I love the aesthetics of Movado's designs. They are always well thought out and well executed. I own one Movado and I like it very much; however, it's also the only watch I've ever had an issue with in over 30 years of watch collecting.
My issue with the Movado I bought it that the crystal is dropped into the bezel from above rather than pushed up from underneath. The result of that approach to crystal placement in is that the crystal can fall off if the glue holding it in place fails. I experienced exactly such a failure with my Movado.
Now you might wonder why this matters. Well here's why:
- Not in water: you pay to replace crystal and have the watch cleaned. Be assured, if it just falls from your wrist, the crystal will chip; it probably won't break altogether, but an edge or corner will chip and you'll have to replace the whole thing.
- In water: you will pay to replace the crystal, movement, dial and maybe the hands. You'll also have to pay to have the case cleaned.
Moral of the story: if you are going to buy a watch that has a crystal glued in from above
- Choose a mechanical watch --> water alone won't ruin the movement. Worst case you could stick the crystal back on and tape it down so you'd still have a watch capable of telling time until you get to the repair shop.
- If you can't choose a mechanical watch --> don't wear it in water.
- Either way --> have the watch serviced and the glue checked every three years so it can be replaced periodically.
The foregoing pertains to Movado as well as any other watch constructed as described.
Al the best.