A wrist watch that only tells the time is not something that a gadgeteer would probably take much notice of – right? Of course I’m right 
That’s why I want to show you the 20.20 Sport Digital Watch from iBeam. This watch tells the time and a whole lot more.
I reviewed an iBeam watch several years ago and thought it was a pretty nice timepiece. I’m glad to tell you that they’ve updated that original watch to be more sporty, less expensive and with more features.
The 20.20 is available with Black and Clear watch bands and two sizes: Medium and Large. Both versions of this watch have the same features – but I’ll be photographing the Large sized version for this review.
The face of this digital watch is large, with easily visible Black segments on a light background. The time of day is in the center, with the seconds counting down above it. Below the time is the day of the week and date.
One feature of this watch is the ability to view dual times. In this mode, the 2nd time is displayed at the bottom. This is great for travelers.
Other display modes include a stopwatch and a countdown timer. The 20.20 watch also has the ability to set 4 different daily alarms.
The watch has a built in LED flash light that is surprisingly bright. What I like best about this feature is that you don’t have to hold the button in to shine the beam. You just press it once and it will stay lit for 30 seconds before it automatically shuts off.
It’s definitely bright enough to find your way around in a dark house or to read a map in a dark car.
There’s also a pop-up 3x magnifying lens.
If you have 40+ year old eyes like I do, a magnifying lens can come in handy once in awhile!
There’s even a removable compass built into the wrist strap. I am not sure I’d trust the compass to help me find my way out of the woods though as the compass in the Large sized watch didn’t display correctly. The one in the Medium watch did seem accurate though.
The 20.20 is water resistant up to 150 ft.
The 20.20 has an EL backlight that shows the time in bright Blue and the date (or dual time) in Green for 5 seconds when you press the button. The only annoyance is that when you press the backlight button (or any button for that matter), the watch beeps. I would like the ability to turn off button beeps.
The watch movement takes a standard quartz battery that lasts 3-5 years. The flashlight takes two batteries that last 2.5 years. That is based on using the light 4x a day for 20 seconds. The light bulb itself lasts 70K hours. The Medium size version uses CR1616 battery and the Large version uses CR2016. If you register the watch with iBeam, you’ll receive free batteries for the life of the watch (you will have to pay $6.50 shipping and handling if you send the watch to iBeam for a battery replacement though).
The 20.20 Sport digital watches from iBeam feels rugged enough to withstand everyday wear and tear. They are relatively inexpensive watches with a nice set of unique features. I especially like the dual time and built-in LED flashlight.
You can find iBeam watches at REI.
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Product Information
| Price: | $59.00 |
| Manufacturer: | iBeam |
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{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
The lens seems very exposed and maybe at risk of scratching. Wonder how soon?
@Lex The magnifying lens is glass and if it’s made of the same material as the original iBeam watch, it’s scratch resistant.
Great..another watch to lust over…i thought I was done with watches..but I guess one can never be done with anything.
Nice review. Btw, I assume the caseback is easy to remove since they provide you with free batteries? Also, is there a way to get a wrist shot of this watch, just to see what the size is relative to a wrist?
@Ryan There are 4 screws to remove the stainless steel back. I can get a picture of the medium size on my wrist later today.
It seems I have a watch fetish. My wife has her shoes…I have my watches. (I have some catching up to do)
I can see the LED and the magnifying lens coming in handy and I love the blue LED lighting (I actually love the dual blue an green lighting)
I think I NEED one of these…ooOOoo…and fathers day is fast approaching.
Hi Julie,
Most watches like this with an LED light come with a charger, and need to be recharged. Is this watch rechargeable, and if not, were you able to get any impression of how long the battery lasts?
@David The watch has 2 batteries just for the LED light. AS mentioned in the review, the batteries will last for 2.5 years. That is based on using the light 4x a day for 20 seconds. The light bulb itself lasts 70K hours.
Update:
I got one of these for Fathers Day! I absolutely LOVE the flip up magnifying lens!! Working in engineering, I am always trying to look at tiny details on parts and this lens is the perfect “on hand” device for that quick look. I also like the LED light…very bright and can be shut off quickly with another tap of the button so as not to waste its battery. One other thing…it has to be one of the most comfortable watches I have ever owned.
@Mark Thanks for the endorsement!
Curse my thick wrists that prevent me from buying most watches! This one sounds so cool!
(And no, the XL straps often sold don’t help either. Even XXL watches from big men’s catalogs rarely fit right. Sigh.)
Watch update:
The battery for my LED light have died already. I don’t use it very often but I will say that I probably used it more often then I had to just because of the novelty of it.
The problem with it is that the location of the light button lends itself to turn on by itself when I use my left hand to open doors. The angle of my wrist and the twisting motion is enough to create a fold of skin that presses the light button in when I open doors.
I guess I could try switching it to my right hand but thats gonna feel awkward. Its too bad the light button wasn’t left/right optional on the side of the watch.
@Mark Thanks for posting that information. How long have you had the watch?
@Julie
I got the watch for Fathers day…so, about 3 weeks ago…yikes! That doesn’t say much about the batteries now, does it?
Though, maybe they were already slightly run down when I got it? (yeah…keep telling yourself that Mark)
I’ll keep you posted on the next battery I put in there (I need to get around to opening it up and loading it in though)
@Mark Yes, do keep us posted. I think in the review somewhere, I mention approximately how long the batteries should last according to the folks at iBeam.
another battery update:
I installed a new “light” battery last week and it is dead already.
I have been wearing the battery on my right wrist to avoid any accidental bumping of the light switch. (see previous posts) In fact, I think I only turned the light on 2 or 3 times in the past week…mainly to see if it is still working.
I’ll need to contact ibeam and figure out whats causing the drainage. Most likely a short somewhere.
I actually only wanted the watch for its magnifying glass but the led light was a bonus.
@Mark It sure sounds like there’s a defect…
I need reading glasses. Can the magnifer be used to see the time and date on the watch?
I have the I Beam watch and the light batteries have gone dead twice in one month. I use the light very little. I Beam has no solution other than sending it in for more batteries.