Movado: From Art of Time to Watch Icon

Movado means "always in motion" but it could also stand for design icon. This guide by eBay Powerseller Swiss Watch Boutique LLC will describe some of the key dates in history that have made Movado synonymous with the art of time.

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It's hard to believe that this global powerhouse of a brand started as a seven-person workshop in La Chaux-de-faunds, Switzerland. Here are some of the key dates that made Movado.

• 1881
  A small watch company is founded in La Chaux-de-faunds, Switzerland by watchmaker Achille Ditisheim.
  
  
• 1897
  Ditisheim's small workshop thrives and grows to more than 80 employees.
  
  
• 1905
  The company is renamed Movado and begins producing a string of award-winning movements while racking up a flurry of patents.
  
  
• 1912
  Movado unveils the Polyplan, which becomes its first bestselling watch. Its elongated and curved to fit the wrist.
  
  
• 1947
  American designer Nathan George Horwitt, a champion of the Bauhaus movement, creates the famous Movado Museum watch (see picture below). Hewitt's signature touches include an uncluttered dial with a simple gold dot marker at the 12 o'clock position. The marker is meant to represent the sun at its zenith at high noon.
  
  
• 1983
  Entrepreneur Gedalio Grinberg purchases Movado, with an eye to making Movado the lynchpin of new watch group. The Movado Museum becomes front and center of this effort, eventually accounting for 95 percent of the 400 Movado variations. The strategy works and sales explode. Movado goes on to dominate the U.S. market in watches between $500 and $1,500.
  
  
• 2005
  Movado has estimated sales worldwide of $200 million. The Movado Group, which includes Ebel, Concord, Coach, Hugo Boss watches, Tommy Hilfiger watches, and ESQ, has overall sales of $470 million.
  
  
• 2006
  Movado celebrates 125 years of existence by introducing several limited edition lines. With more than 200 international awards and with watches in more than 20 museums, Movado continues to push the design and technology envelope anchored by its signature Movado Museum line.

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