Horological Meandering

At the Baselworld fair this year I had a chance to catch up with Marc Michel-Amadry, the newly-appointed President and Creative Director for Ebel, a key brand within the Movado Group.

In February 2009, previous President Thomas van der Kallen departed from Ebel, and Movado Group's management decided to split the top job in two. Loek Oprinsen was appointed President and Commercial Director, while Marc Michel-Amadry moved up from his previous job as the brand's VP of Marketing to his current position.

Established in 1911, Ebel are these days probably best known for their Classic range of round and hexagonal-cased watches, with beautifully-constructed brushed steel monobloc cases. They also make a sporty, all-hexagonal Tekton range, and two ladies-only models, the Beluga and Brasilia. Total annual production is not high, being around 30,000 pieces.

In recent years Ebel have focused strongly on forging links with the sporting world. 2008 saw the release of four LE Tektons wearing the colours of Arsenal FC, Bayern Munich FC, Ajax Amsterdam and Glasgow Rangers, and this year sees the introduction of a new football-club tie-in watch.


PPro: M. Michel-Amadry, what prompted the decision to split the top job at Ebel into two?

MMA: The idea was to divide up what was proving to be an overwhelming workload, thereby splitting the pressure. Loek and I have already been working together for four years, so we know how to get along. As co-presidents of Ebel, we can continually challenge each other. Because we focus on somewhat different areas of the business, we can make decisions quickly. Where joint action is required, we find that we can split the "battles" and fight twice as hard in order to achieve the brand's goals.


PPro: Speaking of goals - tell us about the new football-themed watch for this year.

MMA: You are referring to our 1911 Tekton "Real Madrid". This is a chronograph with a 45-minute counter, to match exactly the length of each half of a football game. The new watch features our limited Cal. 245 movement in a 48.5mm case which is water-resistant to 200 metres.



To achieve this level of water resistance, we took our existing case design, and then completely rethought the bezel. As a result, we have devised a watch which essentially has no bezel. Instead, a flat sapphire crystal is held in place over an aluminium ring and gasket. This assembly is secured by six screws which are drilled through all layers to anchor them to the case, giving the watch a really effective water seal.

This bezel-less design has worked out so well that we will certainly use it in future releases. However, for now it is only available on the 1911 Tekton Real Madrid.

The Real Madrid has a brushed titanium case and is limited to 500 pieces. I'm really proud of the way this design has succeeded. To me, the absolutely flat sapphire resting on titanium, is reminiscent of the materials and forms used by some leading modern architects.


PPro: Ah, "The Architects of Time", is that right?

MMA: Exactly! That is Ebel's slogan, and this philosophy can be seen in the Real Madrid. Titanium and glass - the favourite materials of leading architects like Frank Gehry and Oscar Niemeyer. These materials impart to this watch a purity and a transparency which I love, with the sapphire crystal appearing to be "flying" on top of the watch.




PPro: And I believe you have another new watch for this year - can you tell us about it?

MMA: Our other big release for the Basel fair is the Classic Hexagon Auto Chrono Big Date. This is the first time we have incorporated a chronograph into the Classic Hexagon case shape, and we wanted to ensure that all of Ebel's brand DNA was present.



As you know, the "monobloc" case found on our Classic line was first developed in 1977. The caseband and back are integrated into one beautiful piece of brushed metal - which, by the way, is not easy to make!




We think of this case as being imbued with the "spirit of the pebble". At Ebel, we believe that nature is the best of all architects. This watch embraces that philosophy - because of its smooth surfaces, it is highly comfortable on the wrist. The chrono pushers are both ultra-modern in shape, and highly ergonomic - their protectors merge organically into the curves of the caseback.




On the dial side, we have a two-level dial decorated with clous de Paris and there is a sandwich construction for the 12-hour disc. The indices are faceted and diamond-polished for better visibility.



We have also provided the Classic Hexagon Auto Chrono Big Date with our patented buckle system, which features quick adjustment and clean lines.



I think this watch achieves a nice mixture between classicism - the dial, and modernity - the shape of the pushers and the large dimensions of the watch.




PPro: Any final words for us?

MMA: At Ebel, our designs are driven by our philosophy. We want to create products which are meaningful. Ebel's designs must be organic, and yet at the same time they must be architectural. I think we have really succeeded in both aspects of this approach with these two new models.


PPro: Mr Michel-Amadry, thanks for your time.




This message has been edited by Marcus Hanke on 2009-04-08 05:14:30 This message has been edited by Marcus Hanke on 2009-04-08 07:55:36 This message has been edited by AnthonyTsai on 2009-04-13 06:20:11

The football (Or soccer for us Americans!) tie-in is interesting, as are the monobloc cases.  I honestly knew nothing about Ebel until reading this post, so thanks!

Cheers,
Daos 

... well, maybe this is a bit exaggerated, but it is a fact, that, when nobody in Switzerland believed that mechanical watch movements could survive the quartz crisis of the Seventies, it was Ebel who prevented Zenith from scrapping the now celebrated El Primero movement and all its production tools. Ebel expressed its trust in the survival of high-quality chronographs, ordering a large number of El Primero movements. Without this Ebel order, there would not have been any Primero, when Rolex searched a good movement for its Daytona ...

Anyway, Ebel always was a great company with very uniquely designed watches, and high competence. Unfortunately, it has drifted out of the attention focus of watch enthusaists during the last years.

Maybe you want to read last year's Ebel report as well, for comparison:

basel.watchprosite.com


Regards,
Marcus

Next time I'm out and about on one of my regular watch window shopping trips I'll be sure to keep an eye out for Ebel watches in order to experience them in the metal.  I'm grateful that they played their part in saving us from a quartz-only world!  Just another brain-enlarging day on PuristSPro!  I always learn something new from you, Marcus!

I hope you are well!

Cheers,
Daos

. . . particularly the FC Bayern model that Tony Axelzon presented a few threads below. Although I haven't tried one on, I would guess that the blended form works better than one might expect on smaller wrists, and the brushed finish further serves the purpose of minimizing the perception of size. I hope Marc will make one available to you for review . . . cordially, Art

... you certainly would have seen this very special Bayern München chronograph already a year ago:







Kind regards,
Marcus

the new Tektron and Classic (octagonal) case designs are growing on me.  The "pebble" influenced design is intriguing and seems very tactile.

See previous report in 2008 click here    

 

 

 

 

This message has been edited by MTF on 2009-04-09 10:18:11

Is Ebel the only brand which uses the sapphire crystal as the bezel?  I can't think of any other watch off the top of my head.

Cheers,
Anthony

... just think of Blancpain's current Fifty Fathoms. However, there the sapphire surface is rounded. To be honest, I think it is a bad idea to have such sharp-edged outlines of the sapphire bezel, as we see on the Ebel. Sapphire is brittle, and damages after rough contacts with hard surfaces (walls, for instance) seem inevitable. Good diving watches normally make sure that the metal bezel ring is higher than the sapphire crystal, thus protecting it from getting damaged on the edges.

Regards,
Marcus

made of sapphire?   Sapphire bezel without any metal protective perimeter.

Cheers,
Anthony

I have an inkling that the Breguet La Tradition Tourbillon is also constructed in a similar fashion.


Cheers
Tony P

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