Movado has unveiled the second chapter of its “Always in Motion. Since 1881” campaign, reuniting Ludacris, Jessica Alba, Christian McCaffrey, Julianne Moore and Tyrese Haliburton to highlight the Swiss timepiece maker’s legacy.

While competitors in the luxury watch space debut multiple campaigns and collaborations, Movado is steadfastly committed to its fresh ambassadors — “icons,” the brand calls them — that debuted last year with renewed messaging to capture today’s discerning clients.

“We believe in long-term partnerships,” Margot Grinberg, president of Movado, explained. 

The latest chapter gave the luxury watchmaker a chance to dive in a bit deeper, going for a more cinematic approach. Directed and photographed by Stuart Winecoff, the films and portraits follow Ludacris, Alba, McCaffrey, and Moore through John Lautner’s Harvey House in Los Angeles, known for its lush midcentury interiors.

“We very carefully picked these people because of their connection to the brand. We think they really represent the brand well to their different demographics” she said, adding that “consistency is really important when you’re communicating with consumers today.” 

Fresh off helping to lead his team the Indiana Pacers to the NBA Finals — during which he was badly injured in Game 7 and will miss the upcoming season — Haliburton was photographed in Indianapolis by Jennifer Sullivan inside a midcentury modern residence designed by renowned architect Evans Woollen III. Haliburton’s imagery reflects the same architectural dialogue of light, space and form seen in Los Angeles.

“It’s how we look at all these partnerships with ambassadors, which is why it wasn’t just ‘here’s six months and then we move on to the next’.  I think building desirability around a category like watches is about long-term relationships and us becoming part of their brand and how they communicate and tell stories to their fans,” Grinberg said.

Movado has backed up the partnership this past year by lending support to causes that resonate with each celebrity: partnering with Baby2Baby on Alba’s behalf and EveryTown for Gun Safety on behalf of Moore, and teaming with Ludacris Foundation, the Christian McCaffrey Foundation and Haliburton’s free basketball camps in his hometown of  Oshkosh, Wis.

“We tap into what they’re doing in their everyday, really trying to authentically be a part of their lives and not just being in a commercial for us,” she said.

The new campaign evolves the brand’s connection to motion and movement, “which Movado has always done,” Grinberg noted, adding a dose of modernity with warmth and storytelling.

Throughout the images, light and shadow play a key part. “One of the big things that we’ve been trying to infuse is what we call, ‘High Noon gold,’ because the top of the dial represents the sun at high noon,” she said of legacy design element.  The images use natural light to bring this idea to life with finesse.

As with the debut, here each talent chose a timepiece that fit their personality, further cementing alignment.

Alba and Moore wear Museum Bangle timepieces, a modem take on a refined style rooted in Movado’s history. “They’re really jewelry,” Grinberg said of the style. “Everyday pieces you can layer with jewelry or you can wear on their own. We think it really is on trend with what women are looking for in the category.”

Ludacris wears a Bold Quest, a 1970s archival-inspired design that was launched last year. “It’s one of our biggest, bestselling pieces that we’re continuing to evolve.” Movado also created a one-of-kind diamond encrusted style that he’s worn in performances this past year. “We have some special exciting things with him around the collection this fall,” teased Grinberg.

McCaffrey’s choice? A Museum Imperiale, a sport-driven performance timepiece, that launches alongside the campaign. “It has elements of a watch from our archives, but it’s really modern. It’s a high-end sport watch, so it’s an automatic with our more elevated finishings. It felt like a really good fit, the kind of a watch that he wants to wear when he’s walking into a game.”

Haliburton went archival wearing a piece from the Heritage 1917 collection, a contemporary reimagining of Movado’s first square watch, introduced in 1917 with Art Deco lines and Arabic numerals.

”We gave him a prototype that he wore throughout the season on his wrist. I saw a watch influencer report that  ‘Tyrese is wearing this watch. I don’t know what it is, but it must be something unreleased.’ And it is. We’ll be launching it in October,” said Grinberg.

“Each specific collection either is really key to the brand or new for us,” she said, “representing Movado’s philosophy of design in motion,” celebrating how their icons shape the present, while carrying forward Movado’s legacy.

A year since rollout, Grinberg has seen concrete results, with key collections featured in the debut campaign reporting growth.  “We’ve seen brand awareness grow,” she said. “We really are staying close to what we hear from consumers and tracking  a lot of different data points. We’ve seen the key things that we’re looking at improve, and that’s what really shows us that we’re on the right path.”

Gen Z’s love of vintage watchmaking has become a driver on social media and the brand is paying attention to younger watch enthusiasts, who she says are becoming a “bigger consumer.”

“We’re constantly making sure that we’re reaching consumers where they are and in the way they like to be communicated with,” Grinberg said.

The new campaign is live globally across digital and social platforms, select retail locations, and at movado.com, inviting audiences to see the films and explore the collections in full.