Movado

See also Mavado

Movado is a Swiss luxury watch company whose name is Esperanto for "movement". Movado was founded in 1881 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland by Achilles Ditesheim.

The company is most renowned for its Museum watches that feature a black clock face with a single point at twelve o'clock. This is the minimalist look made famous for Movado by American designer Nathan George Horwitt in 1947. Horwitt intended his design to be evocative of a sun dial, with the dot representing the sun at high noon. This most recognizable look of a Movado is a simple hour and minute hand, with a solid background and a single depressed circle on the 12:00 mark. The Museum Dial, Movado's signature design, has no markings on for minutes or hours (although some of Movado's other designs now do). Many refer to this design as the "boss's watch" because the boss doesn't have to be on time (hence the vague display of time).

In addition to its design, Movado watches tend to be regarded for being light weight. Most Movado styles include the use of sapphire crystal, which is highly scratch resistant and thus used by most watchmaking companies.

The company supported the construction of a public clock which was designed by the architect of the name Philip Johnson, located outside Lincoln Center in New York City. In 2006, Movado celebrated its 125th year of watchmaking. With its watches set in museum collections around the world, the Movado Company has made its mark of success on the world. Its frequent publicity in famous magazines and other publications furthers this success.

Currently, Movado watches utilize both quartz and automatic movements in their timepieces. The Movado Group, Inc. also markets other watch brands: Concord, Ebel, ESQ Swiss, Coach Watches, Hugo Boss Watches, Tommy Hilfiger, Juicy Couture, and Lacoste Watches.

External links

• Movado corporate web site