Editors’ Choice Accessories

March 2017

IQ+ Move from Timex

Review by Angie Kibiloski

The IQ+ Move (Retail $149) is a gorgeous new line of men’s and women’s watches, from Timex, a trusted name in quality timepieces for 160 years. These new models are not only stylish analog watches, like the world has come to expect from Timex, they also seamlessly house fitness tracking technology discretely inside. On the surface, each model features attractive, interchangeable leather or silicon bands in a variety of colors, accenting elegant analog watch faces. Beneath this classic analog exterior lies tracking technology and Bluetooth connectivity, which allows you to keep tabs on all the things a traditional activity tracker measures, like steps, calories burned, and sleep, all monitored through an easy to use mobile app. This is a perfect option for the fashionable consumer who wants the function of a fitness tracker, without broadcasting to the world that they’re wearing one.

The analog movement in each IQ+ Move watch has been precisely crafted in Timex’s German development center. Each of the 4 watch hands (hour, minute, second, and tracker sub-dial) has its own micro-motor, which keeps the time and tracking data perfectly in tune with the time and data from your phone. You can use the watch crown to manually adjust the hands, but when you next sync it to your phone the hands will reset to your phone’s time. This makes it very easy to stay in line with time zones, and daylight savings time. The hour and minute hand will always display their namesake data sets, but the second hand, as well as the sub-dial hand can be set within the app to display other data, like the date, steps, distance, or calories. The second hand can show you the date by using the minute/second markers, starting from 0 and going clockwise around to 31. You can either set the second hand to remain on the date, or use it as a normal second hand until you press on the crown, which will then move the hand to indicate the date. The small sub-dial will show you the percentage you’ve progressed towards a chosen tracking goal, whether steps, distance, or calories. Once you reach 100% of that goal, the watch lets you know with a friendly set of beeps. The watch records all of this tracking data by using a 3D accelerometer, which monitors the changing position of the watch as you move your arm. This accelerometer, along with a complex algorithm, enables the watch to calculate your steps and distance based on the speed with which you move, your stride length (which the app estimates based on your height), and other factors.

In the Timex Connected mobile app, you’ll be able to save and view all of the data recorded by the watch. Your watch can store up to 7 days of data before needing to be synced, which is easily done with the touch of a button and the watch crown. After syncing, you can view your tracking data by hour, day, week, month, and year. This data includes steps, distance, calories, and sleep, and is displayed in handy bar charts. You can set you daily fitness goals either by choosing one of Timex’s pre-sets or by adjusting steps, distance, and calorie goals to fit your individual needs and habits. You can use the app to set an alarm, which will cause the watch face to illuminate and a tone to play when the alarm time is reached, or a countdown timer, which will utilize the second hand. You can also set the functionality of the smaller hands of your watch, which can be set to represent various tracking stats, as stated above.   You’ll be able to input personal data like weight, height, age, and typical time of sleep. As mentioned before, the watch will determine your stride length based on your height. If you find this is a little off, you can use the app to raise or lower this stride measurement using a percentage adjustment. It has been shared that, with an upcoming software/app update, you’ll be able to enter your own exact stride instead of trying to adjust the percentage. Other future updates may include such advancements as auto-syncing, instead of having to do it manually through the app, and adjusting the accelerometer sensitivity to only record actual steps and not other arm movements like using a steering wheel, washing dishes, or high-fiving your awesome office staff. The app is also where you’ll be able to access any firmware updates for the watch itself.

The Timex IQ+ Move line is a very satisfying array of watches. Both stylish and functional, as analog timepieces and activity trackers, these products meld two popular accessories into one. From a fashion standpoint, you can choose from several beautiful face colors, and have the ability to very easily swap the bands, courtesy of the quick release band clasps. You could buy a different leather or silicon band for every occasion, and never be out of style. Durable as well as fashionable, the watches are water resistant up to 50 meters, have an estimated battery life of 1 year, and can be viewed even in low light, with Timex’s INDIGLO technology, lighting up the watch faces by pressing on the crown. The tracking tech inside is top-notch, and the accompanying app will make sure you’re always on track to meet your fitness goals. All in all, based on style and function, buying this product is an easy choice to make.

Read more about the IQ+ Move at www.Timex.com.

Download the free Timex Connected app on iTunes, or on Google Play.