The Timex Expedition WS4 is a multifunction digital watch produced by Timex. In addition to regular timekeeping, it features barometer, altimeter, thermometer, compass, and weather forecast functions. "WS4" stands for "Wide Screen 4 Functions". [1] [2] It was introduced in May 2009. [3]
The watch was field tested by American climber and adventurer Conrad Anker during an expedition to Garhwal Himalaya in 2008. [1] It was number 4 of "7 Best Outdoor Gear Picks for 2009" by Popular Mechanics . [4] The watch is also on the "Seven advanced watches that do more than just tell time" list of The Economic Times . [5]
Its face resembles the rear window of a Land Rover. [6] Its compass function takes into consideration the magnetic declination of a city so that the compass can point to the true North while geolocated in that city. [6]
The watch features a wide screen LCD display designed to show multiple information displays at once without the need to change modes. [1] [4] [5] The reason for that is that during expeditions, the user must be able to see as much information as possible without the distraction of having to press buttons to retrieve the data. [1] Timex calls the display a "multifunction dashboard". [7] [8] The display is also referred to as "widescreen dashboard". [1]
The watch features a barometer whose output is updated every hour in the form of a graphical display. This creates a barometric pressure chart which was used by Conrad Anker during his Himalayan expedition to predict the weather based on the atmospheric pressure trends; if the pressure decreased suddenly with no subsequent upward trend, it was a sign of an approaching storm, while a gradual pressure increase indicated improving weather. [1]
During the pre-product launch testing, Anker suggested several modifications to the design of the watch, such as less sensitive buttons and the creation of a lanyard version which would enable climbers to wear the watch around their neck, keeping their hands free. Timex incorporated Anker's suggestions into the final product design. [1]
The watch has also a review function which displays graphically the variation of parameters such as temperature, pressure, and altitude as a function of time for the duration of an excursion. [2]
The Gizmodo reviewer comments that "Man, I don't even ski and I want this." and that he desires the functionality of the watch "even if [he] can't envision a scenario when [he] would ever use it". [10]
Engadget mentions that "We haven't had a chance to do all the rock climbing, mountain biking, and sumo wrestling we plan on using this watch for, but we already feel stronger, smarter, more aware of the outside temperature, and way better looking. After we take on a crew of zombie Nazis, ride in a barrel over Niagara Falls, and spend 24 hours encased in ice, we'll let you know how it holds up. Until then, enjoy the pics." [11]
Boing Boing comments: "The new Timex Expedition WS4 is a lot of watch: altimeter, barometer, thermometer, chronograph, alarm and compass. It even tells time! It's also unapologetically macho which not venturing too far into the land of overwrought wrist weights." [12]
Popular Mechanics refers to the large display of the watch which makes it easy to read multiple outputs without having to scroll using the mode button and adds that "While this may be useful for climbers who have their hands full gripping cliff faces, it could be just as practical for strap-hanging subway riders who are jammed between fellow commuters". [4]
The New Yorker reviewer calls the watch " [the] can-do Timex Expedition WS4" then goes on to enumerate its functions, concluding that "its face is the shape of the rear window of a Land Rover." [6]
Gear Junkie describes the watch as looking "like something Dick Tracy would wear". [13]
Pressure measurement is the analysis of an applied force by a fluid on a surface. Pressure is typically measured in units of force per unit of surface area. Many techniques have been developed for the measurement of pressure and vacuum. Instruments used to measure and display pressure in an integral unit are called pressure meters or pressure gauges or vacuum gauges. A manometer is a good example, as it uses the surface area and weight of a column of liquid to both measure and indicate pressure. Likewise, the widely used Bourdon gauge is a mechanical device, which both measures and indicates and is probably the best known type of gauge.
An altimeter or an altitude meter is an instrument used to measure the altitude of an object above a fixed level. The measurement of altitude is called altimetry, which is related to the term bathymetry, the measurement of depth under water. The most common unit for altimeter calibration worldwide is hectopascals (hPa), except for North America and Japan where inches of mercury (inHg) are used. To obtain an accurate altitude reading in either feet or meters, the local barometric pressure must be calibrated correctly.
A barometer is a scientific instrument that is used to measure air pressure in a certain environment. Pressure tendency can forecast short term changes in the weather. Many measurements of air pressure are used within surface weather analysis to help find surface troughs, pressure systems and frontal boundaries.
Altitude or height is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum and a point or object. The exact definition and reference datum varies according to the context. Although the term altitude is commonly used to mean the height above sea level of a location, in geography the term elevation is often preferred for this usage.
A watch is a portable timepiece intended to be carried or worn by a person. It is designed to keep a consistent movement despite the motions caused by the person's activities. A wristwatch is designed to be worn around the wrist, attached by a watch strap or other type of bracelet, including metal bands, leather straps or any other kind of bracelet. A pocket watch is designed for a person to carry in a pocket, often attached to a chain.
Flight instruments are the instruments in the cockpit of an aircraft that provide the pilot with data about the flight situation of that aircraft, such as altitude, airspeed, vertical speed, heading and much more other crucial information in flight. They improve safety by allowing the pilot to fly the aircraft in level flight, and make turns, without a reference outside the aircraft such as the horizon. Visual flight rules (VFR) require an airspeed indicator, an altimeter, and a compass or other suitable magnetic direction indicator. Instrument flight rules (IFR) additionally require a gyroscopic pitch-bank, direction and rate of turn indicator, plus a slip-skid indicator, adjustable altimeter, and a clock. Flight into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) require radio navigation instruments for precise takeoffs and landings.
