This article will focus on everything Movado, a Swiss watch brand that has been around for more than a century, and continues to enjoy popularity today. We’re going to cover the essentials: its history, reputation, and quality, just to name a few.
If you’re thinking about getting your first Movado watch and still have yet to learn about the brand, we’ll help you make your search easier. Because the brand has a lot of styles and collections to choose from, this article will let you narrow down your search.
Table of Contents
Movado Brand History
The company was originally called LAI Ditescheim & Freres SA, which was founded in 1881 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. It was in 1905 that the name was changed to Movado, and in 1983 when it was acquired by American company North American Watch Corp.
The Movado Group is one of today’s premier watchmakers, manufacturing and distributing watches for the following companies: Movado, Ebel, Concord, Olivia Burton, Coach, Hugo Boss, Lacoste, Tommy Hilfiger, Scuderia Ferrari, Rebecca Minkoff, and Uri Minkoff.
The Movado Museum Watch
Movado has both luxury Swiss watches and what the brand refers to as “accessible fashion watches.”
The watch model that Movado is widely known for is the iconic Museum Watch, an elegant and unique watch that continues to be popular to this day. Designed by American designer Nathan George Horwitt in 1947, the timepiece was influenced by the Bauhaus art movement.
The design is one gold dot placed at 12 o’clock, which symbolizes the sun during high noon. Horwitt is quoted on the Movado website as saying: “We do not know time as a number sequence…but by the position of the sun as the earth rotates”.
This watch has become so iconic that it was selected to be part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City in 1960–the first watch that was ever given such distinction. It’s already the reason why it’s called a Museum Watch.
Today, these watches have different versions of the Museum Classic: 28mm or 40mm with different types of bracelets (stainless steel, mesh, crocodile-grained leather, and PVD-finished link bracelets), and different dials (black, blue, white mother of pearl). Some also have diamond markers, like the 28mm Women’s Museum Classic and the Men’s Museum Classic, which both have 11 markers.
Explore Movado’s website see all the available models.
If you are interested in watches that came before the Museum and other modern Movado timepieces, this article about the company’s “overlooked history” is a must-read.
Movado Watch Collections
The Museum may be Movado’s most popular collection, but the company also has a number of collections, most of which we’ll discuss in this section.
Women’s Movado Watches
Bangles Style
Movado has many models of bangle-style watches for women.
The Aleena, Amorosa, and Rondiro are excellent for women looking for bangle-style bracelets. These are excellent for dressy occasions—the Amorosa, in particular, has stunning 18 diamonds on the bracelet.
There’s also the simple yet elegant 25mm Bela, which is what Movado refers to as a “fashionably slender bangle-style watch.” This watch has a PVD stainless steel case with a sleek rose gold dot and hands. The Kora has the mother of pearl dial, and has different models—one has a yellow and gold PVD-finished case, and another has 11 diamond markers.
Link Bracelets
For those who prefer a thicker model, there’s the Masino, which is available in black and blue dials and gold PVD, and plain stainless steel link bracelets. This one has models for men and women (40mm and 26mm), and has a women’s model lined with diamond hour markers.
One of Movado’s celebrity ambassadors is Kerry Washington of ABC show “Scandal.” She has been a partner of the brand since 2005. She has been spotted wearing different Movado watches in the show, with her Olivia Pope character gaining the company’s new fans.
Talking about the brand in an interview, Washington said: “The more I learned about the company and the more I met the people here, it just really felt like an authentic fit for me. I think so much of what Movado stands for are things that I aspire to in my work and in my life…elegance and classic design but with a modern flair.”
Men’s Movado Watches
Museum Watches
The collections that have Horwitt’s single dot design are the Modern Classic and the Museum Classic, both of which have a wide array of designs and sizes to choose from. If you’re looking for Movado Museum style with an updated look, there’s the Moderna, which is a men’s watch that has the iconic look but has a unique, extended cube-shaped lug. This is available in two designs: stainless steel or gold-plated stainless steel.
