Replacing Watch Batteries on Timex Expedition and Timex Elevated Classic Watches

I recently revived a couple of my favorite Timex watches.  It was time for long overdue watch battery replacements for my Timex Expedition Vintage Metal watch and my Timex Elevated Classic.  Fortunately, they both used the same battery.

A Timex Expedition Watch with the caseback popped off revealing the battery.

Steps for Replacing a Timex Expedition Watch Battery

The steps in replacing a watch battery for a simple watch like the Timex Expedition are simple and straight forward:

1. Pop the caseback off.
2. Remove the dead battery.
3. Place the new battery in the watch.
4. Check to make sure the second hand is moving.
5. Press the caseback back onto the watch.

Timex Expedition Vintage Metal - A Military-Style Watch

What kind of watch battery does a Timex Expedition Vintage Metal watch use?

The venerable CR-2016 watch battery.  Fortunately, it's a relatively large battery, easy to handle, and commonly found in retail stores or on Amazon.

What kind of watch battery does a Timex Elevated Classic watch use?

Also, the CR-2016 watch battery.

What kind of tools do you need to replace a watch battery?

While replacing watch batteries is relatively easy, it really helps to have some specialized tools.  To pop the caseback off, you need a stout little blade to find an indent and use as a lever to pop it off.  Watch repair kits like this one on Amazon, usually have such a blade to make easy work of the job.

Watch Press Case Setback Tool

Another tool that really helps is a Watch Press Case Setback Tool.  It can be easy to pop off a watch caseback, but pressing it back on again without a tool can be an extreme challenge.  

Drawbacks to Replacing Your Own Watch Battery

The biggest problem I find in replacing a watch battery is that you can scratch up the back of the watch trying to pry off the caseback. You also need a special wrench to remove casebacks on diver-style watches.  It can sometimes be difficult to find the right replacement watch battery. If a watch is expensive, you may want to take the watch to a watch repair shop for professional assistance.

For more details, check out this post on how to replace a watch battery.

Watch Wearing Wednesday: Citizen Weekender Eco-Drive Sport Watch

Sometimes a simple watch is the most wearable of watches.  My Citizen AR Weekender Eco-Drive Sport Watch is a simple pleasure to wear.  With hassle-free solar power, light weight, perfect proportions, and great style, this Weekender is a pleasure in every way.  I find it to be a very easy grab-n-go watch.  You can read my full review here on this blog.

The Citizen AR-series Weekender Eco-Drive Sport Watch

If you'd like to own one of these impressive everyday watches, you can find them here on Amazon.

Wristwatch Review: the Men's Timex Expedition Core Analog Watch

A Tough Looking Timex for Daily Wear

The Timex Expedition Core Analog Watch provides the dark and dangerous looks of a professional military or divers watch in an affordable Timex package that costs less than $50.

[My review originally appeared on the now defunct Associated Content / Yahoo Voices site. However, since I've been gushing about this watch since 2012 and it is still available at a low price on Amazon, I'm reprinting it here.] 

Timex Expedition Core Resin Quartz Watch
Are you old enough to remember Timex Watch commercials? The venerable watch company's slogan was always that "it takes a ticking and keeps on ticking." It's been a long time since I've seen a television commercial where a Timex gets strapped to an outboard engine and dunked in a tank of water for a high rpm spin. But, some Timex watches still look tough enough to take that challenge. One example is the Timex Expedition Core Analog Watch.

I chose the Timex Expedition Core Analog Watch because it provides the dark and dangerous looks of a professional military or divers watch in an affordable Timex package. The watch itself has a 42-millimeter diameter black resin case that is about 11 millimeters thick. A durable resin band with a belt-style fastener secures the watch to your wrist. The case back is stainless steel. Contrast is provided by very readable white numbers that stand out against a jet black dial. Large numbers are placed at the 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 o'clock positions. Small numbers inboard of the primary numbers provide the 24-hour or military time (14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, and 22 are marked). At the 3 o'clock position a small window provides the date with black numbers on a white background.

The bezel has diver-style markings with pale blue numerals denoting the minutes in ten minute intervals. Unfortunately, the bezel does not rotate which undermines the use of this watch for timing. I really like functional, rotating, bezels especially on a watch that looks this purposeful. This Timex has water resistance down to 50 meters. The durable resin band is flexible, but not as soft as many watches with increasingly popular silicone bands. Like all Timex Expedition watches, the Core Analog Watch has Indiglo lighting technology. You simply push the crown to illuminate the face of the watch. I found that this feature works very well.