Pressure altitude is the altitude in the International Standard Atmosphere (ISA) with the same atmospheric pressure as that of the part of the atmosphere in question.
A barograph is a barometer that records the barometric pressure over time in graphical form. This instrument is also used to make a continuous recording of atmospheric pressure. The pressure-sensitive element, a partially evacuated metal cylinder, is linked to a pen arm in such a way that the vertical displacement of the pen is proportional to the changes in the atmospheric pressure.
A depth gauge is an instrument for measuring depth below a reference surface. They include depth gauges for underwater diving and similar applications, and engineering instruments used to measure the depth of holes and indentations from a reference surface.
The Garmin G1000 is an integrated flight instrument system typically composed of two display units, one serving as a primary flight display, and one as a multi-function display. Manufactured by Garmin Aviation, it serves as a replacement for most conventional flight instruments and avionics.
In aviation, atmospheric sciences and broadcasting, a height above ground level is a height measured with respect to the underlying ground surface. This is as opposed to height above mean sea level, height above ellipsoid, or height above average terrain. In other words, these expressions indicate where the "zero level" or "reference altitude" - the vertical datum - is located.
Inch of mercury is a unit of measurement for pressure. It is used for barometric pressure in weather reports, refrigeration and aviation in the United States.
A sympiesometer is a compact and lightweight type of barometer that was widely used on ships in the 19th century. The sensitivity of this barometer was also used to measure altitude.
Conrad Anker is an American rock climber, mountaineer, and author. He was the team leader of The North Face climbing team for 26 years until 2018. In 1999, he located George Mallory's body on Everest as a member of a search team looking for the remains of the British climber. Anker suffered a widow maker heart attack in 2016 during an attempted ascent of Lunag Ri with David Lama. Anker was flown via air ambulance to Kathmandu where he underwent emergent coronary angioplasty with a stent placed in his proximal left anterior descending artery. Afterwards he retired from high altitude mountaineering, but otherwise he continues his work. He lives in Bozeman, Montana.
The Master of G is a line of G-Shock watches produced by Japanese electronics company Casio designed for usage in harsh environments. Many showcase new technology that Casio would eventually introduce into the G-Shock and ProTrek line of watches, such as an altimeter, digital compass and the Tough Solar feature.
Timex Datalink or Timex Data Link is a line of early smartwatches manufactured by Timex and is considered a wristwatch computer. It is the first watch capable of downloading information wirelessly from a computer. As the name implies, datalink watches are capable of data transfer through linking with a computer. The Datalink line was introduced in 1994 and it was co-developed with Microsoft as a wearable alternative to mainstream PDAs with additional attributes such as water resistance, that PDAs lacked, and easy programmability. The watch was demonstrated by Bill Gates on 21 June 1994 in a presentation where he downloaded information from a computer monitor using bars of light and then showed to the audience the downloaded appointments and other data. The early models included models 50, 70, 150 and model 150s. The model numbers indicated the approximate number of phone numbers that could be stored in the watch memory. These early models were, at the time of their introduction, the only watches to bear the Microsoft logo. The watches have been certified by NASA for space travel and have been used by astronauts and cosmonauts in space missions. There had been an evolution over the years as to the number and type of entries that can be stored in the various watch models as well as the mode of data transfer between computer and watch. At the time of its introduction the watch was considered high-tech.
Meteorological instruments or Weather instruments are the equipment used to find the state of the atmosphere at a given time. Each science has its own unique sets of laboratory equipment. Meteorology, however, is a science which does not use much laboratory equipment but relies more on on-site observation and remote sensing equipment. In science, an observation, or observable, is an abstract idea that can be measured and for which data can be taken. Rain was one of the first quantities to be measured historically. Two other accurately measured weather-related variables are wind and humidity. Many attempts had been made prior to the 15th century to construct adequate equipment to measure atmospheric variables.
Surface weather observations are the fundamental data used for safety as well as climatological reasons to forecast weather and issue warnings worldwide. They can be taken manually, by a weather observer, by computer through the use of automated weather stations, or in a hybrid scheme using weather observers to augment the otherwise automated weather station. The ICAO defines the International Standard Atmosphere (ISA), which is the model of the standard variation of pressure, temperature, density, and viscosity with altitude in the Earth's atmosphere, and is used to reduce a station pressure to sea level pressure. Airport observations can be transmitted worldwide through the use of the METAR observing code. Personal weather stations taking automated observations can transmit their data to the United States mesonet through the Citizen Weather Observer Program (CWOP), the UK Met Office through their Weather Observations Website (WOW), or internationally through the Weather Underground Internet site. A thirty-year average of a location's weather observations is traditionally used to determine the station's climate. In the US a network of Cooperative Observers make a daily record of summary weather and sometimes water level information.
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In order to see all the info a multimode watch has to offer, users typically need to press buttons to scroll between readout modes. The enormous face on this watch allows users to view all it has to offer (altimeter, barometer, thermometer and compass), without pushing a button. While this may be useful for climbers who have their hands full gripping cliff faces, it could be just as practical for strap-hanging subway riders who are jammed between fellow commuters.
The can-do Timex Expedition WS4 is equipped to indicate the temperature, the barometric pressure, the altitude, and which way is true north, and its face is the shape of the rear window of a Land Rover ($199).