In a fitness world dominated by bulky or bland-looking smartwatches, Timex IQ+ Move stands out. It has the fashionable aesthetics of a classic analogue timepiece and minimal “smart” functionality. It might have scarce features, but it can win your heart with its elegant lines and superb build quality. No doubt, an amazing women’s fitness tracker to wear 24/7.
Background
Timex IQ+ Move is the streamlined design of the Metropolitan+ hybrid watch. It doesn’t bring new features compared to its predecessor, but it has improved aesthetics and a more attractive price point.
With the IQ+ Move, the brand focused on creating an elegant hybrid watch, and it did so brilliantly. You’ll never be able to tell that it logs your steps, distance, and burnt calories by just looking at it.
Nothing in the design betrays the fitness tracking capabilities of this stylish timepiece.
Yet, it gives you the possibility to create fitness goals, set alarms, and control it with your phone. While it may not fit the data-hungry athletes, it integrates seamlessly into the life of a not-so-number-driven but fitness-savvy woman.
Features
The IQ+ Move connects with your smartphone via Bluetooth, but despite this connectivity, it doesn’t deliver any smart notifications.
App synchronization only serves to monitor your fitness metrics, which we’ll discuss below.
It may have limited features, but it still keeps the time and date synced with your phone; you’ll never have to worry about time zones, daylight saving times, or short months, although you might have to re-sync manually now and then.
Controlling the watch’s hands with your phone is not the only smart feature.
You can also set an audible daily alarm. While there is no way to silence it, this feature is a sweet treat on those mornings when you really have to get out of bed.
Don’t expect other bells and whistles. On the bright side, all integrated functions are accurate and work almost perfectly.
Design
Timex IQ+ Move is one of the slimmest, sleekest, and most elegant fitness trackers on the market. It’s perfect for the fashion-savvy, fitness-oriented lady who wants to look just as good both in the office and at the gym.
Its 37 mm face is slightly larger than a typical women’s watch, yet still small enough to fit perfectly on most wrists.
Two 18 mm bands – a stylish leather and a silicone strap – let you change the look from classic to sporty in a blink of an eye. The leather wristbands come in four colour choices to match your personality and style.
The face has the clean aesthetics of an old-school timepiece with hour and minute marks and three hands.
A nice blue backlight comes as a nice addition, allowing you to check the time or your progress even in the dark.
Men loving the design and simple functionality of this hybrid watch will be pleased to know it also comes in a bigger, 41 mm variant.
Fitness Tracking
Timex IQ+ Move is not intended for heavy-duty health and activity monitoring, but it’s a smart choice for the fitness-oriented ladies who don’t mind that it lacks smart features.
At first glance, it works just like a regular timekeeper. The hands of the analogue watch show the time, and you can rearrange them with a touch of a button to display the date.
There is no hidden touch display or interface to interact with.
Compatible with Apple and Android devices, the IQ+ Move connects with your smartphone and tracks your sleep quality and burnt calories.
An accelerometer tracks your steps and distance travelled, bringing the number of monitored metrics to four.
It’s not GPS-enabled, so the distance is not always accurate; nevertheless, we’re quite impressed with how well it counts the steps.
While it doesn’t track swimming metrics, it is waterproof and can be used when swimming or showering.
The fitness tracker connects with your device via Bluetooth and is easy to control with the companion Timex Connected app. Simple and intuitive, the app is a breeze to use .
All gathered data is visible in the app only, except for the step count, which is also displayed on a second dial on the watch.
The IQ+ Move allegedly syncs with your devices automatically, and it has a seven-day on-board memory, which means you won’t have to transfer data every day.
The automatic synchronization may fail sometimes though, so it’s always best to double-check and sync manually if you don’t want to lose any data.
Main Advantages
- Attractive, water-resistant design
- Accurate tracking of sleep and daily activities
- Intuitive and easy to sync app
- Easy to control the watch’s hands with your phone
- Slimmer and sleeker than other hybrid watches
- Outstanding battery life
Main Disadvantages
- Minimal fitness tracking features
- No smart notifications
- No GPS
Competition
| Timex IQ+ Move | Fossil Q | Garmin Vivomove HR | Skagen Connected | |
| Display size | 37 x 37 x 12.5 mm | 45 x 45 x 14 mm | 43 x 43 x 11.6 mm | 42 x 42 x 12 mm |
| Display type | Mineral glass | Glass | Chemically strengthened glass | Glass |
| Resolution | N/A | N/A | 64 x 128 pixels | N/A |
| Weight | Not Specified | Not specified | 40.8 g | Not specified |
| Band material | Leather / silicone | Leather | Silicone / suede / leather | Leather |
| Water resistance | 5 ATM | 5 ATM | 5 ATM | 3 ATM |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth | Bluetooth Smart | Bluetooth Smart and ANT+ | Bluetooth Smart |
| GPS | No | No | No | No |
| Heart rate monitoring | No | No | Yes | No |
| Smart notifications | No | Yes – vibration only | Yes | Yes – vibration only |
| Sleep tracking | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Stress level monitoring | No | No | Yes | No |
| Multi-sport profiles | No | No | No | No |
| Battery life (smartwatch mode) | Up to 1 year | Up to 1 year | Up to 5 days | Up to 1 year |
How We Tested
Lightweight and stylish, Timex IQ+ Move is comfortable to wear 24/7, so we did just that for a week.
We were impressed by the tracking accuracy. When compared to our phone’s GPS, it tracked the distance beautifully. It did show a bit more than the map, but that’s because the watch also counts the steps taken indoors.
It works brilliantly underwater and syncing it with a mobile device was a chinch. Changing the straps to achieve a sportier or elegant look literally takes seconds; overall, once of the best women’s hybrid watches.
Summary
Timex IQ+ Move is an elegant timepiece with minimalist tracking features.
It’s a great choice for the fitness-oriented yet not number-addicted ladies who value the looks more than functionality.
If you want simple fitness tracking with no overly-complicated menus and apps, the IQ+ Move is a gorgeous choice.
Waterproof and accurate, it is suitable for old-school use and activity tracking alike.
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