Movado is a watch manufacturer and designer with origins traced back to La Chaux-de-Fonds in Switzerland. Movado is the Esperanto translation of “movement.” Movado watches are renowned for their minimalist style and signature metallic dot at noon. Achille Ditesheim founded the Movado company 141 years ago in 1881; its headquarters is stationed at Paramus, New Jersey, America.
Movado is renowned for its watches, popularly known for their stylish allure. This company has been around for years; it was popular in its time, and it is popular even now. With each day that passes, the brand gives its all to building and maintaining its stellar reputation.
How Did Movado Start?
Achille Ditesheim’s family is a Jewish watchmaking family; it owned several companies in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Achille and his brother, Leopold, combined their businesses to create L.A. & I. Ditesheim, Fabricants, a manufacturing factory. The factory was one of the first modern ones in the area following the 1870s watchmaking crisis. The Movado brand majorly produces luxury watches and affordable fashion timepieces.
Movado watches feature aesthetic features and high precision level, two of the factors that make the brand stand out. One of the most famous Movado watches is the Museum Watch, with a unique and elegant build designed by Nathan George Horwitt in 1947. The inspiration behind the watch is from the Bauhaus art movement in its time; there is a gold dot at the noon point. The Museum Watch’s popularity took a new dimension after it was selected to be part of the Museum of Modern Arts Collection in New York.
Within twenty years of its inception, Movado had over eighty employees, and its wide variety of pocket watches was known internationally. The company began producing watches, expanded in 1905, and had more than 150 workers; the company was renamed around this time. In 1984, the North American Watch Corp, founded and owned by Gedalio Grinberg, purchased Movado. The chairman and executive director of the Movado Company, Efraim Grinberg, is his son.
On February 23, 1999, the group completed the Plaget business sale to VLG North America for about 30 million U.S. dollars. Movado acquired MVMT, a watch startup founded in 2013, in 2018 for over $100 million.
The Movado Museum Watch
The Movado Museum Watch features a minimalist style with a perfectly round shape, single dot dial, and clean looking face. While it features a simplistic design that may fail to impress certain prospective buyers, it also features a clutter-free face. The watch’s clutter-free face differentiates it from other models, and it is one of its most endearing and appealing qualities. The Movado Museum Watch is the best option for watch lovers looking for practicality, convenience, and style.
The American designer, Nathan George Horwitt, designed the Museum Watch in 1947; Bauhaus influenced it. The watch’s simple design features a solitary dot at 12, showing the sun at high noon. This type of watch was first created by Vacheron & Constantin-LeCOultre Watches Inc., an American importer of Swiss watches. New York’s Museum of Modern Art created the dial as its permanent design collection in 1960.
The Movado Group settled with George Horwitt with a payment of $29,000 in 1975. It began heavy production and promotion of the American designer and his iconic creation after his death. Professionals and watch enthusiasts called the design the only truly authentic and gorgeous one for a wristwatch. Horwitt’s single dot innovation has become the brand’s iconic signature mark, appearing in many of its timepieces.
The Museum watch is a classic with a unique build; it utilizes a reliable Swiss quartz movement and features an analog display. Despite the stylish, sleek, and efficient appearance, the watch is functional and comfortable. The watch is adaptable and serves as a perfect companion for formal and informal events.
Are Movado Watches Worth It?
Movado watches have undoubtedly won the hearts of many in society with their brilliant artistic features and time display. Movado is a luxury watch company, meaning its prices significantly narrow down the brand’s target market. When you’re considering buying a designer wristwatch this expensive, you want to be sure you’re making the right decision. However, how much Movado watches are worth to you depends on what you’re looking for in a watch.
Movado watches are a great option if you need a classy business-like timepiece; their build makes them suitable for any occasion. As great as its signature one dot at 12 o’clock is, it has some downsides, including making reading time difficult. The watches have no hour or minute markers, and customers are often left to guess what time it is. However, this doesn’t apply to all the brand’s watches since not all of them feature the single dot.
Movado has its target market, and to those sets of people, it is worth every dime spent on it. Its iconic watches feature a distinctive style and quality unmatched by any other watch company. While it would be great if Movado made its artistically-styled watches more accessible, that will likely defeat the brand’s purpose of staying classy and exclusive. Meanwhile, Movado isn’t as exclusive or luxurious as other watch brands like Breitling, Rolex, or Tag Heuer.
Many love Movado watches for their unique design and high quality, making them one of the most collectible watches globally. The watches are worth their price to those who understand Movado.
Conclusion
Movado isn’t exactly considered a luxury brand because it still has watches below the 2,000-dollar mark. So, while they aren’t as accessible to the public as lower-end watch brands, the watches are cheaper than higher-end versions. Movado watches are great for watch lovers searching for a watch to serve their everyday needs.
Movado started as a strong, healthy, and innovative brand, and, over a hundred years later, it still is. While it may not be on the higher spectrum level of watch brands, it is far away from being at the lower end or even the middle. It is a brand in motion, always changing, innovating, and progressing. With its proud heritage of Swiss craftsmanship and quest for innovation, Movado is one of the premier watchmakers in the world.