Ebel Watches – Beauty and Style
You might not be familiar with Ebel watches; while the company has been around since 1911, they tend to fly a bit below the radar, at least as luxury wristwatch companies go. Other brands seem to be better known, and the company has forged their way by concentrating on build quality and design, calling themselves The Architects of Time.
If you like lots of bling, you’ll love Ebel watches; they like to use gold and diamonds rather generously in their designs, and they certainly are attractive.
With models for both men and women in a broad price range, chances are good there’s something in the product line that’s suitable for everyone who has a fancy for attractive timepieces.
Read on for the full Ebel watches review.
Build Quality
Movements
Innovation
Styling and Features
Care and Maintenance
Warranty
Prices
Where to Buy
Summary
Ebel Watches Build Quality
You’ll find that the build quality is quite good, as befits a Swiss watchmaker that’s been in business for more than a century. Their cases are stainless steel, gold plated stainless steel, and gold. They use sapphire crystal to protect the face, which is highly resistant to scratches.
They use Swiss-made automatic and quartz movements and they offer water resistance of up to 200 meters on some models. These are well-made timepieces that should run well for years with proper care.
It’s a bit unusual to find a luxury brand that offers mostly quartz movements, but that’s the case here. While they do offer a few models with automatic mechanical movements, the majority of the watches in their product line use Swiss-made quartz electronic movements.
These are highly accurate and also have the benefit of requiring less maintenance than the more complex mechanical movements. Since many of their pieces are more jewelry than anything else, it makes sense for them to concentrate on styling, rather than on trying to work complex mechanisms into their cases.
The innovation is mostly about styling; they’re more concerned with creating a beautiful, eye-catching timepiece than they are with technical innovation. A few of their models include chronograph features but for the most part, these are relatively simple timepieces, at least from an operational standpoint. It’s the styling where the brand really shines.
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If you like really good looks and bling, you’ll love Ebel watches styling. Their styles lean toward the traditional, with inspiration coming from a variety of sources. You’ll see models inspired by the Cartier Tank Watch, as well as others that will remind you of other brand, but with a twist or two thrown in to make it their own.
These watches offer lots of models with gold and diamonds, and they, like many other luxury brands, really like offering limited editions, with some models made in quantities of as few as 50 pieces.
What you’re going to get is a stunningly attractive watch that’s relatively rare, so you’re likely to be the only one in your social circle who has one. For many people, there’s value in that.
As most models feature highly reliable quartz electronic movements, they’re going to require less maintenance than watches with mechanical movements. The company recommends that you have the watertight gaskets examined every two years to ensure that the watch remains water resistant. In addition, you’ll need to have the battery replaced every 2-5 years.
Models with mechanical movements should have them inspected every 3-5 years to see if service is required. You should contact the company for details about servicing. Aside from this you should store your watch in a cool, dry place and keep it away from extremes of temperature and strong magnetic fields.
If you have an automatic movement, you should either wear your watch regularly or store it in a watch winder in order to keep it running properly and keeping accurate time.
The warranty is better than average; the company offers a three year warranty on Ebel watches against defects in materials and workmanship from the date of purchase.
Most companies only offer a two year warranty, so this is better than most. As these are high quality devices that are inspected and tested thoroughly at the factory prior to shipping, defects are quite rare.
You’ll find that as luxury brand timepieces go, prices fall into the middle range. They’re certainly expensive, but less so than many other comparable brands.
Their least expensive model retails for $1500, though we’ve seen it discounted quite a bit online. Their top of the line models, which are limited editions that feature gold and diamonds, are priced at just under $30,000. There’s a bit, but not a lot, of collector interest in the brand, as is common for long-established Swiss watches.
You shouldn’t buy with the expectation that they’ll appreciate in price, but if they do, consider it a bonus.
Like most luxury brands, the distribution and pricing is strictly controlled by the company in order to avoid the impression that their products are either common or ordinary. Officially, you can find Ebel watches for sale only through authorized retailers, who are usually high end jewelry stores located in major cities.
Unofficially, you can find the brand discounted online through a few retailers. Their product line is rather large and diverse and they make a lot of limited edition items, so it’s unlikely that any retailer is going to carry their entire product line. You may have to shop around a bit if you want to find something in particular or a limited edition item.
Ebel Watches Summary
If you like truly beautiful watches that offer unique styling and the reliability of Swiss-made quartz movements, you’ll like Ebel watches. They offer lots of bling, though they also have a number of models with styling that would be suitable for business wear.
Their lineup is diverse, their styling is terrific and they offer a better than average warranty. All in all, Ebel watches offer a good product that anyone who is interested in luxury timepieces should take the time to investigate further.