Customer Reviews

Timex Men's T45601 Expedition E-Instruments Compass Tide Temperature Watch

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This thing is freakin awesome!!! Yes, it is huge. The 1st time I put it on I commented to my wife that it looks like one of our kitchen bowls sitting on my wrist. However, the more I wore it, the more used to it I got, and thus, the more I fell in love with this magnificent watch.

It's hard to tell if the temp gauge is accurate or not, because on my wrist, it appears accurate, but when I take it off and set it on the counter in the same room, it will decrease by about 5 degrees. I wonder if Timex configured the watch to adjust for body heat. Possibly.

The compass does work, and it is accurate, BUT, you must calibrate it correctly or it will not be accurate. Follow the instructions carefully and remember 2 important things. 1st, to get the an accurate reading, the watch (assuming it's on your wrist), MUST be level. And 2nd, if you're close to any electronic device (computer, TV, and yes, a car) it will throw it off a few degrees. I believe the radio waves interfere. I never use the E-tide.

Bottom line: get this friggin thing - you will not be disappointed!

I like this watch. True, it is a tad large per the previous reviewer's comments, I agree.

So perhaps I may provide some measurements for others considering the purchase to put this comment into perspective:
Watch Face Diameter: approx 45.0mm
Watch Body Depth: approx 11.5mm
Leather Strap Width: approx 24.0mm

I found the instructions to be a tad terse but complete (they are provided in several languages though which is good). The calibration of the compass function is easy enough. Instructions indicate the warranty can be extended several years with an additional fee of $5.00 following purchase.

I think it's an attractive watch, and easy for me to see. I like the Indigo back-light feature.

Personally, I'm not sure I'll use the Tide prediction function that much as I don't sail and only find myself at the beach with family once a year. But I didn't buy it for that purpose. Mainly I wanted it for the combination of time, date, temp and compass functions, and wanted something analog, not digital. I also wanted something easy for me to read, and something that was a bit different.

The only thing requiring a bit of getting used to is the fact that the combination: Compass, Tide and Temp indicator hand is two-sided (spanning the inside diameter of the watch face) and it could be visually confused with the Hours, Minutes and Seconds hands, specially at night. So, if you think about it, there are what appears to be 5 pointers extending from the center of the watch dial.

I'm glad I purchased this watch for myself.

I love this watch but am having problems with it. I've had it for a couple of months now and am experiencing problems. It's attractive, albeit somewhat heavy on the wrist. Because it is heavy it has a strong tendency to slide towards the underside of your wrist making it uncomfortable at times.

I look at it more as a tool than a watch and use all its features. The tide indicator is great, but requires frequent, weekly, adjustment. This would be the case with any tidewatch as they are set to advance on a consistent schedule. Actual tides are not consistent like that. They depend on moon position, wind changes and other weather related factors which a watch cannot monitor.

The temperature feature works well and is accurate, but you must remove the watch from your wrist otherwise the readings are off by some 15 or more degrees due to one's body heat being transferred through the bezel. The compass, after calibration which is easy enough to do, is quite accurate.

The problem that I am having is that the watch periodically stops for perhaps as long as 10 to 30 minutes. I will be sending it in for repair and hope that this issue can be resolved favorably. I did, for $5, purchase the extended 5 year warrantee and I'm glad that I did.

I get lots of compliments on this watch. It is heavier than average, but it looks nice and has a quality leather strap. Press the compass button and the needle points north. Press the temperature button and the needle indicates temperature, although this function works best if you remove the watch from your wrist, otherwise your body heat will affect the reading.

I'll give a brief history of how I ended up buying this watch. While browsing at watches in a jewelry store, I saw and immediately wanted a Tissot T-touch Expert because it looked like a great new toy. It has a touch sensitive crystal and 6 functions - altimeter, barometer, thermometer, chronograph, alarm, and compass. My current watch only had alarm and chrono, and the idea of having a compass and altimeter on my wrist at all times seemed like a great idea for camping and hiking. The other functions are just cool. The downside - $1,100 retail price tag!

So, being the frugal shopper that I am, I searched Amazon for cheaper watches with similar functions. The best choice I could find was this Timex Tide/Temp/Compass watch, and based on several online reviews I was at first a bit hesitant, but for the Amazon price of $105 I decided it was worth a chance. I've been very satisfied with my purchase, and now about 6 months later I felt the need to write my own review to give some perspective on the functions as some complaints almost kept me from buying this watch.

First, the thermometer is not going to give you ambient temp when it is sitting on your wrist. It's simple physics, deal with it! Several reviewers complained that it is not accurate. It may seem strange, but I don't expect the outside temp display on my vehicle to be accurate either after baking in the sun for 4 hours, until I drive a while and let it get a good reading. Same applies to this watch. Every time I pick it up to put it on after leaving on the nightstand for a while, it gives me accurate room temp. I imagine it would be fairly accurate in water as well, but I haven't tried that and it's not recommended to push the buttons while submerged anyway. It also adjusts very quickly to change in temp.

Second, the Indiglo backlight. Several reviewers complained that it was worthless and does not illuminate the watch enough to read the dial. Please note that this only applies to the black models! I have the one with a leather band and beige dial, and it is as bright as anyone would ever need, just like I remember from cheaper Timex Indiglo watches in the past. Several models have white, beige, or other light colors and brightness will not be a problem. If you want bright, don't buy a black one.

