rdenney
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Ebel bought thousands of old-stock 3019PHC Zenith movements four years before the 40.0.
They put them in the Sport Classic Chronograph and gave it their iconic wave bracelet. They were sold at least as far back as 1983, and were advertised in1982 at a US price of $1995. They called that “intelligently priced”.
In 1986, they introduced the link bracelet as part of the new 1911 line. They put that bracelet on the Chronograph, and installed the first batch of new-production El Primero movements, marked 40.0. Rössler says that this batch was provisional until new tooling was created. The movements made using the new tooling were marked 400, as they are today.
Did Zenith restart production for Ebel? As an Ebel aficionado, I’d like to think so. Some argue it was Rolex’s influence, who started working with Zenith about that time to develop the Rolex 4030. But I believe it was Ebel, because new production maintained the 5-Hz beat (which Ebel used without bragging about it), while Rolex wanted a 4-Hz escapement to be easier for their service centers to service using their standard procedures.
Ebel was afraid of losing access to the EP and developed a replacement from a Lemania base starting in 1991. In the 1994 catalog, the last in which the 134-powered chronograph appeared, the gold and steel version was $6250, and the steel-only version was $5850. The 137 appeared in the ‘95 chronographs, but Ebel continued to use the Zenith movement as a tractor for their perpetual calendar chronograph—the 136–that appears in later catalogs.
Where is Ebel? In the dreams of Pierre-Alain Blum. What might have happened had he been able to hold on to Ebel in ‘94, or repurchase them (as he attempted to do) in 2004? That’s for alternative history buffs to speculate. But the truth is that had he done so, Ebel might be strong and I wouldn’t own any.
Here is my 1986ish 1134901, with a Zenith caliber 40.0:
It is certainly one of the highlights of my Ebel collection.
—Rick
Celebrating El Primero 50 years continued
Hello Clive