The main appeal of this watch is its para-military styling. The black case, band, and markings are similar to watches costing hundreds and even thousands of dollars more. If you aren't jumping out of planes, hunting down terrorists, or diving to the bottom of the sea, this Timex should certainly look good and accurately provide you with the time and the date. Since the crystal is recessed within the bezel, it should be protected from at least some minor lickings that might occur during daily wear.

Overall, I like the Timex Expedition Core Analog Watch. It's a tough, good looking, watch for an affordable amount of money. I only wish the bezel rotated! Then, it would be perfect.  

[If you'd like to get this watch, it is still available in 2024 on Amazon here in 2024.]

Watch Wearing Wednesday: Tommy Hilfiger Dive-Style Watch

For this Wednesday's watch, I'm wearing a Tommy Hilfiger Diver-Style Watch with 24 hour clock and date subdials.  It's a great quartz watch that hits a lot of buttons for me.  This model appears to have been discontinued since I don't see it on Amazon.  This watch has a rotating bezel and subdials for the day, date, and 24 hour time.

Tommy Hilfiger Diver-Style Watch

There are a spectacular array of current Tommy Hilfiger watch models on Amazon.  They all look great and bring a lot of style to the wrist.  You can see Tommy Hilfiger watches for men on Amazon here.

The Tommy Hilfiger Dive-style Watch on the wrist

Here's a shot of the Tommy Hilfiger Dive watch on my wrist.  As you can see, it's a well-proportioned and readable timepiece with a simple design.  It has a thickness that is just right for fitting under the cuff of a long-sleeved shirt.  Definitely worth hunting for this watch.

Wristwatch Review: Timex Men's Ironman Triathlon 30-Lap Oversize Digital Watch (T5K4139J)

A Great Timex Watch - but Doesn't Convey Superpowers! 

[This watch review was originally published on Yahoo Voices back about a decade ago.  But, the watch is still available for a great price on Amazon.]

Ironman. The name evokes images of powerful athletes, superheroes, and an awesome Black Sabbath song. Over the years, Timex Ironman watches have gained a reputation for being tough watches that amateur athletes can depend on. So, when you strap on the Timex Ironman Triathlon 30-Lap Oversize Digital Watch, you certainly feel ready for action. 

Timex Iron Man Triathlon 30-Lap Oversized Digital Watch

 

While you don't gain the ability to fire disruptor rays from your palms, this Ironman watch will allow you to time things, countdown, remember lap times, and remember up to 15 dates.

The plastic watch case of this Ironman watch looks rugged and adventure ready. The bezel is deep blue on black. Yellow is used for the Timex Name and Ironman icon. The function button labels are white in a large, readable, no-nonsense font. The case is well-integrated into the band and extends around your wrist gauntlet style. I think the shape and taper of the case into the band subtly evokes the shape of the comic Ironman's suit or well-defined six-pack abs. But, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. The band itself is blue canvas with black velcro extending along its entire length. The case measures about 1 3/4 inches across and is about 9/16-inches thick. The watch fits my 8 1/2-inch wrists with room to spare. The band measures 15/16-inches wide. 

According to Timex.com, this Timex Ironman has an INDIGLO Night-Light with Night-Mode, a 100-Hour Chronograph with Lap and Split Times, a 30-lap memory recall, a 99-lap counter, a 24-hour countdown timer with stop and repeat, and fifteen date reminders. The watch also appears to have up to three alarms. In truth, as a bit of an analog guy, I find all of that just a little difficult to set up. Fortunately, the small print instructions found in the watch box can be difficult to read. Adobe acrobat versions of the manual are available at Timex.com. I was easily able to set reminders in the watch for birthdays, my anniversary, and holidays. That function alone may save many iron men. While there is an initial learning curve, it's nice to have a watch that offers a wide array of alarms and reminders. The stopwatch itself is actually very easy to start, stop, and reset. 

This Timex Ironman watch looks great, fits great, and offers a lot of features. But, it doesn't offer any superpowers. 

