Why We Love It A time-only Movado from the 1950s - really any mechanical Movado from the 1950s for that matter, offer a ton of value in the watch world. Once a maker of brilliantly-designed, expertly produced timepieces, Movado's fall from grace into the fashion-driven budget watch brand is nothing short of painful to study. Naturally, you wouldn't catch us dead wearing anything from their modern collections, but like so many other contemporary brands, what came before just can't be beat. This lovely 34mm steel Tempomatic model is the very essence of understated and elegant post-war design. With an unpolished slim case featuring sharply faceted lugs, this Movado wears brilliantly and oozes an effortless simple beauty. Putting it apart from the pack is its richly patinated cream dial (with hints of salmon!) and applied Breguet indices and blued steel pencil hands. Furthermore, the central seconds hand has subtle arrow tip, which is a small but noticeable touch. At the outer edge of the dial, a crisply printed 60-minute chapter ring adds a bit of sporty flair. It even includes a period red Movado box and perfectly matched brown leather strap with period pin buckle to round out the package. Poor man's Reference 96SC Calatrava? Maybe, but its also so much more. The Story While Movado is now best known as a producer of fashion watches like the Museum Watch, Movado's roots go much deeper than that. The company’s history reaches all the way back to 1881, when watchmaker Achilles Ditesheim opened a workshop in La Chaux-de-Fonds. His brothers Léopold and Isidore joined him in 1886. Production from that point on proved how true the name brand was—it means "always in motion" in Esperanto. Throughout the 20th century Movado produced incredible mechanical timepieces. They gained notoriety for the sophistication of the equipment and technology they employed, including electric tools. Unlike many of their counterparts, Movado's movements were designed and manufactured in-house. In the late 1960s, they were acquired by Zenith, and enjoyed perhaps their greatest period of success as the subsidiary of that brand. Their chronographs (which used the famous Zenith El Primero movement), particularly, were successful sellers. But the extent of their offerings didn’t end there. They also made killer dress watches like the one we have here.
