Ebel is a traditional Swiss watch brand that manufactured products in the mid-range price segment today, and formerly in the highest, top-tier luxury segment.

The brand name is a portmanteau of the names of the spouses and entrepreneurs Eugène Blum and Alice Lévy (Eugène Blum et Lévy), who founded the company on July 15, 1911, in La Chaux-de-Fonds.^[1] Ebel was one of nine Jewish-owned watch companies in La Chaux-de-Fonds between 1890 and 1914.^[2][3]

Eugène Blum was responsible for the technical side of the brand's development, while Alice Levy was in charge of the aesthetic aspects.

The award certificate for a patented ring watch from 1914 illustrates the social restrictions and lack of recognition for women at that time: The award was issued to "Messieurs Blum & Cie, Fabrique Ebel La Chaux-de-Fonds" (Messrs. Blum & Co.). 

In 1929, Charles, the son of Blum and Levy, took over the management of the company. He expanded the company's distribution network by extending it abroad, including to the United States. Under the leadership of Blum's grandson, Pierre-Alain, the company experienced a significant upturn after the beginning of the 1970s and produced wristwatches for Cartier.

In the 1980s, the "1911 line," named after the founding year, had great success.

The traditional brand was acquired in the autumn of 1999 by the French luxury goods conglomerate LVMH, and subsequently in 2004 by the US corporation Movado (which also started as a Jewish company in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1881 ).