What do you get when Marvin wants to mix a little Rolex love into their watches? Precisely this watch you see before you. Marvin was inspired by two classic Rolex themes in this Marvin Malton Cushion Chronograph, and I think the execution is rather well done. I’d wear these in a heartbeat even though the crown on the dial isn’t the one you expect to see.

First you have the fluted bezel. You can’t be a watch person and deny that this element is borrowed from Rolex. The tips of the fluted spikes aren’t quite as sharp as those on a Rolex, but the effect is there. Then there is the dial which is not exactly a direct copy, but is heavily inspired by the look of the Paul Newman Rolex Daytona watches. Rolex is among the brands the helped perfect the high-contrast chronograph watch dial – and still have them looking sexy. These Marvin Malton Cushion Chronograph models follow suit, and how about that little inner ring of red? Solid detail if you ask me.

We’ve seen chronograph watches with a thousand faces (tens of thousands at this point for me perhaps), and there are rules to live by when getting it right. These offer a high-contrast ring for the markers and a free space for the hands to move. This free space actually helps legibility (I believe) by not obscuring the placement of the hands. The legible hands and intricate hour and minute markers on the face and flange ring make for a serious instrument with a sophisticated look. A nice mix of simplicity and design in my opinion. The dials aren’t perfect, but it is a good use of space and you can’t find anything else like it in a cushion-shaped case.

The case is 42mm wide in steel and water resistant to 50 meters. The integration of the chronograph pushers is modern. Stuff like this makes the old plunger style pushers seem…. well old. For now the Marvin Malton Cushion Chronograph will be available in a cream with black, or black with silver dial. Inside the watch is a Swiss ETA Valjoux 7750 automatic chronograph movement (or perhaps Sellita equivalent in the future). Overall a fun, pretty good design from Marvin watches for likely around $2,000 – $3,000 bucks.