TGIF: The Prestige You Know

Once upon a time, when exotic sports cars appeared on Magnum PI and Miami Vice, I advised my parents that they should buy a Ferrari. It didn't matter that a Ferrari cost as much as our house and didn't have room for our family of four. I was bought into the hype. My dad ignored my advice.

Sometimes the watch press can get you all excited about watches that you've never seen in real life and that you've never encountered on the wrist of a person you actually know. When you lust for an expensive exotic watches, it can get a little silly. A great watch can exude class and good taste, but still be the craziest thing you could possibly buy. Most of us are Starbucks rich not Ferrari rich.

Sometimes it's good to step back a bit and think sensibly about watches and watch brands that have been held in high esteem by regular middle class people for years. A nice Seiko, Citizen, Bulova or Movado watch is still a big deal.

Movado Bold Evolution 2.0 (Amazon photo)

Our Ten Dollar Tuesday watches show that the essential mission of a wristwatch can be accomplished at a very low price point. That makes a watch like this Movado Bold Evolution watch quite a luxury at 45x the price. (Of course, it is a great looking watch and easily available at my Amazon affiliate link here.) If you are fortunate to get a watch like this one, value it, it is a special luxury.

Watch Deal Alert: Men's Movado 1881 Automatic

If you are looking for a Swiss-made automatic watch with history and sophisticated design, you might take a fresh look at Movado. As a brand, Movado is sometimes denigrated by watch snobs, but is widely respected by the US upper middle class. They have a number of models that have moved beyond their now traditional Museum Watch. One such watch is the Movado 1881 Automatic. It's currently on sale for 30% off on Amazon. It's normally a pricey watch that now comes in under $850 with this deal. As I've laid out my definitions of watch affordability in this post, I'd call this timepiece  attainable.

Movado 1881 Automatic Dress Watch (Amazon Photo)

The Movado 1881 is a 39mm diameter watch that is 9mm thick powered by a Swiss Sellita SW200-1 movement with a 38 hour power reserve.  In some years of manufacture, this watch can use an ETA 2824-2 movement. Either way, you can see it at work through the exhibition caseback. According to Movado, the watch is Swiss made with the movement assembled and cased in Switzerland.

Movado 1881 Automatic with Exhibition Case Back (Amazon photo)

I can't afford this watch right now. But, with a little juggling and sacrifice, this is an attainable timepiece. It's a realistic dream watch.  It's also from a brand that is headquartered in the United States. If the Movado 1881 fits into your dreams or your budget, check it out here on Amazon.

Watch Spotlight: Movado BOLD Access Stainless Steel Watch

There was a time when refined gentlemen could identify a watch brand and call it luxury.  It was a Friday, long ago on this blog in my post: Is Movado a Luxury Watch?  There is also a time to take a look at a watch from that brand.  That time is now.  Gaze upon the Movado BOLD Access Stainless Steel watch. Look at this watch.  Behold it's beautiful!

Movado BOLD Access Stainless Steel Watch

This watch is no dainty museum piece.  It has a 41mm diameter dial that is a slim 8.55mm thick. As a sporty, dress watch, this timepiece provides 30-meters of water resistance. If you want to take a closer look, check it out here on my Amazon affiliate link --

Movado BOLD Access Stainless Steel Watch

Watches A to Z: Movado

Movado detractors deride the brand for being a commonplace watch choice among upscale American consumers.  But, the company is no upstart.  It has a long and storied history.  

Photo by Sumiemyra, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

The firm was founded in Switzerland by watchmaker Achilles Ditesheim in 1881.  Three Ditesheim brothers (Leopold, Isadore, and Achilles) combined their independent watchmaking concerns in 1892 to found L.A. & I. Ditesheim, Fabricants. It was one of the first modern factories in the watchmaking town of La Chaux-de-Fonds.  In 1905, the company was renamed Movado--which means "always in motion" in the international language Esperanto.

A circa 1950 Movado watch. Photo by - Bachelot Pierre J-P, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

As a watch company, Movado introduced many innovations. For example, in 1912, they introduced the Polyplan watch.  It was a tanker-style watch that curved to the wrist and had a movement that was angled  on 3 separate plans to allow the watch design to follow the contour. The original Movado Polyplan watch command thousands of dollars on auction sites.  But, this Peugeot Men's Classic Vintage Curved Watch (below), captures the essence of the design in an affordable quartz format.

Peugeot Men's Classic Vintage Curved Watch (Amazon photo)

In 1926, they introduced an art deco pocket watch called the Ermeto chronometer with a clever movement that wound the watch whenever the case was opened.

1928 Ermeto photo by Jafd88, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

In 1947, Nathan George Horwitt designed the Museum Dial watch that has become synonymous with Movado over the years.  This modern quartz version shows the variety within the concept with a black sunburst radiating from the classic golden dot.  You can find this Museum Classic with a Swiss Quartz movement here on Amazon.

According to the Movado Group website, Cuban refugee, Gedalio Grinberg founded North American Watch Corporation in 1965. That company acquired Movado in 1983. The company then evolved into Movado Group, Inc. In recent years, the company has built an impressive portfolio of watch brands including Ebel, Burton, and MVMT. It has also licensed brands such as Coach, Tommy Hilfiger, Hugo Boss, LaCoste and Scuderia Ferrari.

