Ebel Age Determination by Works, Models and Work Numbers
Short story of the EBEL brand
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1911 | Founded in La Chaux-de-Fonds by Eugène Blum and Alice Lévy (“E B L = Ebel”) |
| 1914–1925 | Production of fine pocket watches and ladies' wristwatches with Swiss movements (mostly FHF, A. Schild). |
| 1930s | The beginning of technical innovations: safety folding clasp, watches for Longines-Wittnauer. |
| WWII (1930-45) | Precision watches for military/aviation purposes. |
| 1950–1970 | Significant expansion, hand-wound / automatic movements (AS, ETA, Lemania); distinctive serial numbers. |
| 1970–1990 | Luxury and design orientation (“Sport-Classic”, “Beluga”, “1911”). |
| from 1990 | Collaborations with Zenith / Movado Group; later own chronographs (caliber 137 with Zenith El Primero base). |
Determining the age of an Ebel watch (Swiss luxury brand, founded in 1911) is quite possible, as Ebel has produced several characteristic designs, calibers and series over the decades.
Age determination based on serial number:
< 100,000 1911 – 1925 FHF, AS, Adolf Schild Early Works
100,000 – 200,000 1925 – 1935 FHF / Ebel cal. 115/120 Art Deco style
200,000 – 300,000 1935 – 1945 FHF / AS 970 – 1130 / Lemania
300,000 – 400,000 1945 – 1955 Ebel 115, AS 1130, ETA 1080 Post-war, stainless steel
400,000 – 600,000 1955 – 1970 Ebel 117/118 automatic, AS 1361N / ETA 2472
600,000 – 900,000 1970 – 1985 ETA 2783, 2892, Lemania 1873 “Sport Classic”‑
> 1,000,000 1985 – present Ebel 1911 Caliber 137 (El Primero) / Quartz watches modern serial numbers (8–9 digits)
Example caliber assignment:
| caliber | Period / Watch model |
|---|---|
| Ebel 134 / 137 | 1990s–2000s (automatic, chrono) |
| Lemania 1340 | 1970s chronographs |
| ETA 2892-A2 | 1980s–present (various models) |
| Zenith El Primero | 1980s–1990s (Chrono-Matic) |
Important Ebel models for temporal classification
| Model line | Production period |
|---|---|
| Ebel Classic | from 1977–present |
| Sport Classic | from 1977 onwards (especially well-known in the 1980s) |
| Ebel 1911 | from around 1986 – classics of the 80s/90s |
| Discovery / Voyager | 1990s – sporty automatic watches |
| BTR (Brashear) Chrono | 2005–2010 |
Caliber assignment (typical Ebel works)
| caliber | type | Construction period | Manufacturer / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ebel 115 / 120 | manual winding | 1920s–1930s | In-house development based on FHF |
| A. Schild AS 970 / AS 1130 | manual winding | 1930 – 1950 | Common in Ebel pocket watches |
| Ebel 117 / 118 (“Duromat”) / AS 1361N | Automatic | 1955 – 1965 | Partially proprietary rotor system |
| ETA 2472 / ETA 2783 / ETA 2892‑A2 | Automatic | 1960 – 1980 | Standard works with Ebel finishing touches |
| **Lemania 1340 / 1873 / EBEL 137 (“El Primero”) ** | Chronograph | from 1975 | High-end and luxury segment |
| Ebel 909 / Quartz Ronda / ETA 955.112 etc. | quartz | 1978–present | sporty/design-oriented |
Example combinations
| engraving | Factory | Serial number | Dating | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| “Ebel No. 187 016” | AS 970 | – | ca. 1938–1940 | Hand-wound, Art Deco dial |
| “Ebel No. 356 412” | AS 1361 N | – | ca. 1958–1960 | early automatic transmissions |
| “Ebel No. 682 745” | ETA 2783 | – | ca. 1972–1975 | Automatic with date |
| “Ebel No. 1 245 310” | Cal. 137 (El Primero Basis) | – | ca. 1988–1990 | sporty chronograph |
The year of manufacture of the following chronographs allows at least a rough age determination based on model and year of manufacture:
1988 Ref. 1205/1134901, Cal. 134, 17 jewels, stainless steel, date, automatic
1989 Kal 134, 18K gold, date, automatic
1993 Zenith Cal400, 31 jewels, automatic, perpetual calendar and moon phase, 18k yellow gold
1994 Zenith cal 400, 31 jewels, automatic, date, not a perpetual calendar
1981 - 1989 El Primero Cal 400, Date, Automatic Steel/Gold
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Masterpiece – Ebel hinged-case wristwatch – in a 20-dollar gold coin from 1897 of the USA
In 1911, Eugène Blum and Alice Blum, née Lévy, founded a watchmaking workshop in La Chaux-de-Fonds . The name Ebel was created by combining the initials of their names—Eugène Blum et Lévy. In 1932 , Charles , the founder's son, took over the company. He further developed the sales network and extended it to numerous distant countries. Under the leadership of Blum's grandson, Pierre-Alain, the company experienced significant growth from the early 1970s onward, producing, among other things, wristwatches for Cartier . The company was later part of the LVMH group and was acquired by the Movado group at the end of 2003.
Source: Wolfgang Salm "Wristwatches", AI, Wikipedia
