Three rare vintage Movados for sale right now

Long-timer readers of this newsletter know we love vintage Movado. So when three interesting vintage Movados pop up in the same week, it feels destined they’d get their own segment.

Movado M90 Chronograph

Among the behemoth Richard Milles and gold Rolexes and Christie’s Dubai Auction, one little mid-century chronograph caught my eye: a Movado M90 Chronograph. It’s pretty much the ideal vintage chronograph — a sharp 35mm steel case, beautiful two-register silver dial, and an in-house Movado M90 caliber.

I was immediately reminded of this M90 that Avocado Vintage Watches sold in a flash last year. This example seems to have had a cleaner dial than the one at Christie’s, but no matter. Just for fun, here’s a beat-up example of the same dial configuration that sold way back in 2010. The M90 is a classic chronograph that should be viewed as rivaling the best chronograph makers from the 1940s through 60s — brands like Heuer, Universal Geneve, Longines, and Movado (sorry Patek!). In fact, if I made a vintage chronograph Mount Rushmore, that might be it. See this M90 with an estimate of $14-20k.

Vintage Movado ‘Explorer’

Next up, a vintage Movado I’ve never seen before. The seller is calling this an “Explorer,” though it reminds me more of an Eberhard Scafograf. Either way, it’s a Movado Kingmatic with an interesting dial configuration that makes it look much sportier than the dressy Kingmatics you’d usually find. The case has sharp beveled lugs, and the light dial has aged to a warm, cream color. Some of the best vintage Movado models — the M90 above as just one example — toe the line between dressy and sporty, and I love that this Kingmatic does the same. Check out this Movado from Portuguese dealer Watch Garage.

Gold Movado M95

Finally, an M95 that sold before I could even hit send on this ‘sletter.

This one has the waterproof Francois Borgel case that long-time readers know we love. It also features a gorgeous snail dial with gold accents that’s more often found on stainless steel examples. The result is an elegant chronograph that’s the epitome of what so many love about mid-century watchmaking. Open the archives and take a look at this gold Movado M95, sold by Menta Watches.