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Movado wrist-watch's....your thoughts.

I am a huge watch fiend (from Swatch and up) and my dream in life is to eventually own a Patek Sun Moon Tourbillon or a bespoke watch by one of the small swiss independent watchmakers that will sometimes spend a year or longer on one movement. (odds are good I will never fulfill that dream) http://www.ahci.ch/home.php?sprache=e

In the meantime I tend to like Movado's and have had several in my collection. Movado makes some gorgeous watches. My problem is that the Museum Collection and their closest counterparts are too "trendy and dated" looking and remind me more of being in a Cb Powder Jacket at the lodge in the 1980's and just don't fit todays style as much. But that is just my taste. Currently my goto Watch is a gigantic square Bell & Ross which many won't like (replaced a Panerai that was crushed in an accident) or any number of Christopher Ward watches when I want to tone it down..... So in other words don't go by my taste... If you like it and it is a comfortable price for you, buy it.


Micharl
 
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I'll put up my Miata against any of those any day or time. :laugh:

Why would you want to lose your Miata :001_tt2:

I would happily wear a Movado!

I would never drive a BMW however.

Let me guess, you would drive a over priced Toyota :001_rolle

but I'm not sure how well it would work out here. I live in the coldest city (over 600,000) in the world and although we have BMW's, Porsche (pronounced Por-shaa for you automotive philistines :biggrin1: ), Mercedes, etc.....I don't see too many (not sure if I've ever seen any) of them driving around in 30 to 35 below temps...that we get every year.

A BMW can take whatever you can give it , end of story :001_cool:
 

oc_in_fw

Fridays are Fishtastic!
another tangent: a good friend of mine, the drummer for Pocket Full of Rocks, can't wear digital watches. Withing a few minutes the time and date are waaaay off. He does nothing to them, just wears them. It's the freakiest thing.

My uncle couldn't wear digitals- they would die in days. Some people's skin are more conductive than others, I think.
 
:lol::lol::lol::lol:


If these people ever start making even more money, the Movado and 3 are replaced by the Rolex and 5-series. Both preform their functions well, Rolex makes tough little watches and 5 series are fun to drive. But that is all.

Meow! After 21 years I am on my first Movado and my third 3-series. It would be nice if Bell and Ross made something more compact.
 
I was just at a kays jewelers, I was looking at a Citizen watch

About $150 Eco-Drive and Atomic.


this one in fact.

View attachment 137020


But then the nice sales girl told me I should get a Movado instead

This is the one she showed me

View attachment 137019

Now it's about $800

I'm going to assume you know what a Movado is and why it cost so much more, if you don't you probably can't answer my question.

First, I didn't get it. She talk herself out of a sale, I was going to get the Citizen but now I like the idea of the Movado.

Here are some of the over Movado's I liked.

View attachment 137021View attachment 137022View attachment 137023



So my question!

Is the Movado worth $650 more? And if I'm going to spend that kind of money is there a better brand to look at?


Thanks!

Short answer: No. I hate Movados. I think they're ugly and their popularity far exceeds any sense of reason. This could have something to do with the fact that I was introduced to them by wannabe yuppies who bought them as a poor man's luxury item. Typically all they knew about watches was that they couldn't afford a Rolex. So they bought the Movado because it was somewhat pricey. This certainly shaped my view of them.

For that kind of money you're better off with a Tag. Hell, I'd rather have a Swiss Army for half the cost.

By the way...like the look of the Citizen.
 
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A watchmaker friend of mine told me once that all quartz movements are pretty much the same: Timex vs Movado, not much difference movement-wise (although he definitely has a mechanical watch bias). And most of the pro-Movado remarks in this thread seem focused on its looks ("style"). Seems like a case where it makes sense to buy a knock-off. That way, you can impress your audience without spending a bundle.
 
So... Am I a tool wearing this Movado watch every day? My wife bought it for me 5 years ago for ~$220-250 From what I remember.

I have never been a big watch person other than the Fossil & Timex watches I previously owned and just thought it was a nice watch. It has survived my abuse very well.



RE replica/counterfits: The last one I bought literally fell apart over the 2 weeks I owned it. I guess I got what I payed for on that one....
 
Seems like a case where it makes sense to buy a knock-off. That way, you can impress your audience without spending a bundle.
When you talk about style, brand name comes in too. Buying a knock-off will be counter-effective I think.

Why buy Tommy?
Why buy Dior?
Why buy anything presented by Jessica Simpson / Goerge Clooney / xyz
 
I received a Movado in '93 as a gift. I've only ever worn it once: to a family wedding. It's currently in a drawer somewhere.

I guess if I was into making an impression with the watches that I wear then I'd wear it more, but as I really don't concern myself with such things, my $30 Timex is good enough for me.
 
A watchmaker friend of mine told me once that all quartz movements are pretty much the same: Timex vs Movado, not much difference movement-wise (although he definitely has a mechanical watch bias). And most of the pro-Movado remarks in this thread seem focused on its looks ("style"). Seems like a case where it makes sense to buy a knock-off. That way, you can impress your audience without spending a bundle.
There's quite a bit of truth to this. Quartz movements essentially killed mechanical watches (at least in the lower end markets) because they are cheap to mass produce with quality. Movado does have a uniqueness with their trademark "single dot" dials, but IMO all of their models look essentially the same.

When you talk about style, brand name comes in too. Buying a knock-off will be counter-effective I think.

