Customer Reviews

Timex Expedition WS4 Widescreen 4-Function Watch (Orange/Black)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Let me say the good things that I love from this watch.
1) The weather report is very accurate
2) The size is the same of a suunto, the only difference is that one is square and the other is circular.
3) The temperature feature is very accurate, and when you remove it from your hand, in a matter of 3 minutes shows the real temperature.
4) The barometer works great.
5) The altimeter is very very accurate! The only bad thing is that it update very slowly.

The only bad thing is that the watch screen can get scratched very easy.

I was shopping for a good outdoors watch for hiking. For the money - the WS4 has it all! I love the layout (call me a geek) and I am wearing it every day. In fact, a lot of people stare at the watch - lord knows what they're thinking. LOL. Anyway, when the WS4 arrived, I read the instructions but couldn't get it to recognize my altitude. I set the home location - but that didn't seem to work. I double checked the weather setting and that had no effect. I read some blogs and finally decided to have it replaced. Amazon immediately shipped a new one but after it arrived, it had the same problem. What were the odds of receiving two defective watches? I decided to dig a little deeper online - until I found an obscure blog about "hard setting" the watch. I had no idea that after I set my home location or the weather that it needed to be hard set. After setting a feature - simply hold the Stop/Reset button until it beeps - and you're hard set.

My only complaint is the instruction booklet. It's not in-depth enough for this advanced model - and if you're over 40 (like me) - pull out your magnifying glass - because you're going to need it. The booklet was written for ants or 20 years olds:-)

I've used the watch on a few hikes I know really well - and I'm astounded by how accurate it is. Activate the chronograph while hiking and it keeps a fantastic record of your hike (time and elevation / differential).

The watch in all is a good watch. It lives up to expectations but the compass failed within 1 month of purchase. I sent the watch back in for repairs and have not received it back yet but customer service was really decent. I think personally that it is as accurate as some of the several suunto's that I own. Except for the compass issue it seems to be a great deal.

I have been using the balck version of this WS4 watch in Denver, Colorado for a week now and have found the altimeter to be very accurate. I calibrated it at the mile high stairs on the capitol steps elevation marker for 5,280 feet, and drove to Estes Park. At the 2 mile high marker it was only off by 5 feet (should have read 10,560 feet but read 10,565 feet), drove to the gift shop close to 8,000 feet (can not remember the exact elevation) and it was only off by one foot at their elevation sign, and then drove back to the capitol steps in Denver where it was exactly where it should have been at 5,280 feet. Calibrate it on the day of your adventure like you are suppose to and it is very accurate and a pleasure to use.

This watch its not just A watch, is The Watch. I had before several items from this category and I know what I'm saying. Those people who were disappointed, (I'm sorry guys), but this happens if somebody doesn't know how to use a watch like this. As soon as I got it, I calibrated the compass and I compared with a professional tool, a GPS and was very accurate right from the beginning. the other functions responded as well as the compass. So this is the watch for adventurers !
I recommend this watch to others

P.S.: Two of my friends already ordered.

Anything else I don't know what to say, because also the shipping of this item was more quick than I expected. I can say sincerely and simple, Thank You to to all who made me happy!

I have owned the watch for about a week now and enjoy it. The screen is large and easy to read, all the information on one screen is very convenient. I own a Suunto Core and Vector, both are great watches but the Timex is a suprisingly good competitor. Its so much easier to operate then the others and has a little more style to it. The weather feature works well and setting up the watch was pretty easy. It does not come calibrated like the Suunto but you need to recalibrate all ABC watches pretty regularly for accuracy.
If you like the looks its a great choice, if you want something a little more standard looking I would recommend the Suunto Core.

Its a bit hard to read sometime, numbers are made of dots. Night light only helps in very dark conditions. Easy to set. Thermometer is all but useless since you have to take it off to get an accurate reading. Comfortable to wear even though large.

overall i like the watch very much. the altimeter is accurate and the compass works great. the thermometer works well when you take it off (normal since the body temp affects the sensor). i like a big watch so this is perfect (initially i thought it might be too big even for my likes but i got used to it). my only complaint is that the excess watch band comes out of the plastic holder constantly. still would recommend it though for the price.

This watch (at least mine) would not stay calibrated. With a steady calibrated barometric pressure reading the altimeter readings continue to fluctuate when remaining at the same altitude. Buy the basic Casio PAW40, I did. Disappointed and I collect watches and love Timex but this one I could not recommend. Sent it back. The Casio works great!

This is my third time redoing this review, and that is because my opinion has changed drastically from initial purchase to now. I wanted to think so highly of this watch because of some of the reviews as well as the marketing behind this watch.

I really wanted a good ABC watch, as this is my first entry into this genre of watches. I love their concept, and I love the outdoors. The Timex Expedition WS4 at $125 (Black/Green model) appeared to be a decent entry-level watch in comparison to the competition (Casio, Suunto) and I tried to do as much homework as possible before making my decision.

The Pros:
+ Comfort
+ Size & Styling
+ Screen & Interface

The styling, interface, and size is what pulled me into this model and made it more appealing over the Casio brand. It seemed really easy and clean and that is what I like. I have even included photographs of me wearing the watch in the customer images and although it appears big in the photograph I don't think it looks that way personally on my wrist. The interface is pretty easy to go through although to calibrate for certain things you do have to scroll through the various menus instead of going to the specific menu of that item you are trying to calibrate. (IE, to correct altitute you cannot go to the altimeter menu, but have to go through the calibration menu>manual altimeter) Although this isn't a deal breaker it is a little bit of a nuisance if you have to adjust frequently; which sadly I have had to do because of the extreme inaccuracy of this watch.

The Cons:
- Altimeter
- Barometer
- Weather Report

The altimeter is really easy to set up, and I think it is on par with the casio brand in that it takes about 2 minutes to update. Sadly, that is no fun and it doesn't even update per +/- ft. IE, you can be at 500ft and 2 minutes later you traverse a 10 ft hill and it can still say 500ft no matter how long you leave it there. I think this also is affected by the Barometer which cannot be changed no matter what I've tried. Local barometer is reading 29.80, I set it to 29.80 but it still wants to say 29.05-30. I do not think this is a flaw because I have even had the watch exchanged and still the same exact results. Even with two identical watches and the same exact settings, both had separate readings. The weather report is consistantly off. Sunny when it's cloudy, raining when it's sunny... etc.

The inbetween:
~ Compass
~ Thermometer

The reason these are not cons nor pros is the fact that although they seem to work, they have disappointing issues. The thermometer will give what appears to be a good reading but I had to have it off wrist for over 30 minutes. The manual says 15-30 minutes off wrist but that didn't appear to be my case. The compass is very finicky. I can hold it steady and point in a direction, and as I begin to move in said direction it can quickly move about +/- 100 mills. I expect it is extremely sensitive to any metals but also if you tilt the watch in any way it will also show ridiculous results. I have not tested this against a standard compass as far as accuracy but perhaps when needed it will prove somewhat useful.

The Verdict:

I really want to love this watch. I love the look of it, I just wish the functions were more accurate. The look and feel of this watch are pretty awesome but I can't see paying $125 + tax for a watch that doesn't work as advertised... I have some time to decide whether or not I want to keep it or return it for a refund; but if I do keep it it will be on the basis of the looks and the fact that it does keep time too, and not because of it's horrible ABC functions.