Round-UpThe Top 10 Most Timeless Movado Timepieces For Men And Women
When modernist art thrived in the early 20th century, Movado captured its true impulse in watchmaking at the same time. A pioneer in watch design, this celebrated timepiece brand now assembles a range of fashionable and luxury watches for HUGO Boss, Coach, Scuderia Ferrari, Lacoste, Tommy Hilfiger and Juicy Couture
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Movado, which means ‘always in motion’, in the constructed international language, Esperanto, has been a celebrated symbol of modernist art. It was in 1881 when the young Achille Ditesheim founded LAI Ditesheim & Freres SA with six people in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. Soon around 1905, its workshop moved to the village’s outskirts and was then named Movado. Revolutionising the watchmaking industry ever since with fashionable pocket watches, the 1912 Polyplan wristwatch is one of the most renowned among many under this brand. Its rectangular shape was unusual at that time and its movement was set in three different planes angled perfectly to suit the wrist of the wearer. This got them a patent. Then decades followed with timeless designs on watches by taking inspirations from various offshoots of the modernist movement.
Another recognised timepiece is the Museum Dial watch that they brought out in 1947. Designed by American industrial artist, Nathan George Horwitt, this timepiece was an apt manifestation of the German Bauhaus movement, which brought fine art and pragmatism together. Horwitt’s view of this black dial watch with a single dot at the 12th hour was, “We do not know time as a number sequence, but by the position of the sun as the earth rotates.” This iconic watch is also the first to have a permanent home at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. In a recent interview with The Week Portfolio, Movado Group’s chief marketing officer Mary Leach remarked, “The Museum Dial watch has been the foundation for the brand and created an authentic path for the brand’s continued association with artists throughout the years.”
Movado has always had legendary and renowned brand ambassadors including jazz giant Wynton Marsalis as well as actress Kerry Washington. Now its new face is actress Alexandra Daddario, of Baywatch and San Andreas fame, who believes, “Being a part of such an iconic, modern, sophisticated brand is a dream come true.” While one cannot leave out Movado’s association with modernism even in the postmodern age, we explore 10 of the best Movado timepieces out there.
Top Picks For Men
Museum Classic
Featuring the characteristic design of the Museum Dial watch, this timepiece with a 40mm stainless steel case and a high-quality Swiss quartz movement comes with an elegant blue dial with a contrasting black leather strap. Along with the sturdy sapphire crystal glass, this exquisite timepiece is water resistant up to 30m. The concave silver-toned dot at the 12 o’clock position signifying the high noon sun and the faceted hands in silver exude a distinguished look.
1881 Automatic
Introduced at Baselworld in 2015, this collection added new features to the simple aesthetic of the classic Movado timepieces. This timepiece in this collection is all about exuberance with the hour and minute markers imprinted. It also has an additional seconds hand and a round date window at the six o’clock position. The larger concave rose gold dot is not only complemented by the stainless steel case with the durable PVD coating in reddish gold but also the hour, minute and seconds hands. Even though this is a self-winding timepiece with a width of 39.5mm, it is not delicate. The black dial is protected by sapphire crystal.
Series 800
Bringing in the sporty aesthetic of timepieces, the Series 800 collection features a wide range of functional watches. One of the classiest yet athletic watches in this collection is the one with the green dial with a green aluminium bezel that can be rotated in one direction. While the hour and minute hands will glow perfectly when you are out in the dark, the minute indexes with Arabic numerals is a distinctive feature. The high-grade stainless steel case measuring 40mm is coated by PVD in yellowish gold and is matched with the sturdy stainless steel strap with the same coating and colour. The date window at the three o’clock position is an added feature and is quite legible.
Red Label
Capturing traits from the original Museum Dial watch, this timepiece in the Red Label collection is as elegant as it gets. Its round stainless steel case is only 42mm wide and the smooth but tough sapphire crystal covers its black dial with Movado written in red at the six o’clock position. It features a Swiss self-winding movement and is also offers up to 30m of water resistance.
Bold
Bold is one of the best collections under the Movado label, and this 42mm timepiece in this collection is a definitive beauty. It has the finest Swiss quartz movement, it is unaffected by water up to 30m and its stainless steel case has a black PVD coating to complement the black dial. The dial’s dot at 12 o’clock is slightly embellished but the two thick hour and minute hands balance it perfectly. The edgy looking lugs that hold the brown leather strap and the immersed dial seen through fine mineral crystal, make this timepiece well suited for smart-casual attire.
Top Picks For Women
Esperanza
Drawing inspiration from the Museum Dial watch, this collection was first introduced in the ’80s. This quartz timepiece also takes a lot from the famed Art Deco expression with a dipped silver dot and exquisite dauphine style hands in silver offering a fine contrast to the double-layered black dial. Accompanying it is the free-falling bracelet with elongated vertical links and a push-button folding clasp in the silver tone. The outer stainless steel case measuring 28mm and the robust sapphire crystal glass cover will protect it from regular wear and tear. This timepiece is water resistant up to 30m.
Edge
Renowned Swiss industrial designer Yves Béhar designed the Edge collection for Movado, by taking similar elements from the famed Museum Dial watch, but all of them have a unique mien. One of the most elegant looking timepieces in this famed collection is this petite silver-toned watch. The 28mm stainless steel case and the dipped aluminium dial with a raised dot surrounded by textured rays complement the fine bangle bracelet in stainless steel with a folding clasp. This robust watch that houses a Swiss quartz movement is water resistant up to 30m.
Ultra Slim
Housed in a 35mm stainless steel case, this attractive round timepiece under the Ultra Slim collection features a modish mother-of-pearl dial. The applied linear hour indexes in silver seamlessly complement the silver-tone dot on the 12th hour. Keeping true to its collection’s name, its slender profile is only 6.3mm thick, and the sapphire crystal glass and the tough stainless steel bracelet with a deployant clasp protect it from wearing away. Another generous feature of this extravagant quartz timepiece is its 30m water resistance.
Masino
Noted for its smooth appearance, this 26mm stainless steel timepiece comes with a black dial, two faceted hands in silver and the signature concave dot on the 12th hour. This sturdy timepiece with the fine Swiss quartz movement along with the synthetic crystal won’t be affected down to about 30m in water. It also has a stunning stainless steel link bracelet complementing its strength and demeanour.
Bela
Easily one of the most exquisite looking quartz watches under the Movado label, it comes with 24.5mm stainless steel case with a steel bangle bracelet to complement your true feminine side. The bezel covered with precious stone looks stunning with the refined mother-of-pearl dial and lends the minimal appeal like most Movado timepieces do with just the two hour and minute hands and the single concave dot on the 12th hour. Its smooth sapphire crystal as the dial cover and its 30m water resistance are some fantastic additions.
Movado timepieces are simply exquisite and elegant and they are easily recognisable wherever you may see them. One of the main reasons for them being a fantastic addition to any lifestyle is that they will always look modern. You can find a wide range of Movado watches with Swiss self-winding as well as high-grade quartz movements in all the renowned collections. The classic Museum Dial watch has inspired most timepieces in various other Movado collections as well. There have also been outstanding industrial designers and artists who, in the past years, have perfectly bridged the gap between fine art and functionality to fit the aesthetic of the Bauhaus school of art exemplified by Movado.
