10 Better Alternatives To MVMT Watches
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MVMT watches are some of the most heavily advertised online. I’d hazard a guess that, like me, you’ve had their fashionable ads follow you around the internet. While their marketing may be effective, unfortunately, I’ve found their products to be rather the opposite. It’s clear to me that MVMT target customers who know very little about wristwatches; as their products are some of the worst quality, when compared to their price, that I’ve come across to date.
Nevertheless, their minimalist aesthetic seems to be what continues to drive their sales. As such, I thought I’d create a list of wristwatches that offer similar looks, but offer far better value for money. Whether that be in the form of a lower retail cost or superior build quality. You’ll feel far better buying one of these than regretting your MVMT purchase down the line.
Casio LTP
Casio, whilst renowned for their digital watches, make several minimalist analogue watches that make perfect alternative to the most popular MVMT ranges. The LTP designation would normally imply a women’s watch – possibly standing for ‘ladies timepiece’; however, the styling and 40mm sizing of these watches suggests these are actually intended for the male market. There must be some sort of designation mistake on Casio’s part.
Either way, the LTP E140 series and LTP E148 series both contain great looking minimalist watches, with specifications rivalling or beating similar MVMT models, for a fraction of the price. Both are slim too, so if you have really narrow wrists – these will work well. The Casio brand has a great reputation for durable watches, so you should have no issues when it comes to quality control.
That E148 series in particular is rumoured to be discontinued, though may still be attainable for a limited time; featuring Sapphire glass for a really affordable price.
Timex Originals Oversized
If you have larger wrists and are looking to get a minimalist look for a low price. This Timex ‘Oversized’ watch is a highly popular option, given its simple appearance and 42mm diameter. Timex watches are notoriously loud, but are well known for also holding up extremely well over time.
This particular model comes fitted with a basic genuine leather strap and features the ever-popular Indiglo night-light; meaning the dial illuminates when the crown is compressed. This is also typically provided with a solid 2-year warranty.
Junkers 100 Years Bauhaus
Many people considering brands like MVMT are doing so because of one thing; how the watch looks. Well, if looks are of primary importance to you, then I’d consider looking at Junkers watches. These are made in Germany and are built to a far higher standard than most fashion watch brands.
When compared side by side to MVMT watches, it’s clear to me that these are clearly more attractive watches. The level of finishing and thought that has gone into designing the Junkers is much higher and you’re likely to be much more satisfied with it.
Hugo Junkers was one of the great designers of the 20th Century and you can quickly obtain a watch bearing his name for under £200.
Timex Fairfield/Southview
Available in two sizes and for well under the £50 mark on Amazon, the Timex Fairfield offers great value for money. This one features a really attractive rounded chapter ring and feels really high quality, despite only being constructed of plated brass. Personally, I wear the 37mm ‘unisex’ version as it fits my smaller wrist really well.
Alternatively, its sister ‘Southview’ range offers the same performance, just with numerals in place of the hour markers; should that be more to your preference. Either way, both are better alternatives to MVMT watches at around half the regular retail cost. There are also a few minimalist chronograph watches in this collection, whose movements are notable quieter, due to the addition of the complications.
Pagani Design Ultra-Thin Watch
Pagani Design are a Chinese brand, with a rather European sounding name. Nevertheless, one of their chronograph watches surprised me in a recent comparison; offering astounding performance and quality for a ridiculously low price.
Following a barrage of similar praise about this brand from viewers, it’s only right I include a couple of them in this list. Firstly, is this ‘ultra-thin’ minimalist watch. While far from the best watch in the world, at a mere £10 on Aliexpress (at the time of writing), this piece offers specifications rivalling or even beating watches at 10x this price point.
This piece also comes in two different sizes, 40mm ‘men’s’ and a 36mm ‘women’s’ size; meaning you can go for the size that suits your wrist best – the gender associated with each is irrelevant, as they are the same watch just in different sizes.
Pagani Design PD-2770 Automatic
If you’d rather opt for an automatic watch, then Pagani Design also make a stunning-looking minimalist dress watch that contains a hi-beat Seagull 2813 movement. While this is only a basic automatic movement, it’s impressive to see it in a watch for under £60; unparalleled value.
This watch is meant to be a homage to the much more expensive Seiko Presage ‘cocktail time’ and features a similarly flashy dial. Unlike the previous watch, this is definitely on the larger side, with a 43mm diameter (the Aliexpress listing diameter includes the crown), so is better suited to larger wrists. If you’re after your first mechanical watch, this is a far more affordable alternative to the Arc model recently introduced by MVMT, which is around 5x the retail cost.
Sternglas Naos Quartz
Sternglas are a new German watch brand, that offer solid quality minimalist watches. Personally, I think these look a whole lot more unique and premium than the generic, boring designs offered by MVMT. Their Naos range in particular looks fantastic and comes sized at 38mm, which is a real sweet spot for most guys out there. With the influx of gigantic fashion watches, it’s refreshing to see a watch that sits nicely on-wrist.
I recently covered the Naos Automatic and was really impressed with the watch, considering this is only a small company. The watch looked great, had a high level of finishing and contained fairly good specifications for the price.
Nevertheless, if you’re after a MVMT alternative, I’d probably recommend the Naos Quartz instead. This one offers the same attractive design, for a similar price as most MVMT models; but with better specifications. This watch includes domed Sapphire glass, 50m of water resistance and a Swiss Ronda quartz movement – which is a strong line-up. This quartz version is also substantially slimmer than the automatic version I reviewed; meaning it should sit well on skinny wrists.
Burei
Alternatively, if you’re looking for the cheapest way to get a watch that looks like a Daniel Wellington or MVMT, with comparable quality, then Burei is a popular option. At 1/5th the cost of similar fashion watches, these are a great way of getting the look for less.
There’s no doubt about it, these aren’t great watches. Nevertheless, they really aren’t far off, in terms of build quality, many more expensive fashion watch brands out there. Most of these watches contain basic quartz movements and lower quality straps; to meet the low price point.
Tissot Everytime
Swiss brand Tissot, founded in 1853, are one of those you may be aware of; they sponsor many prestigious sporting events. You may now know that some of their entry-level watches make for a fantastic and well-priced alternative to MVMT watches.
Their ‘Everytime’ range houses a series of Bauhaus inspired watches, retaining Tissot’s attention to detail. These have far superior build quality to MVMT, alongside unrivalled heritage for only a slightly higher retail price.
Crucially, should you decide to sell the watch at some point, you’ll likely make far more of your money back on the used market. Given the watch is a heritage brand and in demand, the value won’t plummet as with many fashion brands.
Orient Bambino
The Orient Bambino is one of the most highly acclaimed budget watches on the market. Featuring an in-house automatic movement and a surprising level of finishing, nobody will think you’ve only spent £100 on this watch.
There are several different watches in the Bambino line, each of which is a great watch in its own right. Nevertheless, I recently reviewed the version 3, which features minimalist styling that puts MVMT to shame. Admittedly, the leather straps provided with these are underwhelming, however, it’s clear to me that the money saved here has gone into improving the core watch itself – a trade off that I’m more than willing to make.
While these are predominantly wristwatches, I’m sure the white version could be dressed down to suit more informal occasions. Overall, this watch is the antithesis of MVMT, showing how much really can be done for £100, compared to the sloppy effort of the former.
More recently, Orient released the ‘Maestro’ as another strong alternative, however I still personally prefer the Bambino as I think the watch looks more premium.
