Just when you thought that
Timex is losing its touch in developing innovative timepieces, it comes out with the new line of Timex Ironman Tap Screen watches (and the Ironman Global Trainer, but we’ll take about that a bit later). In a nutshell, these watches allow you to operate its stopwatch or countdown timer by simply tapping the screen or face of the watch. Note our use of the term “tap” as opposed to “touch,” which is a deliberate selection of words for reasons we’ll describe later. You can see our line of Timex Ironman Tap Screen watches on
ActiveWatches.com by clicking
here.
First thing first, my favorite: physical features. We tested the orange
Timex Ironman Sleek 150-Lap Full Tap Screen T5K254. Why the orange one? For no other reason than to mix it up; the overwhelming majority of watches owned by the ActiveWatches staff are black. (Hey, we’re trying to loosen up a bit.) You can see a picture of it below or
here.
Upon opening the box, we were surprised by its size. Simply put, it has a large face.
But that shouldn’t be confused with being large overall. Although the face has a wide diameter, it’s still pretty flat and thin, as you can see below.
Thus, it’s not big in an imposing way such as, say, a
Garmin Forerunner 305. And it certainly doesn’t look too imposing on a wrist of average size, whether male or female, as also shown below.
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| Female Arm and Wrist |
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| Male Arm and Wrist |
Moreover, perhaps the "large" characterization is a bit unfair, because it’s based primarily on our long experience with Timex Ironman watches being substantially smaller than most sports watches on the market today. In any event, there are benefits to the watch's large face: it gives it a sturdier feel than most Timex watches and it also gives Timex the flexibility to display larger characters for easier reading, particularly while working out. Note that female versions of the watch, such as the
Ironman Sleek 150-Lap Mid Tap Screen T5K255, do not have such a large diameter.
Another feature is the lack of buttons on the face, which are so common with most other Timex Ironman watches. This is perhaps unsurprising given the tap screen. Finally, the watch was stylish but not in a “trying too hard” kind of way.
As to the tap feature, it’s surprisingly easy and reliable. Simply tap the watch’s face (or screen) to use the technology. A few things to note in this regard. First, the tap screen can only be used to:
1. start the stopwatch
2. start a new lap when using the stopwatch
3. start the countdown timer
4. stop the countdown timer
Unfortunately, you cannot use the tap screen to stop the stopwatch. If you were hoping that the tap screen could be used for more functions, you’re out of luck. But don’t get us wrong; the tap screen, in and of itself, is still an impressive feature.
Second, you have to tap the face, as opposed to simply touching it, because it relies on force instead of mere touch (such as an iPod or the bezel on a
Garmin Forerunner 405). As a practical matter, this means the harder you tap, the better. And we found that the tap screen seems much more responsive when you tap the side of the watch face, rather than the center, as you can see in the clips below.
The watch does, however, allow you to adjust the sensitivity of the tap screen to hard, medium, or light. In our testing, we found these settings to be reliable and accurate. In other words, you really do have to tap the screen somewhat hard when it is on the hard setting; the same principle applies to the medium and light settings. Below is a demonstration of the tap screen in each of those settings. Note the cool tap gauge on the bottom of the screen.
Based on our testing and use, we find little possibility that the tap screen would activate accidentally. Even when on the light setting, it took a good amount of force for the stopwatch or timers to activate, as shown in the above clip. It could theoretically happen, but it would take a lot more than a slight, accidental brush against the skin. We could see it happening when, for instance, taking off a wetsuit. Nevertheless, Timex does recommend that the setting be appropriate for your activity (walking=light, running=medium, biking=hard, swimming=hard).
Because the tap screen relies on force, you can use it under conditions you may otherwise view as unsuitable for the watch. For instance, as shown in the clip below, you can use it underwater and, thus, while swimming. We tested the watch in both wet and completely underwater conditions and it functions well. As you can see, because the tap screen works even when wet, you can use the tap screen with a sweaty finger during a workout or when the watch gets wet from sweat. It also works while wearing gloves.
Because the face is large, very little thought is required to determine where you tap it. This gives you the flexibility to start/stop the watch without expending time and energy on pressing the right spot or, god forbid, looking for the correct button. Hey, it may take you only half a second to do that, but that’s a few tenths of a second more than using tap screen technology.
Other than the tap screen, the watch was filled with many other useful and easy-to-use functions characteristic of the Timex brand. The most common ones have been upgraded to include special features. For instance, the alarm can be set on a daily, weekly, day, or weekend basis. In addition, the watch has, not just one, but three countdown timers, each with up to 16 programmable intervals -- a very impressive feature for any watch.
The watch also comes with: 1) a hydration and nutrition alarm, which reminds you went to drink or eat during a run, and 2) a target time pacer, which is used in conjunction with the countdown timer for interval workouts and is a sound alarm (i.e., beeps) that tells you whether you are ahead, below, or on pace based on the recorded time of each interval. Additional features are listed
here under the "Features and Specifications" tab. A copy of the watch's instruction manual can be found
here.
Overall, the Timex Tap Screen is an excellent watch that reminds you why the brand is one of the pioneers of active and sports watches. It’s stylish, sturdy, and perfect as an athletic timekeeper. You can get more information about the watch on our site,
ActiveWatches.com, by clicking
here.
