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Timex’s New Affordable Sports Watch Is a Dead Ringer for an IWC Icon

Gérald Genta called.

Close-up of a Timex quartz watch with a blue striped dial and silver hour markers and hands.Timex
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By Johnny Brayson

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From divers that look like Omega Seamasters to chronographs that ape the Zenith El Primero‘s tricolor layout to myriad Rolex clones, Timex has its finger on the pulse of watch culture when it comes to design.

The brand’s latest runs a bit more obscure than Rolex or Omega, but still lands firmly in icon territory, as its new addition to the affordable Q lineup of sports watches looks like a close cousin of the Gérald Genta-designed IWC Ingenieur. 

Silver stainless steel wristwatch with a blue textured dial and luminous markers on a red perforated leather surface.
Timex’s latest Q sports watch looks pretty familiar.
Timex

Timex’s new watch is the Q Timex Marbella. It’s a 40.5mm integrated sports watch in full stainless steel with lumed hands and applied indices, 50m water resistance and a quartz movement.

But the real story is the design.

a blue iwc sports watch on its side
The IWC Ingenieur clearly provided the design inspiration for the new Q.
IWC

The watch’s case is topped with a round, circular brushed bezel with polished sides secured with exposed bolts, and the case is integrated into an H-link case.

This is the same template as IWC’s iconic Ingenieur, with the main differences being that the IWC has five bezel bolts instead of four and the center links of its bracelet are polished rather than brushed. Another difference is the Timex’s angularity, as its case and bracelet are flatter with sharper edges than the more rounded Ingenieur.

Man wearing a silver wristwatch with a blue dial and metal band, resting his arm on a red surface by the water.
Homage or not, the Marbella is a handsome watch.
Timex

While the IWC was obviously Timex’s main design inspiration here, the brand also incorporated a few hallmarks from other legendary Genta designs.

The hexagonal shape of the bolts and the crown call to mind the octagonal shapes used by the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak for those same elements, while the dial’s blue “garage door” texture is cribbed from the Patek Philippe Nautilus.

Silver Timex Q quartz wristwatch with a blue dial and luminous hour markers on a metal bracelet.
The 40.5mm stainless steel case should suit a variety of wrists.
Timex

Availability and Pricing

Naturally, the Q Timex Marbella is just a hair cheaper than the $12,900 Ingenieur … or any other Genta design for that matter.

It’s available now from Timex for just $219, and there’s also a two-tone version for $239.

Silver stainless steel Timex wristwatch with a blue dial and luminous hour markers and hands.Timex

Timex Q Timex Marbella

Specs

Case Size 40.5mm
Movement Quartz
Water Resistance 50m
About the Author:

Johnny Brayson is an editor at Gear Patrol mostly covering watches. He enjoys watches that are packed with blink-and-you’ll-miss-’em details and believes nearly every watch could stand to be a tad smaller.

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