Look at the specs for this watch closely: it is 17 mm thick. That's 0.67 inches thick - or more than half an inch. I cannot button the sleeve of a dress shirt over this watch -- and it's a tight fit with my flannel shirt. It is thicker on the top side, with the bezel signicantly higher on the top than the bottom, as well as wider, as you can see from the picture. This protects the crystal from scratches and bumps on the side most at risk.
I have a fairly small wrist, so the watch looks a bit large on me. The band is integral with the case, and the curvature is broader than my wrist, so it does not grip tightly on the sides of my wrist, yet the watch sits securely, without shifting, even when the strap is not tight - so this is good, and comfortable.
Some of the thickness is due to the battery. It takes a CR2032 lithium, a very common size, and the back is secured by small Philips head screws, so I guess you could change it yourself. I hope the large lithium battery will have a long life.
The functions are fairly easy to use, though you will need to read the booklet. There is no exposed sensor, unlike other barometer watches I have owned. I don't know how it measures changes in pressure, whether from the crystal or case or what. It does seem to work pretty well, and responds quickly when going up or down an elevator. It has a graph of barometric pressure (though no explanation of the units used in the graph) and when it indicated it would rain recently, it did the next day.
It also measures temperature, and you can display the temp, pressure or date below the time. There are graphs for barometric pressure and altitude. I wish there were also a graph for temperature over 24 or 36 hours. That can be real handy, such as when checking how cold it got over night while camping. But you would have to take the watch off to get an accurate reading.
The altitude reading on barometers usually wanders off accuracy as barometric pressure changes, so you can calibrate it for the known altitude. At least that's what happened on my older barometer watches. But on this Timex the altitude reading has remained relatively steady during an extreme shift in barometric pressure. So apparently it has an algorithm to compensate for slow pressure changes. The altitude does shift sometimes with the weather. It does not provide depth readings for scuba diving, as far as I can tell - but I have not tried it. As to time, it runs a little fast, like most watches, about a half-second a day.
I am not generally a fan of big watches, but this watch is comfortable, easy to read, day and night, provides many functions, and appears to be sturdier than most watches. Plus the price is great - a fraction of a Suuntu (it only says "Timex" in very small letters, so some people might think it is a Suunto).
I would like to wear it daily, but I simply cannot button most of my shirt cuffs over it. I will use it for hiking, camping, etc. As it is, I use the barometer, but it sits on my desk.
If it were a thinner and a tad narrower I would give it five stars. For an outdoors watch, Timex got it about right. The watch is attractive in its simplicity of design. This is a fun watch to wear that you don't have to pamper or worry about.
Buy Timex Men's Expedition Adventure Tech Altimeter Barometer Watch #T41501!
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