The Timex James Brand Expedition collab is interesting. Why? Well it shows Timex are aiming higher in terms of price and spec. The much loved Expedition of old was a quartz watch, famous for its Indiglo lume and very much a rival to a base camp Casio. But this automatic is a different animal.

It has climate change religion cred, in the shape of an ocean waste recycled strap. Then there’s the lightweight titanium case, which gives it some punch when up against adventure watches from Citizen, Seiko and many Indie brands on Kickstarter. There is a sapphire crystal front and back, plus 200m of water resistance, so ideal for those Iron Man events. In short, Timex has upped its game all round.

Inside, there’s a Miyota auto 21 jewel movement, which is known for its reliability. It’s also cheap to replace if something goes wrong and you need to replace it, as you can pick up the Miyota 8215 movement from about £10 online.

The dial is where Timex has put extra effort in. The hands are beautifully cut and lumed. The text and numbers are set in an easily readable font on the bold, snowy white dial plate. Love that date window edging too, nice detail. Taken all round, it has a very Seiko like simplicity to it and this means the Timex Expedition will never really look dated.

So yes, a future classic and at £315 it’s in the ballpark when it comes to 200m titanium watches.

More here.