The Movado Museum watch is the production version of a dial designed in 1947 by the American industrial designer Nathan George Horwitt. The dial is plain black with a single applied gold disc at 12 o’clock and two stick hands, with no numerals or indices. Movado paid Horwitt royalties on the design from 1962. The early references are coded by calibre, case material and crystal. One example is ref. 246-224-085, a 14k yellow gold case made in the US. It measures 32.5 mm across, about 38 mm lug to lug and 9 mm thick, with 18 mm between the lugs and a domed acrylic crystal. Inside is the manual-wind calibre 246, based on the Universal Genève 42, with 17 jewels, 21,600 vph and a 52-hour power reserve. Some later references used the calibre 352, which was based on the Zenith 1730. The design matters because it brought a museum-recognised piece of modernist design to the wrist.

Horwitt took his idea from the sundial, with the dot standing for the sun at noon. He had three prototypes made in white gold using Vacheron & Constantin watches. One of them entered the Museum of Modern Art in New York, which gave the watch its name, and another went to the Brooklyn Museum in 1985. His design patent was granted in 1958. Neiman-Marcus listed a version in its 1960 Christmas catalogue. Movado USA began production in 1962 under a royalty deal that ran until 1971, though some published accounts give earlier dates. Royalty and patent disputes between Horwitt and the company were later settled. Over time the line moved to steel, gold-plated, Zenith-signed and quartz versions.

aBlogtoWatch calls Horwitt’s design iconic and a genius concept, and says it works better than many of the brand’s later variations. Fratello describes the early manual-wind references as underrated art pieces and calls many modern versions watered down. aBlogtoWatch credits the quartz models with the brand’s commercial success in the 1990s, but notes the old “form over function” criticism: with no markers, the time is hard to read at a glance. Vintage examples remain affordable, and Fratello reports prices of roughly $200 to $2,000. Collectors look for domed acrylic crystals and the early 246 and 352 calibres. The original manual-wind references are no longer produced. Movado‘s current Museum Classic collection continues the design.