Real quick, here is an interesting piece of history that is being offered up for auction on eBay right now. This is one of 17 original prototype Movado Museum Dial watches from what seems to be from the 1970s. According to the auction, these were artist proof models made in various styles and to be included in the permanent collection at the New York Museum of Modern Art for which designer Nathan George Horwitt designed the museum dial clock in 1947. According to the MOMA website, they have this watch, as well as two original Museum Dial wall clocks in their archives.

This watch was never intended for retail sale, but somehow was sold to the public. Apparently these models mostly had Vacheron Constantin movements in them, but Movado may have later included manually wound Movado movements if they were to be sold through a retail store. The piece itself is 33mm wide in 18k white gold with that iconic face – you can see the auction page to read more.

For me the most interesting part is the history of how Movado got the rights to the watch. Apparently Horwitt wanted to sell the design for years, especially after battling to get a design patent. After looking for a buyer for a long time, Movado finally bought the rights to the design for a mere $29,000 in 1975! Movado then waited until Horwitt’s death in 1990 to go full scale and make the Museum Dial watch their signature timepiece. Imagine that, the mighty value of the design bought for just $29,000. Another instance of a designer never being able to fully realized the value of their creation and another handsomely profiting from it.

Of course I can’t attest to the accuracy of all the facts in the auction listing, but it looks very interesting.You can bid for it or buy it now for $25,000. Check out the eBay auction page for this prototype Movado Museum Dial watch here.