Setting all the Ironman functions aside, I like this watch because it goes with my blue shirts. I also like the streamlined styling of the Timex Ironman a lot more than the clunky looks offered by its Casio-competitor the G Shock. While this watch won't provide any superpowers, it will support a lot of athletic activities and provide lots of useful reminders, alarms, and stopwatch functions. 

Overall, I like the Timex Ironman Tradition 30-Lap Oversize watch. At Walmart, this watch sold for considerably less than the Timex suggested retail price of $50.  

[You can still find this Timex timepiece on Amazon for a similarly great price.]

Watch Photos: LaCoste Club Watch for Men

 As I've been wearing the LaCoste Club watch more often over the last few days, I've had a chance to take a few more photos and capture a little more detail about this watch.  You can read my full review here.

LaCoste Club Watch for Men

LaCoste Alligator Logos on the LaCoste Club Watch

The Crown of the LaCoste Club Watch

You can't have a LaCoste product without the Lacoste Logo.  The LaCoste Club watch is no exception.  The watch features the iconic LaCoste Alligator in a few places on the watch.  One of the most important locations is on the crown.  Under magnification, you can even see a few extra details like the scutes and eyes of the alligator.

The Clasp of the LaCoste Club Watch

Another key area where the logo appears is on the push-button deployant clasp.  The all stainless steel bracelet and clasp is very smooth and comfortable.

I liked that this watch is comfortable and fits my wrist perfectly.

The Caseback and Pushbutton Deployant Clasp

One final place that this watch features the LaCoste Alligator logo is the caseback itself.  I've used a photo from Amazon to show this portion of the watch.  As you can see, the LaCoste logo is prominently featured along with some information about the watch itself.

You can click the link to see more details on Amazon about the LaCoste Club watch for men.  You'll also find some interesting bracelet alternatives.

Watch Review: LaCoste Club Watch for Men

Minimalist watches have been a bit of a trend over the past couple of years.  Brands like MVMT have been on the forefront of minimalist design.  They offer a variety of elegant minimalist designs.  But, you don't see many of their watches in stores.  If you are looking for a minimalist watch from a more familiar brand, you might check out the LaCoste Club Watch.  My wife was fortunate to find this LaCoste watch for me at a Burlington Coat Factory for a fraction of the prices listed on Amazon or traditional department stores.

The LaCoste Club Men's Watch

Watch Features

What can you list as a watch feature on a minimalist watch?  This one features the LaCoste Logo at 12 o'clock and a date window at 6 o'clock.  The hours are market with simple shiny silver batons.

It has an hour hand, a minute hand, and a second hand.  It also has a comfortable band that feels smooth and cool against the wrist.

Most of all, it features a simple and elegant look.  You'll find the LaCoste trademark alligator logo on the dial, the crown, the caseback, and the bracelet clasp.  For more photos of the LaCoste Club watch and these details, bang it here.

The LaCoste Club Watch on a table.

Watch Construction

The LaCoste Club watch features a stainless steel case and bracelet. The dial is protected by a mineral crystal. According to the caseback, the watch has 3 BAR (30 meters) of water resistance.  It's enough water resistance to ward off a little rain and wash your hands.  But, this is a dressy watch for the office or a night out, not a watch for SCUBA diving.

It looks just great on the table at my local P.F. Changs.  As a small drawback, I do find that the watch does tend to collect smudges or fingerprints on the crystal.  But, a quick wipe of a napkin or on a shirt fixes it right up.

Watch Dimensions

A profile view of the watch shows its thin case

The LaCoste Club watch has a 42mm diameter case that appears to be about about 8mm thick.  It's a nice thin watch that would fit under the cuff of his shirt.  The watch bracelet is 20mm wide at the lugs and tapers to about 17mm for the trip around the wrist.

The length of the bracelet is generous and I found that it fit my wrists perfectly without any modification.

These proportions are great for wearing to the office or to functions requiring a long-sleeved dress shirt.

Overall Impression

In general, I really like this watch.  It's a nice lightweight watch with solid construction and a band that feels smooth against the skin.  It's a great value and a heck of a find at the low (sub-$50) price point offered by Burlington.  At conventional retail outlets, the LaCoste Club Watch is still a good watch at current price points.  As a familiar brand, it also checks all the boxes for the minimalist look.  

The bracelet and deployment clasp of the Izod Club Watch