Movado watches were made in La-Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland in the past. But the company is already purchased by an American watch-making corporation. It is now made in Paramus, New Jersey, United States. The brand is mostly known for the unique museum model watch that only has a dot at 12 o’clock.
Many watch collectors want to know about the whole journey of this famous brand, and in this article, we will go through every aspect regarding the brand. It will, of course, quench your thirst for Movado watches and brands.
A brief history of Movado watch
Movado watch is mostly known for its signature watch, which is a museum watch with a dot sign at the 12 o’clock mark. Behind creating this popular position in the world of watches, the journey hasn’t been that easy for this brand.
Founding the brand: Movado was founded back in 1881 in La-Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland by a young entrepreneur. The founder of this world-famous brand is Achilles Ditesheim, and he was only 19 years old then. He started the journey with six watchmakers and set up a small wristwatch shop in the village.
Movado naming: The brand wasn’t named Movado from the beginning; rather it had two more names. After setting up a wristwatch shop, two of his brothers named Leopold and Isidore joined him in 1885. After that, the company was named L.A.I Ditesheim. Soon after, another brother joined the company, and it was renamed L.A.I Ditesheim & Frere.
The company got its real name 20 years later when Ditesheim named it Movado in 1905.
Meaning of Movado: There’s a nice meaning of the word Movado, which is motion. However, Ditesheim named the company Movado, and it always meant in motion. The word was internationally known as Esperanto.
The most iconic invention: In 1947, Movado introduced the single dot watch for which they are mostly praised. The designer of the watch was Nathan George Horwitt. After introducing the design, Movado started manufacturing this type of watch with the simplest design in 1948.
The face of the museum watch was black, and it had a golden bezel as well golden arrows. Only one drop of golden circle was situated at the 12 o'clock mark on the watch face, which defined the overheated sun at noon.
Change of owners: The brand Movado was bought by the North American Watch Corporation. It was 1983 when the owner of North American Watch Corporation, Gedalio Grinberg purchased this famous brand and took it under his company. The target was then to produce luxurious watches at an affordable price range.
The company is then known as Movado Group Inc. worldwide. Gedalio’s son Efraim Grinberg is the chief executive of this company now. And Alan Chinich is the president of North American Movado.
Headquarters: As Movado was found in Switzerland, it has its headquarters at its founding place La-Chaux-de-Fonds. However, after an American businessman bought it, the headquarters was replaced in Paramus, New Jersey, United States.
Awards: Movado watches are part of museum watch collections worldwide. The simple, aesthetic design they produce earned them more than 100 patents and 200 international awards.
Where are the Movado watches manufactured?
In 1881, the Movado watch brand was founded in La-Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. For this reason, it is still known as a Swiss watch brand. However, in 1983 the brand was purchased by an American watch corporation. Since then the headquarters of Movado was moved to North America.
It is to say that, in the past day, Movado watches were manufactured in Switzerland. However, after an American businessman bought the company, the watches are manufactured there as well. But the root of Movado watches still lies in the soil of Switzerland.
Is Movado a luxurious watch brand
As Movado produces luxurious watches, it can be called a luxurious brand. But this Swiss watch brand doesn’t only produces luxurious watches, rather they are also known for producing affordable watches for fashion purpose. The most famous model from this brand is the museum model, which was manufactured in 1947.
This museum model earned unbelievable popularity at that time and because of the simple but astonishing design that all loved models. The outlook of that watch model proved Movado as a luxurious watch brand at that time. Although people have changed their choice, still this museum model is popular among aesthetic design lovers.
All in all, it won’t be wrong to call Movado a luxurious watch brand. But we should also remember that they are good at making affordable wristwatches at the same time.
Movado watch series
Although Movado is well known for producing museum watches, they have done a pretty good job producing some other models.
Movado museum watch: From the design made by Nathan George Horwitt, Movado started making single dot display watches in 1948. This type of watch is known as museum watch, and still, the legacy of the watch is going on.
Polyplan watch: In 1912, Movado came out of the pocket watch theory and designed a wristwatch with an unusual design. The watch had a curved rectangular shape design. Because of the curved design, it used to fit snugly onto the wearer’s wrist.
Ermento pocket watch: In 1920, they manufactured Ermento pocket watch. It had a dial that was covered by two sliders from both sides. The compact and attractive design makes it a worthy choice for users who loved pocket watches.
Digital watch: They started making digital watches in the 1930s. The watch face had a little space to show the time and also some of them showed day and date as well. The time, day, and date everything was shown through digits in these watches.
Calendar watch: The calendoplan model from Movado came with a calendar showing the date, month, and year. It continued in the Datron Chronograph model released in 1970 as well.
Movado series 800: This model of watches was made of aluminum and steel. They work on super-accurate quartz movement. Although they look similar to the Datron model, they weren’t the copy of that model.
Are Movado watches worth the price
Of course, Movado watches are worth to price and price range 300$ to 3000$. If you find cheap price range like movado watch under 500$, see this post. They are often considered a luxurious watch brand, but they won't go to a similar spot like Rolex, Citizen, or Orient Ray watches. However, the unique design and high-quality construction make these watches worth the price for sure.
How long Movado watches last
The durability of a Movado watch depends largely on the level of maintenance and usability. In normal use with proper maintenance, the watch will last for 3 to 5 years approximately. And another thing to consider here is the battery life.
The battery won’t last that long, and you might have to replace the battery of the watch after 1.5 to 3 years. Overall, through proper maintenance, it is possible to make the watch long-lasting.
Final words
Even if you are you are a collector of watches, you might love to have a collection of Movado watches because of the simple and aesthetic design they offer.
