Watch of the Week: Movado 1881 Automatic

If you’re looking for a watch with heritage and horological cache but don’t want to spend the next two years’ worth of your salary, the mid-range market is a good place to start. You can find a lot of Swiss names, all with brand histories going back to the 19th century, which offer quality pieces for not a lot of money. In this situation, I recommend Movado’s new 1881 Automatic collection.

Featuring the maison’s iconic museum dial, the 1881 Automatic can be as dressy or as sporty as you want it to be. It’s not a watch that dictates your look, but instead is one that goes with pretty much anything you wear, whether it’s casual weekend attire or a full-on work suit. The way it handles itself aesthetically provides versatility so you get a lot of opportunities to wear the watch. It adds a polished touch to an off-duty look, while the dial is still quite rugged enough so you don’t like a dandy when wearing it with formals.

The three-piece collection comes housed in 39.5mm cases crafted in brushed and polished solid stainless steel or gold PVD-finished stainless steel, with a sapphire crystal exhibition case-back to reveal the inner workings of the reliable Swiss ETA 2824.2 self-winding movement.

Encircled by a reflector ring with contrasting sandblasted finish, the new minimalistic sunray dial design creates subtle yet striking impact detailed by a stamped minute and seconds index, applied markers, dauphine hour and minute hands, a stick seconds hand, and Movado’s legendary signature concave dot at 12 o’clock, with the date revealed via a small round aperture at 6 o’clock.

The stainless steel version is offered with a choice of blue or black dial with silver-toned accents and subtle white lettering. The gold PVD model features a black dial with gold-toned accents and lettering. All three new models are presented on soft black calf leather straps finished with a matching stainless steel or gold PVD-finished classic tongue buckle.

The Movado 1881 automatic retails for around AED 3,300 at retailers across the UAE.