Ebel

founded by

Eugène Blum & Alice Lévy

belongs to

Movado Group

about

In 1911 Eugène Blum, a talented and established watchmaker and Alice Lévy who had a strong flair for design founded the Ebel watch company - a combination of their talents and even their initials, Ebel being an acronym of the first letters of their names Eugène Blum et Lévy. Eugène set a high standard in the production department resulting in precision and reliability that would lead to the company receiving orders for watch movements from other prestigious watch houses for re-sale under their own names. Alice had a keen eye for designs particularly with regard to the use of precious metals and jewels and some of her early releases were fine examples of Haute Joaillerie. The company gained early success with the award-winning and innovative Ebel Ring watch in 1914, and further accolades in 1925 for their High Jeweller Art Déco wristwatches.

And so, with it’s philosophy of producing high quality movements and trend-setting design firmly established, the Ebel watch company continued beyond the war years and into the control of the son of the founders Charles-Eugène. Relative success continued, the high quality remained, the watch movements were ever more precise and reliable, yet in the design department a certain something was missing and would not return to the brand until the grandson of the founders took control of the family business.

Pierre-Alain Blum shared his grandmother’s vision for stylish design and under his direction Ebel gained brand identity as The Architects of Time and released the highly successful Ebel Sport Classic range and the Beluga, Sport Wave and 1911 collections - still a strong part of the portfolio today. An extraordinary period of growth followed and although still selling its watches globally, the finance department of the business had invested badly in over-valued non-watch industries so heavily that the company had to be sold and was acquired by InvestCorp in 1994.

Creative momentum once again ceased and although the brand was bought by LVMH (owners of both TAG Heuer and Zenith watches) this design drought continued until the Movado group took control in 2004. Ephraim Grinberg, head of Movado resolved to restore confidence in the brand. Under his direction, the Ebel collections have been brought up to date and have gained the appeal of both new and existing clients - the iconic design cues like the Ebel "Wave" remain but with on going development and the addition of new collections such as the Brasilia and 1911 Tekton models it would seem that the innovation and creativity which were such an integral part of the brand’s heritage have finally returned.

Marketed extensively worldwide, Ebel now enjoys a restored presence in the watch marketplace, evident throughout Europe, Asia and the Americas. Ebel watches retail from $1,500 U.S.

The Ebel product line includes such preeminent families as Brasilia, Beluga, 1911 BTR, and Classic. A world-class brand with global recognition, distinctive heritage in watch-making and exceptional products, Ebel is well positioned for sustained brand growth.