Movado is the name behind many designer brand watches including Tommy Hilfiger, Hugo Boss and Coach, as well as watch brands such as Ebel and Concord. The watchmaker has just released a new addition to its Master series first introduced in 2009, the Master Automatic Chronograph.
Its pure, functional good looks are rooted in the Bauhaus movement. Bauhaus was associated with the trend toward less ornate art and architecture and greater utility. The inspiration for this was the rise of the working class and the desire to meet the needs of the masses rather than a small number of wealthy patrons.
At the same time the watch strongly echoes the Movado Master Museum dial while taking it in a new direction.
The 45mm stainless steel case is large enough to make an impression, but is sufficiently streamlined not to look chunky. The case is topped by a black sapphire bezel. There’s a grid pattern motif that runs through the dial and is reflected on the strap, although you can also opt for smooth white rubber.
The oversized dot at 12 o’clock, a recurring Movado design theme, has a convex centre that makes it look like a push-piece, while the tone-on-tone minute-circle gradually asserts itself as the seconds and minutes go by. The watch runs on a 27 jewel ETA movement with a 48 hour power reserve. The black hands and hour markers are luminescent and the watch is water resistant to 300 metres.
Movado was founded in 1881 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland by Achilles Ditesheim. The company was purchased by arts enthusiast Gedalio Grinberg of New York in 1983; his son, Efraim Grinberg, is the current Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Movado Group, Inc. The company is now headquartered in New Jersey, while its watches are still manufactured in Switzerland.
Although no price has been set yet, the new Movado Master Automatic Chronograph is likely to retail from upwards of US$3,500.
Technical specs:
- Movement: Automatic, ETA, 27 jewels, 48-hour power reserve
- Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date and chronograph
- Case: Stainless steel, 45 mm
- Black sapphire bezel
- Scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with inner anti-glare treatment
- Water-resistant to 300 m / 30 ATM
- Dial: Matte black with grid pattern motif and rhodiumed décor
- Textured asymmetrical inner circle
- Luminescent black hands and hour-markers
- Hour, minute and small seconds counters at 6, 3 and 9 o’clock respectively
- Date display at 6 o’clock
- Bracelet/Strap: Grid-patterned black or smooth white rubber with stainless steel folding clasp
