No MVMT watch review is complete without an in-depth look at the brand’s sourcing and product quality. Although some watch snobs have given the MVMT brand a rather harsh review, I have owned my MVMT watch for over 5 years and can safely say I still enjoy the piece. 

A few things we’ll get into today:

• MVMT Brand
• MVMT Specification
• Luxury vs. Economical: Is MVMT a quality buy?
• MVMT Quality: Manufacturing and Sourcing
• Is MVMT worth the price? 

About the MVMT Brand

MVMT (pronounced movement) is a watch and accessory brand that made its name off cutout-the-middle-man pricing and stellar social media campaigns. Business partners Jake Kassan and Kramer LaPlante founded the company was founded in 2013.

Dreamed up and designed in Los Angeles, California, the MVMT brand got its initial startup from crowdfunding. Following the brand launch, MVMT gained traction through expert social media marketing campaigns and organizing brand deals with LA-based influencers and YouTubers. 

The MVMT brand focused on creating a fresh take on modern watchmaking and a movement worth representing. The marketing efforts quickly gained traction and positioned MVMT as a mainstay brand in the millennial market space.  

MVMT has since been acquired by watch and accessory conglomerate, The Movado Group. Movado has been in the watchmaking industry since the 1800s and prides itself on creating high-standard timepieces. The acquisition took place in October 2018 for approximately 100 million.

MVMT Specifications 

Now for the hard part. Diving into the specs of the MVMT watch. Let’s be clear, I am not an expert on watchmaking or standards for watches in this price range.

If you pull up any watch on the MVMT site, you’ll find two sepcs things in common:

• Japanese Quartz Movement
• Hardened Mineral Crystal watch glass
• Leather straps are made of genuine cow-hide leather 

The term movement in the watch world is the term used for the inner guts of a watch that works to keep time. There are two main types of watch movements, quartz and mechanical. 

The Japanese quartz movement was developed in 1969 by Japanese watchmakers. The mechanism includes a battery and a piece of crystal quartz. The energy from the battery is sent through the piece of quartz which creates a vibration. The vibrations are converted into one-second pulses by a circuit converter. This is what keeps the second and minute hands steadily ticking as long as the battery has life.     

Hardened Mineral Crystal is just a fancy term for tempered glass that covers the face of the watch. The glass is heated and cooled repeatedly, which makes it less prone to scratches and breaks. 

Luxury vs. Economical Is MVMT a Quality Buy? 

Let’s get something straight, MVMT is not a luxury brand. 

Somewhere along the line consumers, and certain watch snobs, got the idea MVMT was touting itself as a luxury brand. While I can’t speak to the marketing at the brand’s conception, as a consumer, I never got the impression MVMT touted itself as a luxury item. I mean look at the price point. 

MVMT rather portrayed itself as a modern brand offering quality watches and accessories for the affordable price of $80 – $175. (I believe some watches now push the $500 price point, but that could be the influence of the Movado Group acquisition.) 

Compared to Rolex and Cartier watches, which can cost between $8,000 and $80,000, MVMT is most definitely an economical brand. Now how about the quality of MVMT watches? 

After wearing my MVMT watch for several years, have I had my questions about the true quality of the watch? Sure. Overall, I’d say my MVMT watch has held up well. If I were to give some constructive notes, I would point out that the leather band has certainly creased with wear and the rose gold clasp system does look a little cheapy to me. 

I will also say the watch I bought for my husband appears to have a slightly better weight and feel with regards to the overall quality. 

MVMT Quality: Manufacturing and Sourcing 

It is extremely vague based on the MVMT and Movado sites where MVMT products are sourced and manufactured. They don’t address it at all. After so much Google searching, I did find a few articles that had some manufacturing information.  

It appears the MVMT brand is designed in Los Angeles and manufactured in China. The site itself only states where the designs are dreamed up. According to a couple of other sources, I was able to find that China is the manufacturing hub. 

All this to say, I would like to see a bit more transparency about the design and manufacturing of the brand. The vague representation on the company site has left some reviewers to speculate that early MVMT designs may have been sourced directly from popular wholesaler site Alibaba. While this is a popular move in the business world, it doesn’t promise a unique design. 

The bottom line is, that MVMT is designed in LA, per the company’s site. And the Movado acquisition seems to have led to a greater emphasis on original design and higher quality. 

Is MVMT Worth the Price? 

MVMT watches come in a range of prices. If you catch the generous Black Friday sale, you can bank on scoring a MVMT watch for 20 – 25% off. 

Considering the sales price, the quality isn’t bad. I would say the MVMT watch is worth the price point of $75 – $100 bucks. Since I can’t speak for the newer models, I can’t say I would consider the $150 – $450 price point necessarily worth it. You can always order a few to try and see in person. MVMT has an excellent return policy.  

MVMT is an aesthetic brand that I always go back to. Plus, it’s a great gift idea too.