Timex Expedition Sierra for $89 - A Wrist Watch Review

Timex Expedition Sierra

The last time we were talking to you about Timex, it was for their Timex AdSum collaboration. While we were working to get one in for review, the watch became totally sold out. So, what’s to do? Well, you find a similar-looking model (at least from dial layout) in the catalog, and you pivot to that. So, meet the Timex Expedition Sierra, which we’ve been spending some time with as of late.

Timex AdSum

The main similarity between the AdSum and this Timex Expedition Sierra is the military-style dial, which has the 12-hour scale printed large, and then the 24-hour scale printed smaller, inside of that. The case shape is somewhat similar, though not identical. Here, the case is made of brass, done in a hammered silver-tone finish. Not as robust as steel, but it feels nice on the wrist. One thing to note – a brass case does not muffle the sound of a movement like steel can, so you’ll be hearing the tick-tick of the quartz movement.

Quartz

And yes, it is a quartz movement inside the Timex Expedition Sierra. And you know what? That’s just a-ok. With a watch like this, you know what you’re getting into. I mean, this is the sort of watch I would have gravitated towards back in my high school days. With quartz, it’s just going to keep working and keep accurate, the 40mm case gives a solid wrist presence, and it does the minimum you want a watch to do – tell you the time and the date.

Indigo Backlight

The really great thing about the Timex Expedition Sierra – and it’s brethren – is the Indiglo backlight. This is an electroluminescent backlight that lights up the whole dial, making it a cinch to see the time in the dark, even if the luminous paint on the handset isn’t fully charged. To engage it, you just press the crown, and the light comes on. Release the crown, and the light goes off. This helps to preserve battery life (not that EL is that power hungry, but every little bit helps).

Strap

The Timex Expedition Sierra came on a Nato-style strap, which is certainly one of the more popular styles. With the 20mm lug width, finding another strap to swap in should be an easy thing to do, and it’s an easy way to freshen up the look of the watch.

Price

Something like the Timex Expedition Sierra is an inexpensive ($89) way to put a watch on your wrist that will get the job done, and you’re not going to be worried about banging on through your day. Just be careful with water – the 50m WR rating means it’ll handle hand-washing and getting caught in the rain, you just won’t want to swim with it. If you want to check this one out (or the other color options), just head on over to timex.com