Yes, Movado is a luxury watch brand. They fulfill key parameters usually used in determining luxury products, such as brand heritage and rich history, design quality, and innovative engineering. So, it's a given that Movado is most certainly a pure luxury brand; however, they might not fit into the ultra-luxury category due to one of their strong core values: accessibility.
One of the critical parameters used in grouping ultra-luxury brands is their exculsivity. Brands like Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Rolex, and others are considered the front-liners when discussing this feature. Exclusive products are limited and produced for a select few, making them eligible to be classified as ultra-luxury for, as they say," “scarcity or rarity spikes up value." Some other factors include price and design complexity.
On the other hand, the Movado brand adopts a different approach to positioning itself in the global market. They appeal to watch enthusiasts who prioritize style, high functionality, and affordability, as they focus on producing high-quality watches with innovative designs brought to life by highly experienced craftsmen. With consistency, they have successfully carved a niche and built a solid reputation for themselves.
Key Takeaways From the Article
- Movado's rich history, design techniques, and top-notch engineering qualify it as a luxury brand.
- Due to their vast pricing disparity, Movado has no standing with ultra-luxury watch brands. They, however, have an edge over other watch brands in the accessible luxury category.
- Movado products are created to be highly durable. They make use of only the best artisans who prioritize the use of quality materials during production.
- Shop our collection of high-quality Movado watches here.
Quality of Movado watches
Consumers of the Movado brand have come to know them for their durability features. This is because they pride themselves on being producers of stylish and quality watches. This clearly shows in the sourcing of the raw materials used in production.
Let's analyze the quality of Movado watches by highlighting some of the materials and features below:
For crystals to be classified as high-quality, they must be seen to be scratch-resistant. The Movado brand's usage of Sapphire crystals is the reason why their timepieces are seen as scratch-resistant.
For every Movado timepiece, there is a signature top-quality case that consumers have now come to appreciate. Their cases usually vary from one model to another. Most watches are made of stainless steel (316L), while watches in the high-end category may have even superior cases like ceramic, titanium, and the like. The end goal of using quality cases is that they are long-lasting, not susceptible to corrosion, and scratch-resistant.
We must talk about the quality of a watch without mentioning the movement. This is where innovation comes into play, and the Movado brand must catch up. They display flexibility here by combining the Swiss-made automatic for their top luxury picks and the quartz for other collections.
What you get with the Swiss-made movement is a smooth mechanism and solid construction, and the eventual outcome is a highly durable watch. On the other hand, the Quartz movement was also built to be reliable; however, various watch enthusiasts believe it needs to be updated.
Movado makes use of experienced artisans for all of their timepieces. This is evident in the reliability of the products and the super-fine finish.
Comparison Between Movado brand and other luxury brands
This comparison will be made between Movado and some selected ultra-luxury watch brands and watch brands within the accessible luxury market.
It will provide a clear insight into areas in which Movado has an edge and how well they are faring in the stiff luxury watch competition.
CATEGORY |
BRANDS |
PRICING |
MATERIALS |
MOVEMENT |
ULTRA-LUXURY |
Audermers Piguet, Patek Phillipe, Rolex, etc vs. Movado |
$10,000—millions of dollars |
High-grade materials, e.g., platinum; precious stones, i.e., diamonds |
Automatic Swiss Movement |
Movado |
$500 - $3,000 |
Quality materials, e.g., stainless steel |
Automatic Swiss-made/Quartz |
|
MID-LUXURY |
Breitling, TAG Heuer, Omega vs. Movado |
$2,000 - $10,000 |
Suitable-quality materials, usually stainless steel, and precious stones |
Automatic Swiss Movement |
Movado |
$500 - $3,000 |
Suitable-quality materials like stainless steel, sapphire crystals, and precious stones |
Automatic Swiss-made/Quartz |
|
ACCESSIBLE LUXURY |
Tissot, Longines Vs. Movado |
$500-$3,000 |
standard-quality materials |
Automatic Swiss-made/Quartz |
Movado |
Same |
Same |
Same |
|
FASHION/TRENDY WATCHES |
Fossil, Michael Kors, etc. Vs. Movado |
Mostly $500 and under |
Lay more emphasis on style than high-quality materials
|
More of Quartz movement |
Movado |
$500 - $3,000 |
Lay emphasis on quality minimalist designs |
Automatic Swiss-made/Quartz |
From this table, we can see, in category 1, the apparent disparity in the pricing of Movado watches and other ultra-luxury brands. Movado focuses more on simple yet unique minimalist designs and not necessarily on flamboyance.
Moving down to category 2, we can deduce that even though the Movado brand can compete in terms of materials, the pricing of other mid-luxury brands is slightly higher, giving Movado high-end watches an edge.
In the accessible luxury category, which happens to be Movado's rightful category, we see them thrive effortlessly as they prioritize a mix of quality, great designs, and affordability.
Lastly, we have the fashion watches category, where Movado is seen to have a clear edge as it provides consumers with a taste of both worlds—quality and style—as opposed to just the latter.
Market perception and customer perception of Movado brand
Movado has a solid and favorable Market perception due to its strategic positioning in the global watch market. As a brand, they bridge the gap between high functionality and affordability, catering to the needs of consumers who desire to launch into the realm of quality luxury watches at affordable rates.
The Swiss-made movement is another factor that solidifies the brand's market perception. Swiss-made movement is a current standard tradition and the foremost yardstick used in determining quality and class.
The superb engineering, craftsmanship, and unique yet innovative designs are other factors that have served them and earned them global brand recognition.
An innovative pick-off of the Movado brand is the museum watch with the iconic single dot at noon.
Here are the factor that affect Movado Watch market perception
Movado's brand heritage is something a lot of consumers respect. They reckon with its history and attach some sort of prestige to Movado timepieces. The opposite category of consumers is a frenzy about status. This set is naturally more inclined to brands that prioritize exclusivity.
The brand owns a significant market share of consumers who appreciate its simple and minimalistic designs.
A good percentage of consumers view Movado products as excellent value for their money. They appreciate the fact that they can get a luxury timepiece made to be of good quality and suitable for all sorts of occasions at a very fair rate.
While some consumers appreciate the brand's flexibility in producing both automatic Swiss-made movement and quartz, which is more affordable, others perceive the brand to be inconsistent.
Conclusion
On the whole, the Movado brand competes favorably in the global market and takes the lead in the accessible luxury category to which it belongs.
Though there are some negative perceptions by some watch enthusiasts about the production of their quartz movement, the actual intention is for them to serve their affordability feature to a wide range of consumers.
Are you fascinated by Movado products or the brand itself?
Feed your eyes and cure your curiosity on the official Movado brand website or that of authorized retailers to learn all about their products and value proposition.
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