Movado Watches: Every Collection and Price in 2026

The Museum Dial: A Brief History

Movado was founded in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, in 1881 by a nineteen-year-old watchmaker named Achille Ditesheim. The name itself — Esperanto for “always in motion” — was adopted in 1905, and the brand built a reputation for slim, elegant timepieces throughout the first half of the twentieth century. But the single design decision that defines Movado today came from outside the company entirely.

In 1947, American industrial designer Nathan George Horwitt created a watch dial with no numerals, no indices and no brand name — just a single gold dot at 12 o’clock representing the sun at high noon, set against a black field. The concept was radical: tell time by the position of the hands alone, with one reference point to orient the eye. Horwitt envisioned it as a piece of functional art, and in 1960 the Museum of Modern Art in New York added the dial to its permanent design collection — making it one of the first watch faces ever exhibited as fine art.

Movado adopted the design commercially, and the “Museum dial” became the brand’s signature. Every major Movado collection since has carried a variation of that single-dot motif, from the austere Museum Classic to the sportier SE. It is, without exaggeration, one of the most recognizable watch designs in the world — as instantly identifiable as the Rolex Cyclops or the Audemars Piguet octagonal bezel.

Today Movado is part of Movado Group Inc., a publicly traded company (NYSE: MOV) that also owns MVMT, Olivia Burton, and holds licenses for Coach, Hugo Boss and Lacoste watches. The group reported net revenue of approximately $740 million in fiscal 2025. Movado watches are assembled in Switzerland using Swiss-sourced movements, and the brand sits in what the industry calls the “accessible luxury” tier — priced above pure fashion brands like Michael Kors but below traditional Swiss watchmakers like Tissot and Longines.

Every Movado Collection Compared

Movado’s current lineup spans six main collections, each pitched at a slightly different buyer. Here’s what separates them.

Museum Classic ($495–$995)

The flagship. The Museum Classic is Movado at its purest: the original single-dot dial on a slim stainless steel case with a leather strap or link bracelet. Men’s models come in 40mm, women’s in 28mm and 33mm. Most use Swiss quartz movements, though select references offer a Sellita SW200 automatic. Sapphire crystals are standard across the range. Cases are polished stainless steel, with PVD black and gold-tone options available. Water resistance is a modest 30 metres — enough for hand-washing, not for swimming.

Bold ($395–$895)

The modern, fashion-forward line. Bold watches run larger — 42mm to 44mm for men, 34mm to 36mm for women — and play with materials: ceramic, TR90 composite and stainless steel. The Bold Evolution 2.0, at $395, is the cheapest way into the Movado universe. Dials range from high-gloss lacquer to textured patterns, all carrying the signature single dot. Movements are Swiss quartz throughout. Mineral crystals are common at the lower end; sapphire appears on higher-priced models.

SE ($495–$750)

Movado’s sporty option. The SE adds a unidirectional rotating bezel, applied hour markers and 100-metre water resistance — making it the only Movado you could reasonably wear in a pool. Cases are 41mm in steel, and the bracelet is an integrated three-link design. The Museum dot sits on the bezel rather than the dial, giving the SE a distinctly different look from the rest of the range. Swiss quartz power.

Heritage Series 800 ($595–$895)

A dive-inspired collection that nods to Movado’s 1980s sport watches. The Series 800 has a 42mm case, a rotating bezel and 200-metre water resistance — the highest in the lineup. Luminous hands and indices make it genuinely legible in low light, and the bracelet has a diver’s extension clasp. This is the Movado for buyers who want the single-dot aesthetic with real sport-watch utility.

Sapphire Synergy ($650–$895)

The minimalist’s choice within an already minimalist brand. The Sapphire Synergy strips the dial to its barest essentials — sometimes removing even the single dot — and pairs it with a full sapphire crystal that extends to the edges of the case. Cases are slim (under 8mm) and polished to a mirror finish. Available in 42mm for men and 28mm for women. Swiss quartz throughout.

Ultra Slim ($595–$795)

Movado’s thinnest watches at approximately 6.6mm case thickness. The Ultra Slim is a dress-watch specialist: 40mm for men, 35mm for women, with sunray dials and mesh or leather straps. The ultra-thin profile makes it disappear under a shirt cuff. If the Museum Classic is the brand’s everyday face, the Ultra Slim is its formal one.

