EBEL

By Bruce Shawkey

 If you do a Google search for “EBEL watch,” you are certain to see their "Wave" models come up at the top of the search. Introduced in 1977, it's one of few watches that seems to be named for its bracelet (with its signature wavy pattern) rather than the watch itself.

                 But that's kind of the way it's always been for EBEL watches since their founding in 1911 in La Chaux de Fonds. Collectors have long associated EBEL as a fashion or jewelry item more than a utilitarian watch. It's not a completely unfair assessment, since most EBEL watches through the decades have been fashion over technical achievement or substance. But to be fair, EBEL has manufactured everything from chronographs to military watches during its 110-year history. Let's take a look.

Ebel was founded in 1911 by husband and wife Eugene Blum and Alice Levy. As most EBEL-ophiles know, the name EBEL is an acronym of the initials of the couples' names, “Eugene Blum Et Levy." The photo at left, showing them later in life, seems to be the only known photo of the couple.

The company was recognized for outstanding examples of Art Deco-inspired women’s watches at the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes” in Paris in 1925. A couple of examples are shown at

right. Their designs caught the attention of both Cartier and Tiffany, which sold deco-inspired EBEL watches with their names on the dials.

In 1929, son Charles-Eugene Blum joined the firm, and EBEL exhibited at Basel for the first time. During the Great Depression, to stay financially afloat, EBEL sold movements to other larger watch companies.

In 1935, EBEL became the first company to use a Western Electric system for accuracy testing involving the use of highly specialized equipment.

In the late 1930s, EBEL won a contract to supply an Army Time Piece (ATP) for British army that was used up until the end of WWII. The watch (left) differs from most other military watches supplied to the British Ministry of Defense (MoD) in that it has a white dial (left) instead of the more familiar black dial. The EBEL is not one of the so-called "Dirty Dozen" British military watches, but nevertheless is highly sought by military watch collectors.

In the 1950s, EBEL introduced a purse watch that rivaled Movado’s “Hermeto” (right). It was sold through retailer Dunhill as well. EBEL also during this time tried to break into the mainstream market with such quirky models as the "Epsom" (with hidden crown) and the

"Videomatic" (left) with clearview back exposing the automatic movement.

Alice Levy remained the company’s creative director until 1960 when she retired. She served as chairman of the board of directors until 1968, when she was 88 years old.  Eugene Blum presumably died during this time, but I can find no mention of his passing on the Internet. The third generation of the family, Pierre-Alain Blum, took over the company in the midst of the “quartz crisis” and was one of the few who resisted the conversion to cheap technology and continued to develop the production of mechanical movements.

In 1977, Ebel released the Sport Classic collection with the famous wavy bracelets, which probably instantly identifies an EBEL watch more than any other design feature. In 1983, EBEL introduced a mechanical perpetual calendar, followed two years later by the famous Beluga. The Beluga design was mainly adapted to ladies’ models, but men’s models can be found in chronograph and multicalendar models. A year later in 1986 came its “1911” collection, named after company’s founding year.

In 1995, Pierre-Alain Blum left the business and sold the company to Investcorp, a corporation that had a rather sad reputation. They bought well-known watch companies (including Breguet) to try and flip them for a quick profit at the expense of technical and creative innovation.

In 1999 Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH) acquired EBEL and unfortunately didn't do the brand any favors. It introduced weird color combinations, abundant quartz models, and risky case shapes which only diluted the brand. In December of 2003, LVMH sold EBEL to the Movado Group for CHF6.3 million (about $6.2 million), one of the few times the price for a watch company has been publicly revealed. They have done an admirable job of trying to restore EBEL's "look" and reputation with such lines as the Tekton and Brasilia (see below). But they remain, as before, in that "grey area" between watch and jewelry and thus are overlooked by many watch purists who say they are overpriced. Some of their models are shown below. They maintain a website at www.ebel.com.

L to R: Up and down, steel case. SS case, Lemania Cal 27, copyright finertimes.com, used with permission. Square 14kt gold, manual wind. large square 14kt gold, manual wind. Tekton chronograph, automatic, diamond bezel.

L to R: Voyager world time 21J automatic, steel and 18kt bezel, circa 2000. “Sonny Crocket” (Miami Vice) automatic chronograph, Zenith Caliber 400 automatic movement, Wave bracelet. 1950s bumper automatic, chrome case. Gold plated, SS back, manual wind. "Brasilia,” Steel with 18kt trim.

 

 

L to R: Classic Wave. Lady’s Beluga, steel with 18kt trim. Men’s Beluga chronograph, plated over steel. Beluga men’s multidate moonphase, 18kt gold. “1911” steel and 18kt gold.