Movado is almost always immediately associated with the Museum series, and for good reason – it’s an iconic design, and one instantly recognizable as being from the brand. But those watches definitely skew towards the dressier end of the spectrum. What if you wanted something a bit, shall we say, sportier? Well, then, the just-announced Movado Heritage Calendoplan and Movado Series 800 chronographs are quite good-looking options that retain that Movado look.
These are reasonably priced at just around $800 and $1,200 for someone seeking a Movado sports watch that won’t require the long-term cost of maintaining a mechanical movement.
First, the Movado Heritage Calendoplan quartz chronographs very much stick to the pattern and look that we are familiar with from the brand. You have a dressier look to the watch, with a polished finish on the 43mm case. When it comes to the sapphire crystal-topped dial, though, things are mixed up a bit. For starters, there’s no polished, concave circle at the 12 o’clock position that so many Movado watches employ. In its place, we’ve got the large Explorer-style triangle.
The font showing up under that triangle reinforces the vintage theme and fits well with the overall aesthetic feel of the dials. The subdials show the running seconds, 30-minute chronograph counter, and the day of the week over at 9:30. While I do rather like the panda/inverted panda-style subregisters, it is a bit of a shame that they’re chopping off the luminous indices in spots. Oh, and as long as we’re talking about reinforcing themes, the luminous paint on the dauphine handset also helps to bring the watch a little more towards the sportier end of a dress watch.
On the other hand, if you find yourself missing the Movado circle on the dial, and want something that is truly sporty and contemporary there are the new Movado Series 800 quartz chronographs. These are certainly more tool-watch looking, as they have a good bit of a dive watch feel to them. But it’s a classier sort of a diver, with the 42mm case (and its bracelet) coming with some polished and glossy elements.
Done in a steel case and bracelet with a blue or black sunray dial with a silver-toned concave dot, SS luminescent markers and hands, and date window at 4 o’clock, these are pretty masculine-looking pieces that still maintain that Movado signature look.
As on the Movado Heritage Calendoplan, the Movado Series 800 also saw fit to chop off a few of the lumed indices. Unlike the Heritage ones, though, the Series 800 watches do not have color-matched date wheels, which seems like an odd miss. Fortunately, the aluminum bezel inserts on the watch are color-matched fairly closely. While the Movado Series 800 has diver looks to it, we do not (at this time) have any word on a WR rating – though one hopes you could at least take it for a swim.
These are somewhat interesting additions to the Movado collection. The Movado Series 800 watches definitely have the Movado look, while giving a more robust, ready-for-anything feel to them. Surprisingly, between the two, I actually find myself more drawn to the Movado Heritage Calendoplan lineup – just something about those indices and the text on the dial clicks for me. Sure, it’s not instantly recognizable as being from the brand, but that’s part of the appeal as well – it speaks to an earlier time when perhaps brand design language was not as set as it can sometimes be today. The Movado Heritage Calendoplan is priced at $795 while the series 800 is $1,195. movado.com
