Introducing the James Brand x Timex Expedition North Titanium

Timex has collaborated with The James Brand, makers of knives and other useful tools, on a new watch in their Expedition North collection. The Expedition North collection is a new venture for Timex, but shares DNA with outdoor ready watches that the brand has made since the 1980s. Expedition North watches are built with a clear field watch heritage, and feel like a natural space for these two brands to collaborate. While many of the watches in the Expedition North collection use solar powered quartz movements, the new Times x The James Brand collaboration sports a Miyota automatic movement to give the watch a slightly more premium but still wholly utilitarian feel. Let’s take a closer look. 

The new watch features a 41mm titanium case with a traditional field watch layout, including a 24 hour scale within an interior track. It’s about as simple and classic as it gets, and is easily legible thanks to the high contrast dial accents and generous, stubby, lume filled hands. When we looked at the new Hamilton Khaki Field Automatic Chronograph recently, we lamented that the size was out of step with what we’d expect from a traditional field watch, but Timex has gotten much closer here. A 41mm case is not exactly small, but it’s right in line with modern sizing standards, and it should wear well given the lightweight nature of titanium. The case lines are sleek and simple, and seem to have been designed with a function first mentality, which is exactly what you want in a watch like this.

The James Brand x Timex Expedition North watch is well equipped for the price, outfitted with a sapphire crystal, screw down crown (with a lime green insert and the James Brand logo), and a full 200 meters of water resistance. The watch ships with a nylon strap with tone on tone stitching and matching titanium hardware, and the caseback has a sapphire crystal display window. The watch’s limited edition number is also engraved on the rear side (this is a limited edition of 500 pieces).  

The Timex and The James Brand Expedition North watch is expected to launch on October 5 with a retail price of $349. Timex x The James Brand