start/split" and "stop/reset". There are two rectangular buttons on the left side are "set" and "mode".

Main Features of the Expedition WS4:

• Altimeter- displayed in meters or feet; tracks current, peak, and accumulated altitude; graph display over 36 hours
• Barometer- tracks sea level pressure changes in a graph over 36 hours; tracks high, low, and current pressure
• Compass (digital headings and digital needle with adjustable compass declination angle)
• Thermometer (displayed in Fahrenheit or Celsius)
• Weather conditions
• Time and date function (two times zones can be set) also has a 12 hr or 24 hr time setting
• Date display in MM-DD or DD.MM formats
• Both a digital and analog clock
• Hourly chime and button beep are optional settings
• Daily alarm (has daily, weekday, weekend settings and a 5 minute backup alert)
• Water resistant to 50 m (164 ft) if one of the buttons is pressed underwater it compromises its waterproof properties
• Screw down battery (CR2430)
• 100 hour chronograph with lap and split times
• 24 hour countdown timer
• INDIGLO night-light with NIGHT-MODE feature
• Target altitude setting and altitude alarm
• Activity review (captures lows, highs, and adventure averages)

Testing Locations

Performance in the Field

While mountain biking at night and at base camp I found the INDIGLO night feature handy that I could press any button and the screen would like up for a few seconds. The INDIGLO light is a blue/green color that is not overly bright or harsh on the eyes. All the information on the screen can be easily read using the light. The night feature only lasts 7 to 8 hours and when stuck in a tent for 11 hours I forgot to reset it. However, I just pressed the INDIGLO button.

I used the timer of the watch for timing pouched food cooking times. I also used it randomly to time non-eventful activities (like if something was going to start in 10 minutes or turn around time). I was able to hear the chime with no difficulty. It is faint but I was alert so I could hear it. The standard timer setting has 8 sets of chimes and then it stopped. I also set the timer up on repeat so that it repeats the timer and chimes 8 times until STOP is pressed. I would like to see the timer function that it also chimes without repeating the timer until STOP is pressed.

Now for the alarm. While backpacking I had the watch in my sleeping bag because while not wearing the watch, the screen display was fading and the refresh between the screens was slow in the cold temperatures, around 25 F (-4 C). When I had the watch on my arm the screen was no longer fading and the performance was improved. It got down to 17 F (-8 C) outside and I am unsure of the actual temperature inside the tent. I did not want to wear the watch while sleeping due to the large face and possibly poking myself in my eyes. I set the alarm for Monday at 6 a.m. and I never heard it. There is supposed to be a backup alarm in 5 minutes, but I did not hear that either. I set the alarm for one time at 7 a.m. and I heard that alarm. I may not have heard the first alarm because I was in a deep sleep, the watch was in my sleeping bag, or the chime was faint. I am the type of person that needs two alarms blaring to wake up.

I used the altimeter setting to set a base location, and a known elevation (used for calibration on the trip). The altitude alarm gives a chime and a screen display when the targeted altitude is reached. I used this to set the peak point on a mountain biking trail. The altitude does change slightly overnight and this is typical of altimeters when there is a change of barometric pressure. I found it helpful to set an altitude reference point for camp so the altitude can be calibrated easily. It took me a few tries to get this working correctly in the field because I did not have the reference manual with me. This set up is not as intuitive as the basic watch setting. But, Timex provided a pocket guide with the directions that I should have carried with me. At least the first time.

I did not find the 36 hour display of the altitude very helpful. I used the activity review instead. The 36 hour graph was spanned over such a long period of time that it did not appear that I made significant gains during activities that were short in duration.

I found the temperature reading to be accurate when the watch was not worn on my wrist or in direct sunlight. The temperature increased from 10 to 25 degrees when worn on my wrist. This can be expected. It took about 15 minutes for the watch to read the correct temperature when it was removed from my arm and placed in the shade.

At times the weather function was not accurate. This is based off the barometric pressure. I did not need to rely on this data on my backpacking trip. I just laughed saying "It is going to rain".

I am happy with the functions of the Timex WS4. I just wish it was slightly smaller. If I do not need a GPS on trips this watch suits all my needs. I have yet to change the battery even since it has been exposed to temperatures below freezing.

