Movado Museum

As an industrial designer, Nathan George Horwitt dedicated his career to creating objects designed to perfectly meet the needs of everyday life. Bauhaus had a heavy influence on his work, resulting in the 1947 prototype of today's Museum watch. The simplicity of this timepiece was its defining feature: Its black dial was empty but for two hands and a gold dot at 12 o'clock. This dot is meant to symbolize the Sun at its zenith and introduced a new way of looking at time.

The first prototype of the Museum watch has been a part of the permanent collection at New York's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) since 1960. Movado began producing luxury watches based on Horwitt's design in the late 70s, and they continue to do so to this day. That being said, the Swiss manufacturer has never stopped refining the watch and playing with its look. The Edge and Bold collections are modernized versions of the classic Museum watch. Other collections, such as the Museum Classic, follow the original blueprint more closely. The different models come in numerous sizes and materials and on one of a variety of bands. Some models even feature diamonds or mother-of-pearl dials. Newer pieces are powered by Swiss quartz movements, while the older generations only came with mechanical calibers.

There are many pre-owned models of the classic Movado Museum in good condition available at attractive prices. You can get a never-worn model based on the original with a black dial, gold dot and hands, and a gold-plated, 31-mm case for around 610 USD. Similar, pre-owned models in good condition go for as little as 300 USD. The manufacturer also has models for those who prefer rectangular cases and can do without the dot dial design. A Museum watch with a rectangular case made of stainless steel and sapphire glass on a stainless steel bracelet costs about 710 USD.

Thanks to the clean design and various case sizes, Museum watches are great options for both men and women. The 28-mm stainless steel model on a five-piece link bracelet with small diamond hour markers on a mother-of-pearl-dial is particularly feminine. The price for this quartz women's watch sits at around 820 USD new. A similar model with an automatic movement costs about 1,600 USD in very good condition.

Movado Museum watches from the period of collaboration between Movado and Zenith are especially interesting. Some of these pieces feature mechanical Zenith movements and cases in solid 18-karat gold. Plan to spend around 1,400 USD on a Movado/Zenith Museum watch from the 90s with a manually wound caliber, yellow gold case, and black dial. This model is worn on a matching black leather strap.

For the Edge collection, Movado brought industrial designer Yves Béhar on board. Béhar reworked the design, creating a fresh and playful reinterpretation. The dot at 12 o'clock is significantly larger and has a raised, sculpted design. The dial's edge features a series of ridges, symbolizing the rays of the sun. This collection also sees the addition of color: from pink to blue and everything in between. Shimmering aluminum dials are also available. A chronograph with a blue dial and stainless steel bracelet costs 1,200 USD in good condition. A simple, two-hand model with a silver dial demands about half that. Every watch in the Edge collection is outfitted with a quartz movement.