With just a single photo and 2 seconds of video, Timex has offered a tantalizing glimpse at its latest watch design. Dubbed the ‘Expedition North,’ these timepieces are aimed at the wrists of green-conscious outdoors enthusiasts.
According to an official statement, the new Timex lineup is slated for a fall 2021 release. The brand calls it “our most sustainable and Earth-friendly collection to date.”
Timex said the line will use 100% recycled paper packaging, a zero-water leather tanning process, and materials made from post-consumer plastic. It also highlighted “durability to last for generations.”
Sounds exciting, right? Unfortunately, that’s where the official information runs out, aside from an oblique shot of the mysterious timepiece. There’s a 13-second Facebook video, in which we catch a glimpse of the watch’s face and case for the aforementioned 2 seconds.
With that info in hand, here’s what I’ve been able to infer from the sneak peeks.
Timex ‘Expedition North’ Watch: What We Know
Despite our brief look, the style of the Expedition North is immediately clear. Timex has opted for a classic field watch design, similar to its long-running Expedition models. But what’s that bit of text on the lower portion of the face? “Solar Powered” — now, that’s interesting!
A solar cell would be the natural choice for an eco-friendly watch, and it’s a welcome upgrade here. It’s also not completely unheard of, as it was seen on a few previous incarnations of the North’s forerunners.
Staying with the dial, we can see that there will be at least two different color schemes available. A white face with black lettering and orange accents shows up in the Facebook video, while the press photo reveals white numerals over a dark blue dial.
Both appear to have similar yellow minute and hour hands, along with a date window at the 3 o’clock position.
Then there’s the strap, which Timex seems particularly proud of. According to the press release, it’s being manufactured with a process that will “save thousands of gallons of water in the tanning and finishing stages.”
What We Don’t Know
While we know the strap material, Timex has been silent on the metal used in the case. At first glance, it appears to be either brushed nickel or some kind of stainless steel.
Similarly, the exact size remains a mystery. Judging by field watch standards, however, this will likely be somewhere at or near 40 mm.
We do get a decent look at the crown, which one would assume carries Timex’s long-running Indiglo technology. If not, perhaps it carries some luminous compound on the hands and numerals. Though, judging by the closeups and the quartz technology, I’d argue that Indiglo is more likely.
So, we have a basic idea of the chassis, as well as what’s running beneath the Expedition North’s hood. But what about water resistance?
Previous solar-powered Expeditions were only available with 50m ratings, just on the low end of adequate. By contrast, most high-end field watches carry a 100m stamp, so it’d be nice to see something similar here.
Timex Expedition Solar Watch Price
And speaking of high-end, here’s the big question: How much will this new, eco-friendly version of the Expedition cost? It’s difficult to speculate, given the absence of details at this point. Is Timex aiming for the premium market, or is it trying to be budget-conscious in addition to being eco-friendly?
For now, the field is wide open. It’ll be interesting to see how things shape up when the Expedition North drops in fall 2021.
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