Great Watch Brands – Ebel

Ebel watches are synonymous with quality, style and elegance and the brand has a proud history of excellence in design. Ebel is truly a heritage brand which has stood the test of time but after over a century of high end watchmaking you could say that the time is now for Ebel Watches.

The Foundation

The company was founded in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland in 1911 by husband and wife Eugene Blum and Alice Levy who utilised their initials to form the brand name. Eugene was the technical master and Alice the business brain and champion of design. Alice’s contribution ensured that Ebel watches were designed and crafted for women as well as men from the outset and that the women’s watches were not merely scaled down versions of the gent’s offering.

Moving with the Times

Ebel watches met with immediate success and were winning awards within 3 years of the first model’s production and the company positioned itself in the forefront of new fashions and tastes. Ebel produced a wristwatch when pocket watches were largely the order of the day and through Alice’s passion for elegance and design Ebel watches reflected the artistic movements of the 2oth century. In 1925 their Art Deco watch collection featuring onyx, diamonds and emeralds met with great acclaim.

Moving On

By the 1920’s the company were producing their own brand timepieces but also movements for leading Swiss manufacturers such as Vacheron Constantin. An opportunity arose to increase production of their own pieces when they were awarded a contract to supply the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. There followed, however, a period of design stagnation and the company was in need of revitalisation. This they received when Blum’s grandson Pierre-Alain was persuaded to join the ranks.

New Design

Pierre-Alain rebranded the company as “The Architects of Time” and launched the fabled Sport Classic with its famous wave bracelet. The bracelet brought sense of movement and a flexible feel that was truly innovative and certainly put Ebel firmly back on the design map.

The Future

Today the Ebel collection is a fabulous fusion of technical mastery, modern innovations and classic styling. More than half of the current range is for women which is why Ebel may find themselves ideally placed to move forward in what remains a buoyant market even in the wake of the recent recession.

Following the potential threat to sales posed by the Chinese clamp down on business inducements watchmakers have turned their focus increasingly to women in the belief that there is a vast untapped market to exploit. Until recently women’s styles were often merely small versions of men’s pieces and there was considerably less choice for the female consumer. Quality watchmakers have made a determined effort to design and market their pieces more effectively to cater to female tastes and their efforts appear to be working. Women are joining the clamour for high end watches and there is evidence that high flyers in the business world view watches as must have accessories to their business attire. Ebel have always designed beautiful watches for women and now their eye for style and vast experience may yield big dividends in that battle for the ladies market.

Sally Stacey is an enthusiastic writer with an interest in Swiss heritage and design.

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