MVMT Watches is an American brand based in Los Angeles that generally manufactures affordable quartz watches, although they also have some automatic models.
These are minimalist and timeless watches that combine quality materials such as stainless steel and leather with Miyota movements of Japanese origin.
Like other American watch brands, MVMT designs are generally dress watches that follow the latest fashion trends, but they are focused on a younger and more dynamic audience.
In fact, it is one of the fastest-growing brands in recent years, thanks to a marketing strategy focused on digital advertising and social media, which are more frequented by young people.
In this article, we will talk about the origin of the brand and its history, but we will also reveal some of the best MVMT watches of the moment and the opinions they are garnering among watch enthusiasts.
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✚ Origin and History of MVMT Watches
The history of MVMT Watches begins in a small shared apartment in Santa Barbara, California, where its founders, Kramer LaPlante and Jake Kassan, decided to drop out of college to start their own affordable watch brand.
It all started with a problem: Jake and Kramer were unable to find an elegant and well-finished watch that was affordable for young people and other students like them. Most watches were priced between $500 and $1,000, figures that millennials couldn’t afford.
This was the starting point for the young entrepreneurs to start researching various Chinese suppliers to find out the price and quality of the watches they could supply. They discovered that the profit margin of many well-known watch brands was very high.
By eliminating intermediaries and selling directly online, Jake and Kramer found that they could sell their watches in a price range between $90 and $150, while other brands charged around $300 for the same watches.
So, in June 2013, with a few sample watches, they decided to take the plunge and launch a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo with an initial investment of less than $5,000.
Thanks to a successful social media strategy, the campaign soon became the second most funded in history for a fashion brand, raising over $200,000 in just a few days.
With such expectations, the young entrepreneurs quickly got to work, and in just three years, they sold over 600,000 watches, with a team that grew to 25 people.
In 2018, the company, which was already present in over 160 countries worldwide, was acquired by the Swiss watch brand Movado for a staggering $100 million.
✚ Are MVMT Watches Good?
MVMT Watches are designed in the USA but, like most major brands, they are manufactured in China to reduce costs.
This doesn’t mean that they are of poor quality, as the components used are in line with the price paid for them.
We are not dealing with cheap Chinese watches, but rather watches with price ranges that are significantly higher, made of stainless steel, with leather straps and Japanese movements.
Next, we will analyze each of the components in more detail so that you can get an idea of whether they are worth it or not.
| Crystal | Hardlex |
| Movement | Quartz (Miyota) |
| Materials | Stainless steel and leather |
| Case Diameter | 41 mm |
| Case Thickness | 11 mm |
| Weight | 180 grams |
| Water Resistance | 5 ATM (50 meters) |
The Case
All MVMT watches are made of stainless steel, so the case has good resistance to wear.
The case is also usually water-resistant, although not all models have the same water resistance. Depending on the design, you can find watches that can withstand 3 ATM (30 meters), 5 ATM (50 meters), and 10 ATM (100 meters).
The first ones can only resist splashes of rainwater or handwashing, the second ones are suitable for showering or even swimming, and the third ones can also accompany you while diving.
The Crystal
In general, all MVMT watches feature hardened mineral crystal, also known as Hardlex crystal, a material that is more resistant to scratches than conventional mineral crystal, although not as hard as sapphire.
In any case, it is a material that adds durability to the watch by better protecting the dial against possible scratches.
The Strap
The most commonly used materials for the straps of these watches are genuine leather and stainless steel. The brand produces models with both leather straps and oyster-style steel straps and Milanese mesh straps.
The Movement
MVMT uses Miyota mechanisms in all its watches, whether quartz or automatic. Miyota is a Japanese brand owned by Citizen, known for supplying movements to many well-known brands, including Seiko, Casio, and Citizen itself.
The specific Miyota model used in their quartz watches is unknown, but we do know that it is not always the same, as they manufacture quartz watches with different complications such as date, chronograph, etc., which require different mechanisms to handle these functions.
In the current MVMT automatic models like the Arc, the chosen movement is a Miyota 821A, a 21-jewel automatic caliber that beats at 21,600 bph and can provide a power reserve of 42 hours.
In conclusion, the components of MVMT watches have been carefully selected, although, as we mentioned earlier, their price may be high for some models.
✚ Best MVMT Watches
Although MVMT already has numerous collections and hundreds of different designs, we can group all the current watches of the brand into three main categories:
- Classic Designs: These are thin watches in the style of Daniel Wellington or Skagen with a clean and minimalist design, with no other functions than the date feature available in some models.
- Chrono Designs: These are more complex watches with a chronograph function that usually includes multiple sub-dials, while still respecting the brand’s style.
- Dual Time Designs: These watches are characterized by their two vertically positioned sub-dials, which indicate the time in a 24-hour format and a second time zone.
Among these designs, the best MVMT watches of 2020 in terms of sales volume are as follows:
✚ Price and Reviews
These watches can be found in a wide price range, from affordable quartz models to the more expensive automatic models of the brand, all of which are made with the same quality materials and Miyota movements.
As for reviews, the general consensus is that these watches function correctly, but they stand out especially for their elegant design, where the brand pays special attention to the details.
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Last update of links and images on 2024-04-29.
