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Timex’s New Automatic Titanium Diver Is Guaranteed to Turn Heads

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Close-up of a titanium watch case with a black bezel and bright green rubber strap against a blue background.Timex
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By Brad Lanphear

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Last year, Timex gave the Expedition field watch collection a well-received overhaul, including the marquee Expedition Capstone with a stainless steel barrel case and an automatic movement.

Now, the aquatic half of the Expedition collection receives a similar update. The Expedition Pioneer Titanium Automatic is not only Timex’s new second-best dive watch, after the Atelier Marine M1a, but it might be the best option on the market under $500.

Timex Expedition automatic watch with black dial, white markers, black bezel, titanium case, and black rubber strap on dark rocks.
The Expedition Pioneer Titanium Automatic has a classic dive watch dial.
Timex

Timex offers a fleet of very affordable dive watches, but most of them are quartz. For mechanical purists, the recently updated Deepwater Reef line was the only real contender.

But it appears that Timex is serious about expanding the reach of its flagship outdoor watch collection, the Expedition collection, into the water. The new Expedition Pioneer Titanium Automatic offers specs that rival those of watches twice its price, backed by a classic dive watch look.

Timex Expedition watch with black dial, black bezel, titanium case, and bright green rubber strap on a wrist.
The Expedition Pioneer Titanium Automatic has a 41mm titanium case.
Timex

Starting from the outside, it has a 41mm faceted titanium case with a uniform sandblasted finish, topped by a titanium unidirectional, coin-edge bezel with a matte black insert featuring a 60-minute scale.

The material of the bezel insert is not disclosed, but I suspect it is aluminum with a matte black coating. It takes after the Submariner with a graduated 15-minute track and a triangle pip fitted with a Super-LumiNova pearl.

High visibility

The standout visual feature of the debut Expedition Pioneer Titanium Automatic is the neon lime-green accent color, which appears on the seconds hand and the Expedition mountain range logo printed on the dial.

Timex Expedition titanium watch with glowing green hour markers and hands on a dark background.
The Expedition Pioneer Titanium Automatic has green-glowing Super-LumiNova block indices with matching hand inserts and pip.
Timex

A matching HNBR synthetic rubber strap with a steel pin buckle is available for an extra sporty look. Alternatively, the same strap is available in black, or you can shell out an additional $100 for a titanium H-link bracelet (which I highly recommend).

But the Expedition Pioneer Titanium Automatic is just as eye-catching in the dark, thanks to green-glowing applied 3D Super-LumiNova block indices and matching inlays that almost completely fill the hour and minute hands.

Close-up of a Timex Expedition watch with a black dial, luminous hands, titanium case, and black bezel marked with white numerals.
The Expedition Pioneer Titanium Automatic has similar 3D block lume indices to the Deepwater Reef.
Timex

A discreet date window is placed at 3:00, with no frame and a disc that matches the matte-black dial plate. The dial is outlined by a white printed minute track.

The dial is capped with a box sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating.

More Seiko than meets the eye

Seiko fans will immediately recognize that the Expedition Pioneer Titanium bears a striking resemblance to the 62MAS, reborn as the 1965 Heritage Diver Collection. Both watches have squared off hands and indices, rectangular lollipop seconds hands and elliptical cases with flat lugs. But the similarities don’t end there.

Hand holding a Timex Expedition automatic titanium watch with black dial and silver metal bracelet.
The Expedition Pioneer Titanium Automatic bears a striking resemblance to the iconic Seiko 62MAS.
Timex

Timex has sourced affordable, reliable automatic movements from Japan for years, almost exclusively from Miyota, Citizen’s wholesale movement manufacturer. However, this titanium diver is equipped with a Seiko movement.

The Caliber NH35a powers half of the independent watch startups out there and is the publicly available version of the movement featured in most of the Seiko 5 Sports collection. It beats at 3Hz and provides a 41-hour power reserve.

Back of a titanium Timex Expedition watch with visible automatic movement and green strap.
The Expedition Pioneer Titanium Automatic runs on a Seiko Caliber NH35a automatic movement
Timex

However, I must point out that most of the 1965 Heritage Diver collection runs on the Caliber 6R55, with newer references using the new Caliber 6L37, both of which are far superior automatic movements to the NH35a. So that’s where the bulk of the price difference comes in.

Availability and pricing

The Caliber NH35a is far from Seiko’s best movement, but it is a respected automatic workhorse that is cheap and easy to service. Considering it comes packaged with a titanium case with Super-LumiNova indices and hands, a sapphire crystal and impeccably classic looks, it is a hell of a bargain.

The Timex Expedition Pioneer Titanium Automatic is available now from Timex for $449 on a black or neon green HNBR synthetic rubber strap, or $549 on a titanium H-link bracelet with a seamless butterfly clasp.

About the Author: Brad Lanphear is an associate editor at Gear Patrol covering watches and style. Before joining the publication, he previously wrote for Heddels and Men’s Health. Now, he’s on a never-ending quest to find the perfect pair of Japanese denim.

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