Movado has just released a new collection of watches called the Movado Edge which, according to the American-based watch company, have been designed by famous industrial designer Yves Behar and his firm fuseproject. The Movado Edge collection will initially be comprised of a range of models for both men and women, including timepieces both on straps and bracelets. Currently the collection appears to contain only quartz movements but that doesn’t mean mechanical versions of the Movado Edge won’t be available in the future.
Yves Behar’s task wasn’t actually that easy when designing the Movado Edge. Behar wasn’t merely asked to design a new watch for Movado, but rather to reinterpret the famous Museum Dial watch design originally conceived by American designer Nathan George Horwitt. At first a wall clock, the ultra Bauhaus design which included just one hour indicator at 12 o’clock was both celebrated and condemned. Nevertheless, it proved to be an extremely successful design for Movado – especially in the 1990s after Horwitt’s death. I discussed the history of the Movado Museum Dial watch and Horwitt here.
Yves Behar wanted to not only add his sense of organic, architectural design to the Movado watch collection, but to also capture the essence of why people so enjoyed the stark minimalism of the Museum Dial. The result is the Movado Edge. Someday, I’d like Behar himself to discuss his vision for the watch. At first glance, you can obviously see the foundation elements of Horwitt’s design. The watches still (for the most part, but not including the chronograph model) have just one hour indicator at 12, and feature just the hours and minutes.
With that said, there is so much more to what is going on in each watch. This is a Museum Dial timepiece for the Apple Watch generation, complete with modern curves mixed with nuances from nature. In static pictures, the concave dial looks like an aerial view of Saharan sand dunes or perhaps some view of an industrial turbine. In actuality, the three-dimensional dial was designed for a very specific purpose.
If you look at a Rolex Datejust watch or any other model with fluted bezel, you’ll notice how the flat, polished surfaces play with the light as it moves around on your wrist. This is intentional, and the purpose is to bring attention to the wrist. Humans are, after all, attracted to shiny things – and Yves Behar likely knows this. While I haven’t seen a Movado Edge in person yet, the idea of the small valleys on the dial is to shift with the light each time you or someone else looks at the watch. It is an attention-getting element and it proves how well Behar understands the current watch market. There are tool watches that focus on pure legibility and functionality, and then there are artistic timepieces which, in a sense, are about being fashionable, but are more directly about offering a pleasant wearing experience that both the wearer and onlookers can appreciate.
Each of the Movado Edge watches come in steel cases but some are PVD coated in black, rose, or yellow gold finishes. The cases are all lugless, with a strap or bracelet being connected to the case. This appears to be the “in” look these days, and those with a preference for minimalist designs often go for it. I am not totally in love with lugless designs, but they can make a case for themselves. I will, however, say that on women, lugless cases tend to look quite good.
Other design elements keep the Movado Edge looking original aside from the highly distinct dials. The crown is slightly larger than is proportionally necessary, which makes for a unique look, especially when contrasted against the very thin bezel. Movado starts the Movado Edge collection with the 34mm-wide women’s models that come in monochromatic colors being in polished steel or yellow or rose gold tone.
Up from there is the 40mm wide men’s models on either a strap or bracelet and with polished steel or PVD black cases. These are likely to be the most popular of the Movado Edge watches, as I have a feeling both men and women will want to wear them.
The largest and currently most expensive of the Movado Edge models is the ref. 3680011 chronograph which only comes in three models. It has a 42mm-wide case in a brushed steel or black PVD-coated steel case with matching single-link bracelet. It is an interesting design, for sure, and I am curious to see how all of these watches look in person. As I said above, the Movado Edge collection contains quartz movements for the time being and should be now available. Prices for the Movado Edge women’s watches (3680012, 3680013, 3680014) are between $795 and $995; the men’s three-hand watches (3680001, 3680002, 3680003, 3680004, 3680005, 3680006, 3680007, 3680008) are variously $495, $795, and $995; and the men’s chronograph models (3680009, 3680010, 3680011) start at $995 and top out the collection at $1,195. movado.com
