A classic piece of overlanding advice is “Don’t take anything that you would be devastated to lose.” So while we get the appeal of a fancy wrist-watch that is worth as much as a new Tacoma, it makes more sense to leave that at home and bring something functional and affordable instead. Timex has always understood this concept, and it remains the inspiration behind their Expedition and Adventure series of watches. These are good-looking, rugged, functional timepieces that skip the bling, and focus instead on useful features in an understated appearance.
We’ve been long-term testing two of them for the last year, the “Expedition Metal Field” ($53) and the “Adventure Tide Temperature Compass” ($170).
The Field watch is a low-profile classic with only the basics: easy to read display, Indiglo lighting, and a clear date window.
The Tide Temperature Compass Watch includes those three functions along with date and indiglo lighting.
We’ve taken them on thousands of miles of adventures, over three continents, and we haven’t been easy on them. We’ve froze them, banged them, dropped them, and tried to drown them. From kayaking to rock climbing, desert racing to mountaineering, they’ve taken everything we could throw at them and shrugged it all off.
Would we recommend one of these for a trip around the world? Absolutely.
Will you be devastated if you lose one? Given the reasonable price – not at all.