Movado
In 1881, when he was only 19 years old, Achilles Ditesheim founded his eponymous watchmaking business. The young watchmaker hired six workmen to produce watches for his small shop in La Chaux-de-Fonds in Switzerland. The firm was initially named ‘LAI Ditescheim and Freres SA’, after its founder, but in 1905 the company was renamed ‘Movado’ meaning ‘Always in motion’ in the constructed Esperanto language. The new name encapsulated the firm’s ethos: to maintain perpetual motion in developing new timepieces. The name also plays on the nature of time itself, also “always in motion”.
In 2006 Movado celebrated its 125th anniversary. During its long life time, the company has received over 200 international awards and 100 patents for its innovations within the manufacture of watches. Pioneering in all aspects of its operation, Movado commissioned in 1999, the architect Phillip Johnson to create ‘Time Sculpture’, an art work which today stands in Lincoln Centre, New York
Movado has been a strong advocate of modern designs and a brand that endorses innovation within the industry. Their sleek designs embody both utility and luxury.
Style/Major Collections
Movodo’s signature design, now known as the ‘Museum Watch’ was initially created in 1947 by an American designer, Nathan George Horwitt. The iconic, minimalist design was inspired by the German Bauhaus movement that aimed to strip away unnecessary adornment, leaving only the truly essential elements in art, décor and design. Horwitt’s watch dial is a masterpiece of minimalist utility. He removed all numbers, leaving only a small blank circle to mark the twelfth hour. The single circle symbolises simultaneously the risen sun and full moon.
In 1960 Horwitt’s innovative design was chosen by the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), New York, to be included in its permanent collection. It was the first watch to enter the art museum’s collection and from this honour gained its name: the ‘Museum Watch’. In 1979 Movado settled with Horwitt to buy the design rights for $29,000. From this purchase, Movado has created several collections inspired by Horwitt’s minimalist dial which has become the brand’s signature.
The Director of the Department of Photography at MOMA in 1947, Edward Steichen, described the Museum Watch as “the only truly original and beautiful [design] for such an object”.
In 2015 the brand released their Movado Motion Collection, which includes the Bellina women’s watch and Museum Sport Men’s model.