Movements and Build Quality

The vast majority of Movado watches run on Swiss quartz movements, typically sourced from ETA (a Swatch Group subsidiary) or Ronda. These are the same movement families used by Tissot, Hamilton and dozens of other Swiss brands at similar price points. Quartz means no winding, no power-reserve anxiety and accuracy within ±15 seconds per month — roughly ten times more accurate than a mechanical watch.

Select Museum Classic and Heritage references use the Sellita SW200 automatic caliber — a Swiss-made clone of the venerable ETA 2824-2. The SW200 beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour and offers approximately 38 hours of power reserve. It’s a workhorse movement found in watches costing up to $2,000 from brands like Oris, Mido and Christopher Ward, so finding it in a Movado at the $795–$995 price point represents fair mechanical value.

Build quality across the range is consistent. Cases are 316L stainless steel (the same alloy Omega and Tudor use), and PVD coatings on black and gold-tone models are durable enough for daily wear. Sapphire crystals appear on Museum Classic, Sapphire Synergy and higher-end Bold models; entry-level Bold watches use hardened mineral glass. Bracelets feature butterfly-clasp deployants on the higher collections and push-button clasps on the sportier SE and Series 800.

Where Movado falls short compared to traditional Swiss watchmakers is in the details enthusiasts notice: the movement is not decorated or visible through a display caseback, lume is limited or absent on most collections (the Heritage Series 800 is the exception), and the brand does not pursue chronometer certification. These are reasonable trade-offs for a design-led brand at this price, but they explain why watch collectors often point buyers toward Tissot, Seiko or Citizen as alternatives.

Pricing Across the Lineup

Movado’s pricing is tighter than most Swiss brands. The entire men’s lineup fits between $395 and $995, which means the most expensive Movado costs less than the cheapest Longines. This consistency is intentional: the brand targets a specific buyer — someone who wants a recognizable Swiss design at a predictable price — rather than stretching across price tiers the way some fashion brands attempt.

Here’s how each collection breaks down by price tier. The ranges below reflect 2026 retail at authorized dealers and Movado’s own US site; grey-market and pre-owned prices can be 30–50% lower.

Men’s vs Women’s: Size and Price Differences

Movado prices women’s models identically to men’s within the same collection and material tier. The difference is sizing: women’s Museum Classic models come in 28mm and 33mm versus the men’s 40mm, women’s Bold models in 34mm and 36mm versus 42–44mm. For a detailed look at the women’s side of the range, see our dedicated Movado women’s guide.

Resale Value Reality Check

This is where honesty matters. Movado watches do not hold their value well on the secondary market. Typical resale retention falls between 20% and 40% of the original retail price, depending on the model, condition and whether box and papers are included. A $695 Museum Classic in excellent condition might fetch $200–$280 on the pre-owned market. A $395 Bold model might sell for $100–$150.

This is normal for fashion-adjacent watch brands. For comparison, Tissot retains roughly 35–50%, Seiko 30–60% (depending on the line) and Citizen 25–40%. Only true luxury brands like Rolex (85–110%) and Omega (50–75%) retain the majority of their purchase price. The resale story does not make Movado a bad purchase — it means you should buy one because you love the design and intend to wear it, not because you expect to recover your money.

Movado vs the Competition

At the $400–$1,000 price range, Movado competes with brands that offer substantially more horological substance for similar money. The question is whether that substance matters to you.

The pattern is clear: at this price, competing brands deliver more horological value — longer power reserves, better water resistance, display casebacks, more complex movements. Movado’s advantage is purely aesthetic. The Museum dial is a design icon that none of these competitors can replicate, and for many buyers that is worth the premium.

Who Should Buy a Movado

The honest summary: Movado is a design brand that happens to make watches, not a watch brand that happens to have good design. That’s not an insult — it’s a description of where the brand invests its effort. The Museum dial is one of the most successful pieces of industrial design ever applied to a wristwatch, and it justifies a premium over purely horological competitors. Just go in knowing what you’re paying for. Use Grailr’s scanner to check current market pricing on any Movado model before you buy, especially on the pre-owned market where discounts can be steep.

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