Movado watches were born in Switzerland over a century ago and have been manufactured in the Swiss country ever since, from where they are distributed worldwide.
The brand is primarily known for its famous Museum design, considered one of the best minimalist watches and has received several international awards, although not all Movado watches are works of art.
Currently, Movado produces a wide variety of watches for both men and women. In this article, we will discover some of the best ones, as well as the history of the brand.
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✚ Movado Watches: History and Origin
In 1881, a 19-year-old entrepreneur named Achille Ditesheim decided to establish a workshop for watchmaking and pocket watches in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland.
Originally, the company was named LAI Ditescheim & Freres S.A., and it wasn’t until 1905 that its founder decided to change the name to Movado.
Ditesheim chose to name his watches Movado because of the horological meaning of the word, which translates to “movement” in Esperanto.
➤ Movado and Modern Art
The aesthetics of Movado watches have always been based on modern art, with Art Deco being the movement that guided the brand’s designs in its early years.
In 1912, the “Polyplan” was born, a rectangular-cased watch with a pronounced curvature designed to fit the wearer’s wrist.
Starting from 1920, the company also began applying modernist design to its pocket watches, featuring bold shapes with characteristic gold and enamel colors of the Art Deco movement.
The Movado Ernesto stands out especially during this period. It is a pocket watch with a case divided into two sliding halves that conceal the dial when not in use.
The minimalist aesthetic did not reach Movado watches until the 1930s when the brand once again anticipated its time by introducing its curious “digital” watches.
Of course, these were still mechanical watches (quartz didn’t exist yet) but featured a design with rotating discs that allowed the date and time to be displayed in digital format.
Despite their limitations, the extremely minimalist aesthetics of these “digital” models laid the foundations for the brand’s future.
➤ The Museum Model
The famous Movado Museum watches were designed by American designer Nathan George Horwitt in 1947 and began production a year later in 1948.
It is an extremely minimalist design that simplifies the wristwatch to its most basic and essential elements, eliminating any superfluous elements that may divert attention.
The Museum watch does not have hour markers beyond a golden circle located at 12 o’clock, which represents the sun at noon.
Although it was originally a single model within the brand, the Museum now inspires most of Movado’s watches, serving as a base to which different features are added.
➤ The American Rebirth of the Brand
In 1983, Movado was acquired by the North American Watch Corporation (NAWC), a company whose goal was to make luxury watches a status symbol in the United States.
Since then, Movado Group, Inc. has become one of the leading watchmaking companies in the world and encompasses other prestigious brands such as Hugo Boss, Lacoste, and Tommy Hilfiger.
Currently, the company is headquartered in Paramus, New Jersey, while Movado watches continue to be manufactured at its Swiss facilities.
✚ Best Movado Watches for Men
Although the brand is primarily known for its famous Museum watch, it also produces other watches, most of which are derived from this design. Here are some of them:
➤ Movado Museum Classic
The Museum Classic is the original design from the 1940s, featuring the same characteristics of that era. It is still manufactured in Switzerland, deserving the Swiss Made label.
Currently, it is made of stainless steel and includes a sapphire crystal to protect the dial from possible scratches.
While this model incorporates a Swiss quartz movement, it is also available with a mechanical caliber.
➤ Movado 1881 Automatic
| Crystal | Sapphire |
|---|---|
| Movement | Swiss Automatic |
| Caliber | ETA 2824-2 |
| Power Reserve | 40 hours |
| Case Diameter | 39.5 mm |
| Case Thickness | 9 mm |
| Materials | Stainless Steel Case and Leather Strap |
| WaterResistance | 3 ATM (30 meters) |
The 1881 Automatic builds upon the Museum design to define the lines of an automatic watch that incorporates all the features that were missing in the original design.
The iconic dot at 12 o’clock is still present, but this model also includes hour markers and an elegant date window on the opposite side.
It is also one of the most affordable automatic watches available with a Swiss automatic movement: the reliable and precise ETA 2824-2.
Additionally, the case has a transparent back to allow us to appreciate every detail of this legendary Swiss movement. All of this at a fairly affordable price considering its specifications.
✚ Best Movado Watches for Women
The brand also offers numerous women’s watches with the characteristic Museum design but in smaller sizes. Here are some of the best ones:
➤ Movado Edge
| Crystal | Sapphire |
|---|---|
| Movement | Swiss Quartz |
| Case Diameter | 34 mm |
| Case Thickness | 9 mm |
| Materials | Stainless Steel |
| Water Resistance | 3 ATM (30 meters) |
The brand even manufactures fully gold watches with dazzling dials, such as the Movado Edge model.
It is a Swiss quartz watch made entirely of stainless steel and combined with a Swiss quartz movement.
Once again, the design is based on the Museum with its characteristic dot at 12 o’clock and adds new details, such as the textured dial in this case.
➤ Movado Masino
With a diameter of only 26 mm, the Masino is clearly designed for the female audience, featuring the Museum design but in smaller dimensions.
It is a very minimalist watch, without any hour markers on the dial except for the hands and the classic dot at 12 o’clock.
It is made of gold-plated stainless steel and features a sapphire crystal to provide scratch resistance. It is powered by a Swiss quartz movement.
➤ Movado Bela
| Crystal | Sapphire |
|---|---|
| Movement | Swiss Quartz |
| Case Diameter | 25 mm |
| Case Thickness | 6 mm |
| Weight | 50 grams |
| Materials | Stainless Steel |
| Water Resistance | 3 ATM (30 meters) |
In this case, the design variations mainly affect the strap, which is a thin gold-plated bracelet that gives an elegant and feminine touch to the watch.
As for the case itself, the Museum design is respected down to the smallest detail, but in a smaller diameter of only 26 mm.
Despite its small size, the Movado Bela is made of stainless steel with a sapphire crystal and features a Swiss quartz movement.
➤ Movado Bold Rose
| Crystal | Mineral |
|---|---|
| Movement | Swiss Quartz |
| Case Diameter | 30 mm |
| Case Thickness | 7.5 mm |
| Weight | 77 grams |
| Materials | Stainless Steel |
| Water Resistance | 3 ATM (30 meters) |
The Bold model is also available in a women’s version, but in this case, the stainless steel is rose gold-plated instead of being gold. The strap is also different, featuring an oyster style.
Other than that, the watch follows the same design principles as the other Movado women’s watches, including the size, which is 30 mm in this case. It is powered by a Swiss quartz movement.
✚ Prices and Reviews
It is difficult to find negative reviews for a brand that manufactures all its watches in Switzerland, using Swiss materials and mechanisms.
In general, users who have purchased one of these watches are satisfied with their purchase, and the only negative comments found online are more related to transportation defects rather than the watches themselves.
However, these are not inexpensive watches. The designs from this brand generally start from three digits, although in the case of models with ETA mechanisms, they are more than justified.
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Last update of links and images on 2024-05-02.