There are also collections that pay homage to the company’s rich history. One is the Movado 1881 Automatic, which is the company’s tribute to the year that it was founded. The watches in this collection have the classic Museum dot at 12 o’clock but have stamped hour markers and minute index.
Special Edition Movado Watches
There are also the Movado 70th Anniversary Special Edition watches, which commemorated the 70 years of the iconic Movado dial. And special edition artist series that includes a collaboration with Cuban-American artist Carmen Herrera.
There’s are two ultra-slim versions—a 35mm with a white dial for women (edition of 300 pieces), and a 40mm with black dial for men. These both have calfskin straps and a commemorative steel case-back.
Movado Sports Watches
Movado isn’t just limited to the classic Museum design. It also has sports designs such as chronographs pilot watches.
First is the 42mm Movado Circa Chronograph, which has Arabic numeral markers and a printed tachymeter scale, a date display at 4 o’clock, and either a mesh bracelet or leather strap. This is available in stainless steel or a gold PVD-finished stainless steel.
The Movado Museum Sport has a combination of both classic and modern designs. It has the Museum dot at 12 o’clock, as well as hour and minute markers on the dial. There are different straps to choose from as well: leather, calfskin, stainless steel, and perforated leather. This watch also made it to our list of Best Swiss Watches Under $500.
There’s also the Movado Series 800, a sports watch collection that has unidirectional bezels and screw-down crowns. Available in 20mm and 42mm sizes, these watches are 200m water-resistant, have stainless steel cases, and Arabic minute indexes. Available dial colors include green, blue, and black. This collection also includes one chronograph model.
Lastly, there’s the SE Pilot, a collection of sleek pilot watches, available in three dial colors (blue, grey, and black). Two of these 42mm timepieces have a retrograde perpetual calendar, and all have Arabic numerals and markers, luminescent hands, and Movado’s stainless steel signature dot-motif link bracelet that has a push-button deployment clasp. All of these watches have a water resistance of 30 meters.
Movado Smartwatches
Note: As of 2021 Movado is no longer marketing it’s “Connect” line of smartwatches and they have been removed from the brand’s website, although you may still see some of the exiting stock (or preowned models) being sold online.
One of the more recent developments by Movado is a smartwatch—the Movado Connect. Powered by Wear OS by Google™, this has the same classic Museum design, but on a screen.
This one’s a lot bigger than most of Movado’s men’s watches (46.5mm) and has a 400×400 screen resolution, connectivity on Bluetooth and WiFi, and the extremely durable Gorilla Glass. Like with other smartwatches, the Movado Connect will allow you to have an extension of your phone: use apps, receive notifications, and respond to messages. This watch is available to both iOS and Android smartphone users.
Here is an unboxing review of the Movado Connect.
This watch isn’t cheap, however. It’s a lot more expensive than the popular smartwatches on the market today, such as the Apple Watch and the Samsung Galaxy Watch.
This watch is on our list of the Most Expensive Smartwatches.
See the different models of the Movado Connect here.
If you would like to explore the brand’s newest models, visit this section of their website to get the latest new arrivals.
Are Movado Watches Good Quality?
Now that we’ve discussed some of the essentials, we’ll address one of the most important questions: Is a Movado watch worth it? Is it wise to invest in a Movado watch? Below are some of the most important things that you should consider when evaluating.
Movado may not be considered a high-end luxury watch. The value alone shows that it really shouldn’t be compared to brands like Rolex, Breitling, or Tag Heuer. It is, however, of high quality, and its unique design has gained its fans and collectors all over the world.
Many people shopping for watches do compare Movado to Tissot, Hamilton, and Victorinox -mainly because they are affordable swiss brands in the same general price range.
Others also compare them to Bulova‘s swiss made watch line. See our detailed comparisons of Movado vs Bulova, Movado vs Tissot, or Movado vs Citizen here.
Click here to see our top picks for Best Swiss Watches Under $500 (spoiler, Movado did make the list!).
You can also see our top picks here: Best Movado Men’s watches and Best Movado Women’s here.
The simple and elegant one-dot design has made it an icon in its own right. If you like this type of artistic and stylish design, this would be an excellent investment. The Museum watches are excellent jewelry watches, so if you go to a lot of formal events, these would surely gain compliments.