Third, the compass. It does work well, but it is very sensitive to movement (must be very level to be accurate) and it probably drains the battery quite a bit if you use it often. This all seems rather acceptable to me though. Have you ever used a regular compass? They are also sensitive to level, so that's not really an issue. After about 6 months and quite a bit of messing around with the functions, my battery is not dead yet, so I'm not sure how big the impact is. I am hoping to get at least a year or two out of it, but at around $5 for a Timex battery I'll take what I can get. Batteries for Swiss watches (my old one is a Swiss Military Hanowa) run $45 at the mall stores where I live.

Fourth, the Tide Clock. The Tide clock may seem a bit strange, but I finally had a chance to use it last week while on vacation at the beach and it does work fairly well if you want to keep track of the tides (maybe for optimum fishing or surfing, I don't know?). You can just adjust to local tides where you are, then it runs something like 50 mins slow per day or whatever the average tide swing comes out to be.

So, is this watch "as cool" as the Tissot? No, it has only half the functions and only the Timex name on the dial. Is it worth the money - an absolute yes. I get compliments on this watch all the time. It is a bit large, but that's the current style and it looks rugged with the stainless construction.

Complaints? Just one, and that is the band. I picked this version (T45601) because I thought it looked the best for my style. The leather is starting to look dried out and I really wish I had a stainless bracelet with black trim like the T45781 model. It would match this watch perfectly, and the only reason I didn't buy that model was because I didn't like the look of the white face. The real tragedy though, is that I can't seem to buy the band that I want because Timex apparently doesn't sell them individually. I've tried their website several times over the last few months and searched the web, but no luck so far. The availability of replacement bands for the E-expedition series would have given this review 5 stars instead of 4. I hope this review helps others who are interested in buying one of these "very nice watches for the money".

Hey, I love knowing what the tide is doing (I fish)! This watch keeps me up to date on that. If you want the correct temp, you have to take the watch off, but the compass works very well. The watch has a really big dial, nice color on the dial & has indiglo, the 3/8th inch thickness makes it a nice looking time piece too.
Glad I bought it & bought 4 more for my friends for Xmas!

It was time for a watch. I'd been reading about GPS and compass watches, and came across this one that was very reasonably priced considering what it delivers.

So far I have to say it's been "OK".

Pros:
I like the size of the watch (yes, it's huge), and it rides comfortably on my wrist. The compass seems to work well enough, although it must be carefully calibrated away from any interfering signals or metallic objects. The tide clock is OK but you need to update it weekly to account for small changes in the moon cycle - not a problem, and it came in handy on boat trips in tidal zones.

Cons:
The thermometer just doesn't work well. I can live with it reading a few degrees high when its on my wrist, but even after sitting overnight on my bureau it registers a good 10 degrees hotter than actual. I can buy a 5 dollar thermometer that does a better job than this! At night, and sometimes during the day, the extra "hands" can make it hard to tell the time at a glance. You have to study the watch a bit to make sure you are not looking at the compass/tide/temp indicator. These are really minor quibbles, but buyer beware. But the one thing that really bothered me was the fact that the small rod that holds the watch to the band has worked loose after only a couple of weeks, and it looks like a new part will be required. It's disappointing to find such a fundamental bit of hardware on a not-inexpensive watch failing so soon.

So in the end, I like it. I think it's good looking, and it certainly keeps time well. The extra features are fun and occasionally useful. I'd buy another one.

Works as advertised, but it's BIG!! 1-3/4" dia. 1/2" thick
the band is like a belt, 1" wide.
You need to have a big wrist to wear it. I may mount mine on
the console of my boat, seriously.

I'm an average sized guy and this watch is HUGE on my wrist - prospective buyers should take this into consideration... I love the design and the features, however it definitely looks awkward on my wrist and I am not sure how often I will actually wear it. It is also heavier than a "normal" watch. I suppose it needed to be this big, as if the watch face was any smaller then sacrifices would have to have been made with all of the little markings for the compass, temperature, and tide readings. Oh well, I did not pay full manufacturer's price so I guess I shouldn't complain, but this is not the "everyday" watch that I hoped it would be.

Timex Men's Expedition E-Instruments Compass Tide Temperature Watch #T45601
When You're Fishing...Who checks the time?.. BUT, having run aground a few times & replacing bent props... I decided I needed something reliable, that I could readily & easily check to make sure I had enough water to to get home!
Tide Tables, Time Clocks..Leave them at home! This thing comes with you!
Once set up to your local tides, this instrument stays accurate..(Periodic checks & adjustment may be necessary to compensate for minor moon, coastal & weather 'blips')
The other excellent features work too..
Compass is accurate..(satnav confirmed)
Temperature feature.. tends to read high..but acceptable &.. if you can read it..You're not Hypothermic!
Date..Luminescent Hands & Hours..Indiglo Backlight....
Looks Great if you like 'LARGE' watches, but really comfortable to wear..& certainly inspires people to pass comment...........
OH! AND IT TELLS THE TIME!
I Love It!!!.. One of the best 'MARINE' instruments I own!!!
Buy One.. & I'll bet you'll want to buy another!!!