After trying a lot of watch brands over the years, I have found that few come anywhere close to matching the value of the Timex Expedition ones. This is especially true if you like analog watches rather than digital ones. Now Timex has come out with one that is an altimeter watch, but still retains the hands instead of a display. This Expedition E-altimeter model feels like a hand-crafted analog watch instead of something cranked out on an Asian production line.

Some altimeter watches, like the Casio PAW-2000 one I reviewed earlier, tell you your altitude, but they also throw in a whole bunch of other features that may or may not be useful. On this E-altimeter one, you don’t have so many buttons to mess with because the functions have been kept in check: time, Indiglo illumination, altimeter, and a second hand. (If you want the full-blown feature set, go for the E-Tide Temp Compass line, which has high and low tide, temperature, and compass readings.)

This is one rugged and hefty-feeling watch—as in 10 ounces on your wrist. This probably makes it better for mountaineering, trekking, or skiing than something like rock climbing. Made in Germany with engineered analog parts, this is no throwaway timepiece. It’s water-resistant to 100 meters and has a stainless steel case with mineral glass crystal.

The altimeter has an operating range of -400 to 25,000 feet (-120 to 7,600 meters). It can record high and low altitudes within a specific time period. You need to read the instruction manual to calibrate the altitude and figure out the display mode for the altitude, plus you can set it to read in either feet or meters.

Basically, to read the altitude, you look at where two different hands end up, one for every 1,000, one for the hundreds. This may be a little more cryptic than a simple digital display, but it sure looks less geeky when you’re wearing it around outside of base camp. The one I have been trying has the yellow strap pictured at the top, but there are other choices like the black strap one pictured to the side, as well as ones with a metal or leather strap. All retail for less than $200, with prices dipping down to around $160 for some variations.

This is a large and heavy watch with heft, priced a good hundred bucks above some other Expedition models, but the altimeter performed very accurately in my tests and the E-altimeter watch looks and feels like something costing much more. Consider this a high-end adventure watch at not such a high price.

See more at the Timex E-altimeter site.

Get it at Amazon in a yellow silicone strap style, a black silicone strap style, or a leather strap on a cream and silver version.

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