One of the possible downsides of the Museum watch is the minimalist design. While it is very attractive, one could have difficulty looking at the time. There is only a single dot at 12 o’clock and nothing else on the case, so telling accurate time could prove difficult for some people. Because there are no hour minute markers and date in most of Movado’s watches, telling the exact time could take some getting used to.
Those who would like to be able to enjoy both the Museum dot and have other watch faces can, however, can opt for the Movado Connect, which we discussed above. These would allow you to get creative with the design.
Where to Buy Movado Watches
Movado watches range approximately from $300 to $2,000.
You can order using the Movado website. If you want to shop in a retail location near you, you can also check out the brand’s store locator here.
If you’re looking for a deal, be sure to check out the Movado Company Store for discounted and clearance watches.
Check out Movado watches at Amazon here.
Find Movado watches on eBay here.
Are Movado Luxury Watches?
This is one of the most common questions we get on this website, not just about Movado but almost any brand. Readers want to know where it falls on the ranking scale. The problem with this is that it’s subjective. While some brands are clearly luxury, there is also a vast grey area.
However, we can say quite clearly that- No, Movado is not a luxury brand.
Luxury watches, by definition generally meet a wide variety of criteria. While Movado does have a long history in the watchmaking industry, they do not make the type of in-house watch movements or use the high-quality finishes that you’d expect on luxury watches.
Apart from that, although it does make automatics, most of Movado’s watches use quartz movements and sell for prices that do not even approach luxury price ranges. Also, the Movado group manufactures watch brands (and licenses watches for others) that would generally be considered entry-level brands, or in the case of its licensed brands (Tommy, Coach, Lacoste, etc) most are considered fashion watches.
Are Movado Watches Good?
Another million-dollar question…are they good watches?
“Good” is even vaguer than the last question but it’s a very common one that we get and we understand that shoppers want to know if they should buy a brand or not.
Movado watches are well-respected and have a long history of making reliable quality watches. So yes, the simple answer is that they are of good quality. With Movado, you are getting either a Swiss-quartz movement or Swiss automatics (i.e. ETA or Sellita). The watches overall get very positive reviews and are backed by a two-year warranty. The fact that several well-known fashion brands use Movado to produce their watches is another testament to their quality.
Detractors of the brand may tell you that you are paying a slight premium for the Movado brand if you compare them to similar watches from other comparable brands (say another Swiss brand like Hamilton or Tissot or Japanese Citizen or Seiko).
Movado has also got some criticism for recently buying fashion watch brand MVMT, although we don’t think that should reflect on the original Movado brand watches since they are separate brands.
Where Movado Watches Are Made?
Movado watches are Swiss-made. The company has manufacturing facilities in Switzerland and corporate headquarters in New Jersey.
The company’s watches are available all over the world. With watches all over North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and the Far East.
Movado Warranty Policy
Movado has a two-year limited warranty. According to the brand’s official website: “Movado warrants to the original consumer that, for a period of two (2) years from the date of purchase, his/her watch will be free from defects in materials and workmanship that prevent the watch from functioning properly under normal use.”
The company adds that the warranty is void if the watch was not purchased from an authorized dealer. The customer should be able to have valid proof of purchase with a date o gift receipt that has the name of the retailer and the style number.
For more information on Movado’s warranty policies, visit this page. It is also possible to contact Movado regarding warranty via their service center—a complete list is available here.
Good Luck with Your Search!
We hope that this article provided you with all the essential Movado information you need. If you would like to know more about the brand, visit the company’s website.
A website feature worth pointing out is the Watch Advisor on the Movado website which is an excellent feature that allows prospective customers to look for the perfect Movado watch for different occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, or simply for treating themselves to a gift. All you need to do is click on the options provided, and you will be able to easily narrow down your search for the best watch that suits your interests.
Movado is a well-respected company that has been making timepieces since the 1880s, so you know that you’re in good hands.
If you decide to get the Museum timepiece (and there are dozens to choose from), you will have an iconic designer watch that has become a part of art and watchmaking history.
