Movado HS288 Tempo-Matic

The History

Movado, meaning “always in motion” in Esperanto, was Founded in 1905 by Achilles Ditesheim, a watchmaker who started his craft when he was just 19 years old. The brand is most well known for its 1947, Bauhaus inspired Museum watch. For the team at Dial + Bezel those watches don’t really get our engines going. Don’t get us wrong, some of the early examples that were manufactured by Vacheron & Constantin-Le Coultre Watches are definitely cool – heck there is even one in the permanent design collection of the MOMA in New York – but the Zenith powered Movado chronographs (like this Datron HS360) and sports watches are the ones for us.

The partnership between Movado and Zenith began in 1969 and was mutually beneficial for both brands. Zenith, having just launched one of the first automatic chronograph movements, was a technical powerhouse but they lacked brand recognition in the United States. Movado, on the other hand, had great brand recognition in the United States but lacked the technical prowess that was pushing the industry forward. Needless to say, it was a perfect match.

The Reference

The tempomatic was first released by Movado in 1942 as one of their flagship automatic watches. The Tempomatic line of watches has evolved since the early examples and this piece, the HS288, shows some of the signature design elements of the ’70s. These include a cushion case, a two tone blue dial, and a stainless steel Y-link bracelet. At the heart of all of this great design is a rock-solid Zenith movement, the automatic 2562 PC.

The Case and Bracelet

The 37mm wide by 11mm thick cushion case wears extremely well on the wrist and is in excellent condition. The case features the correct mixed brushed and polished finishing and there are no major scratches or imperfections to note on the top of the case. The correct signed bracelet is in similar condition but there are some noticeable scratches on the clasp which is a high wear area for any watch. The piece also features the correct signed crown and signed case back.

The Dial and Hands

The Two-tone blue dial is in excellent condition with no major flaws or scratches. The lume plots located behind the applied hour markers have aged consistently and all are full and puffy. Additionally, the tritium lume in the hands show similar aging to the lume plots.

The Movement

The watch is powered by a Movado signed Zenith 2562 PC automatic movement. The watch is running but the service history is unknown.

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