Movado history keeps moving forward. A vintage watch from Movado recently made headlines. According to a recent article in the Robb Report, Winston Churchill's 1946 Movado Calendrograf watch will soon be auctioned off with an asking price of a cool $192,500.

With a rich history of over a hundred years, it is clear that Movado has a bright future ahead as a luxury watch brand.

TGIF: Are Movado Watches Luxurious?

There are a lot of people in the watch enthusiast community that hate on Movado watches. These enthusiasts claim that quartz Movado watches are too expensive and that the company doesn't make enough mechanical watches to be legitimate with collectors. Other enthusiasts claim that Movado watches are too cheap and that they are sold in too many outlets to middle class consumers. They claim that department stores like Macy's are not high end enough for a Movado watch to be considered a luxury brand.  All the conversational hubbub is enough to raise the question:

Are Movado Watches Luxurious?

A Movado Desk Clock

The Cambridge Dictionary defines luxury as "something expensive that is pleasant to have, but is not necessary." A Movado watch definitely fits that bill. They look cool. Everyone recognizes the classic Museum dial design. They are expensive. For practical purposes, an inexpensive George-brand quartz watch will keep time just as well.  And, no one really needs a Movado watch.  At least not for a basic practical need.  Watches like the Movado Museum Classic Automatic (below) scratch some deeper psychological itches.

Movado Museum Classic Automatic for Men (Amazon photo)

The dial of the Museum Classic is one of the world's most recognizable watch designs.  It's aesthetically pleasing to many and it is a triumphant combination of luxury and minimalism. It definitely brings a sense of art and style to the wrist.

Movado is also widely recognized as a premium watch among millions of middle-class American consumers. If you buy a Movado watch, you can certainly expect to get complimented on it and people who see you wear it will identify you as an upper middle class or even a rich person. While Movado watches may not be as expensive or exclusive as Rolex watches, they are definitely a status symbol. I can't afford one right now. But, they are in the range of watches that I can aspire to as a middle class American. Maybe that's what upsets the watch snobs?

If someone can buy Movado watches like they are bags of potato chips, then Movado watches are probably not a luxury watch for them. As I've written before, we all get to define what a prestigious watch is for us. Movado is definitely a luxury watch for America's middle class and there's nothing wrong with that!  If you want a quartz Movado watch, they aren't cheap, but they are a little more affordable than mechanical movement watches. 

Movado Quartz Men's Signature Watch 

If you've been able to buy any Movado, you should be proud to wear it. It is an accomplishment. It is a luxury.

Sharp Watch Shout Out: Movado Bold with Gray Case and Dial

This Sharp Watch Shout Out goes to Movado for their Movado Bold with Ionic-plated Gray Case and Gray Dial.  It's simply a beautiful and understated watch.  It's also a reasonably attainable for most watch enthusiasts.

A Movado Bold watch (Amazon photo)

Movado is an intriguing luxury watch brand.  It carries a high degree of cache with upper middle class America and has long been the kind of luxury watch that we would buy at a high end department store or typical jewelry store.  Personally, I'm fascinated with all the permutations of their classic museum-style watch with its minimalist dial and a single dot at 12 o'clock. I very much like the design. I even have this Movado Museum-style desk clock.

Movado Museum-Style Clock

However, I think anything above a $500 price point is quite a bit for a wristwatch.  Fortunately, there are sales and other lines of Movado watch.  For example, I really like this Movada Bold watch with a gray case and dial brings the Museum watch motif to watch collectors at a far more attainable price point.  That's why it has earned the sharp watch shout out!

If you've been looking to add the essence of the classic Movado watch design to your collection without dipping into savings or running up a credit card balance, this may well be your watch!

[Unfortunately as of September 1, 2025, this watch seems to be gone from Amazon.]

Menacing Movado Watches for Men

When you think of Movado, you usually think of minimalist style, Museum dials, polish, refinement, and elegance. You usually think of Movado dress watches for executives, artists, and formal occasions. But, there is another side to Movado. It lives down in the dark alley behind the Museum. This dark side of Movado combines menace and power. Like a villain's black Jaguar parked in an industrial area, these dark Movado watches are ready for action.

© M 93 / Wikimedia Commons, via Wikimedia Commons

BAD LOOKING MOVADO WATCHES

This Movado Bold Fusion Watch is worth a look.  It evokes the artistry of the classic Movado Museum Watch, but it has a bigger, bolder, style and a silicone strap.  It has a 42.3mm diameter case that is 9.9mm thick. It's a stronger, chunkier, look from Movado.  As of July 2024, you can find the Movado Fusion watch here on Amazon.

Movado Bold Fusion Watch

If you'd like a little bling with the ionic plated black steel, check out the Movado Bold Verso.  It has a 44mm diameter case that is 11.15mm thick.  It also has tachymeter markings if you are feeling the need for speed.  As of 2024, you can find the Movado Bold Verso here on Amazon as well.

Movado Bold Verso Tachymeter Watch

[This post was updated in July 20204 to feature new Movado watches that were available on Amazon.com.]