Testing Locations

Mt. San Jacinto State Park, California: This was a snowshoeing day trip with windy conditions. The high elevation was 9,400 ft (2,865 m). The high temperature was around 48 F (9 C). The watch was worn here over a quilt type of jacket/shell.

Orchard Hills, California :This was a night hike on Irvine Ranch Conservancy Land. The low temperature was in the 50's F (15 C). The watch was worn here over my quilt jacket.

Whiting Ranch, California: The watch was worn here on a two day hikes. The temperatures were in the 60's F (16 C).

Peters Canyon, California:The watch was worn here after work for two day hikes. The temperatures were in the low 70's F (21 C).

St. George, Utah: The watch was worn after mountain biking. The high temperature was in the high 50's F (15 C).

Performance in the Field

I thought I would become more familiar with the digital compass. I was lost in the snow again this year at Mt. San Jacinto State Park. My friend and I were prepared this time with a working GPS unit. But, I thought I would use the digital compass feature to try to navigate in the correct direction. The compass was indicating south and I know for a fact I was facing west, because I was facing the sun set. I could not get an accurate reading. I even compared it with a standard compass that my friend had. What bugs me with the compass is that it can not be locked on. It turns off after 30 seconds. I then have to press start to use the compass again. I have calibrated the compass a few times by following the instructions in the manual, so I do not know why my readings are not accurate. I used it three times for orientation purposes at Orchard Hills on a night hike. Two out of the tree times it was correct. I determined this by using the stars (Orion) for directional purposes.

I had the opportunity to use the watch in a different time zone. It was simple to set up the other time zone beforehand and then switch the watch to the current time zone I was in. The watch can be set for no more than two time zones. I found this feature also handy for day light savings time that occurred on March 14 th. Since the additional time zone I set for the watch was an hour earlier, and that is what I needed for daylight savings time; I just set the watch to my other time zone instead of resetting the time.

I compared the barometric pressure to local weather stations and NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). It was very close to the recorded barometric pressure at these sites, it was only off by .02 to .06 in Hg. But, the recorded referenced data was not at my exact location, sometimes a few miles away. I am happy with the accuracy of the barometric pressure reading on the Timex WS4.

The watch became wet after I dropped it in a puddle while hiking at Whiting Ranch. I was changing my layering system and I had to take off the watch. And there it went into the puddle. It worked perfectly fine after becoming wet. The puddle was not very deep. It did not go over the tops of my shoes.

On my night hike at Orchard Hills people were asking me what time it was. It was dark out since the moon did not rise yet at that point. I know the location of the INDIGLO button from memory and I was able to easily locate it and let them know what time it was. Plus the button is silver so I can see it more easily than the black buttons in dim light. It would be nice if the button had a dim glow at night. The INDIGLO button is rounded and has a different texture than the other buttons. So, it is easy for me to find it by touch.

I think the weather forecast function is more of a novelty. I am finding that it is not very accurate. The watch can be calibrated to reflect the correct weather, but I find that I seldom calibrate the watch this way. I generally know the weather forecast before heading out on my trip, and sometimes that is not very accurate. I just tend to look at the sky to have an accurate weather forecast.

I wish there was a clip to hang the WS4 on my backpack instead of strapping it to the pack. I like to know the temperature when I am hiking and when I wear the watch on my wrist, the temperature is inaccurate because it is also getting heat from my body. When it is not worn on my arm it is mostly accurate and may at time only be off a degree or two.

I am still determining if this is the watch for me. I am getting more into tracking additional data with my GPS watch. I will continue to use this on trips that I do not need my GPS watch functionality.

Things That Rock:

• Easy to set up, works out of the box for most functions.
• Large display
• Buttons are easy to press
• I was able to complete a few operations without reading the manual
• Graphs of my trip for elevation and temperature

Things That Are So-So:

• Kind of big (I may actually like the size in the field)
• I can not hear the alarm when I am sleeping
• Manual set of the altitude is not as intuitive as the other settings
• As with many battery operated devices, the performance is diminished in temperatures below freezing

Remarks

This concludes my reporting on the Timex WS4. Thank you Timex and backpackgeartest.org for providing me with the opportunity to test this product.