Posts Tagged ‘Ebel Watches’
The Future of Ebel
Thursday, August 23rd, 2007Largely perceived as a women’s brand in recent past, Ebel is taking a stab at the men’s mechanical watch market under the leadership of its new brand president Thomas van der Kallen.
As we greet the return of an estranged friend – with open arms and a pinch of doubt, followed by delight as we discover each defining characteristic intact – so we applaud Ebel’s return to the men’s mechanical watch arena. Under LVMH ownership between 1999 and 2003, the brand was slung towards the fashion end of the watch business, and in that time, it had come to be known largely as a maker of women’s watches, in particular steel watches with diamonds. Not a bad thing, if it hadn’t lost a fair chunk of its heritage in men’s watches in the process. That is about to change, we expect. Now owned by US-based Movado Group and led by its new brand president Thomas van der Kallen, Ebel is shifting gears, aligning its focus, staging a comeback in men’s mechanical watches. The chosen champion in this quest is the 1911 BTR collection of men-only watches, boasting proprietary mechanical movements, useful complications (GMT, perpetual calendar, chronograph) and most important of all, signature style of original 1911, in edgier dress for today’s market. Thomas van der Kallen speaks to REVOLUTION about the new Ebel, and how the watchmaker plans to reclaim its place in the male psyche, borne on the legitimacy and iconic design of the re-born 1911.
