Is Timex’s Expedition 38mm The Best Budget Titanium Model?

About 6 months ago, my family all pitched in to buy my dad a new watch. He’s retired and spends his days either doing gardening work or volunteering on the local steam railway. He’d previously worn my old Seiko 5 mechanical as his daily, but had started to get frustrated by it gaining a few minutes a day. We therefore opted to pick him up the Timex Expedition 38mm, with a titanium case and quartz movement, and I thought I’d quickly review it here…

The first thing you notice, of course, is the light weight. It feels like air. This watch uses a grade two titanium case, the lightest of the set of titanium grades, paired with a simple quartz movement, which itself is also lightweight compared to a metal mechanical movement. So the result is strikingly light.

The second thing you notice is the overall look. Its technically a field watch for lack of a bezel or complication beyond a simple date window, but has the boxy case and crown guards of a diver. The case and bezel are a natural titanium, which looks like a satin sandblasted finish, giving the watch a very utilitarian and bare-bones look.

This simple layout means that what stands out is the forest green dial and punchy yellow hands and accents. This particular colour combination evokes nature and adventure while also matching the palette of outdoor and camping gear. But to me, it evokes old Lotus F1 liveries.

For a day-to-day watch, it’s almost unbeatable. Titanium means it wears effortlessly; in fact, you almost forget it's there. Quartz means it stays accurate and requires no maintenance or winding, so the screw-down crown can stay screwed in for good. And although enthusiasts tend to hate on a date window, I’d argue it’s a more useful complication than we’re giving it credit for. Oh, and a full sapphire crystal means you don’t have to worry about banging it around a bit.

You could wear this watch, and only this watch, every day of your life, and I suspect my dad will. It’s a real GADA watch (that’s go-anywhere-do-anything).

Movement: quartz

Case: 38mm grade 2 titanium case with a natural bead-blasted finish and screw-down crown (12.5mm thick, and 46mm lug-to-lug).

Crystal: Sapphire

Water resistance: 200 meters

Strap: 20mm, eco-friendly leather strap made from LWG-certified Italian leather, with quick-release spring bars.