Why buy Tommy?
Why buy Dior?
Why buy anything presented by Jessica Simpson / Goerge Clooney / xyz
Why indeed.
I received a Movado in '93 as a gift. I've only ever worn it once: to a family wedding. It's currently in a drawer somewhere.

I guess if I was into making an impression with the watches that I wear then I'd wear it more, but as I really don't concern myself with such things, my $30 Timex is good enough for me.
Timex watches are cool.
 
I cannot speak from personal wearing experience on either the movado or the line of seiko's. I am fairly sure that both will keep fine time :)

I would just give a couple of points from my personal experience.


1. Finish
any watch that is 'plated' can/will be subject to wear or flaking over time. some lesser quality watches will show through to base metal (usually brass) in a very short period of time. So for the sake of the wallet and longevity of the watches overall looks, I would stick to something that is 100% stainless steel in construction. Both case and bracelet if applicable.

2. Bracelet
leather straps are somewhat universal in that they attach to the watch with pins or spring bars. they are hard/long wearing and easily replaceable. Many newer style watches come with metal bracelets and some sort of proprietary linking mechanism (meaning traditional leather straps are incompatible). to ensure the easy serviceability of your watch make sure that you can attach an aftermarket strap easily. Personally i wear a leather strap on a watch that had an original metal bracelet, first i find the weight reduced and comfort increased. It also reduces that rattling noise and hearkens back to a more classic look/styling.

3. dome
Lesser watches will use some pretty low quality glass for the front of their case designs. I would HIGHLY recommend purchasing a watch with a sapphire crystal that is scratch proof. Some mineral crystals are touted as scratch 'resistant' mind the wording carefully. sapphire and mineral crystal differ GREATLY in their scratch resistant qualities. (from personal experience a ($250.oo CAD Bulova marine star with mineral crystal had many scratches over approx a year and a half. My $250.oo CAD tissot with sapphire crystal has been banged up and beaten nearly to death over the past 5 years and has NO scratches on the face[pictured below])


Other than the specific points mentioned, the movement whether automatic (perpetual) or a battery driven quartz will over time need some sort of professional service. Auto's; to clean out gunk and relube inner workings. Quartz for the same and to replace a battery now and then.
Also metal bracelets, i find, are very prone to torquing at the lug area and will likely break a spring bar more often than a strap will.


Not the best image quality, but note the heavy dings and scrathes on the case and no scratches on the crystal. Overall this watch has taken a beating and is my daily worn timepiece. the things that make it so great are the ones i have listed. no base metal wear to show through, easy band replacement and 0 scratches on the face.
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A little off topic, but what is the reputation of Tissot and how do they fit in with the other midrange brands?


Personally, I was always a little dubious of the Tissot "Brand". They seemed, steriotypically, to be a low end swiss manufacturer. I got the idea that I didn't like them solely because they said 1853 on them lol.. This was from the idea that a quality brand did not 'need' to show how long they have been in business.. an old saying; "I have been taking a dump for 50 years and I still don't know how to build a toilet" came to mind when reasoning that 1853 was useless to display.
However after breaking down and buying one, I have ABSOLUTELY NO COMPLAINTS of the Tissot that I own. In my above post, I detail why it has been a great watch for me. But I can easily translate those selling points into many watch brands. I'm still on the mental side of hating the fact my Tissot says 1853 on it... But truthfully the years flawless service have left me with little to gripe about.
 
For that kind of $, I wouldn't get the Movado unless you just want to tell people it's a Movado. I'd go for an automatic. I love my Seiko and it was under $100. You could get a nice Seiko, Orient or any number of really nice Swiss automatics for a considerable discount.
 
...

1. Finish
any watch that is 'plated' can/will be subject to wear or flaking over time. some lesser quality watches will show through to base metal (usually brass) in a very short period of time....

...

3. dome
Lesser watches will use some pretty low quality glass for the front of their case designs. I would HIGHLY recommend purchasing a watch with a sapphire crystal that is scratch proof. Some mineral crystals are touted as scratch 'resistant' mind the wording carefully. sapphire and mineral crystal differ GREATLY in their scratch resistant qualities. (from personal experience a ($250.oo CAD Bulova marine star with mineral crystal had many scratches over approx a year and a half. My $250.oo CAD tissot with sapphire crystal has been banged up and beaten nearly to death over the past 5 years and has NO scratches on the face[pictured below])

Good points. My Vostok is chrome-plated brass and began wearing off very quickly. Fortunately this was confined to the back, and hasn't gotten worse.

Regarding the crystals ("dome") My Rolex (like many vintage watches out there) predates sapphire crystals (I think) and has a plastic one which can get scratched but is easy to buff out. I agree that sapphire is the best choice, and I would recommend avoiding a modern watch without saphire. However, ,many vintage watches (including Rolex and Breitling) used plastic.

For that kind of $, I wouldn't get the Movado unless you just want to tell people it's a Movado. I'd go for an automatic.
Exactly.
 
I never really cared for Movado - to boring for me. There a many watches in that price range or slightly more that IMHO are a better value. Ball, SWI, some of the Russian watches are very nice..Vostok for one.
 
New post to an old thread! My Movado circa 1990 became unreliable. I had a new works put into it, but that failed in less than five years. My wife bought one last year which failed within months and disappeared into a black hole at Movado repair.

I know it can be hard to judge, but has their quality gone to hell? Or were we just unlucky?

I still like the looks of my Movado but I don't want to throw good money after bad.

Anyone with an informed opinion, please chime in! Thanks in advance.
 
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