Celine Bertin, Director of International Marketing, Ebel

Celine Bertin, Director of International Marketing, Ebel

Celebrating a century in business, luxury watch brand Ebel launches a book that includes Arabic marketing posters that date back to the 1960s, showing a strong history in the region.

June 29, 2011 4:46 by Atique Naqvi

What is your status in today’s market?

Ebel started its business in Europe and the Middle East in the 1960s. Our first niche markets were in Kuwait and Lebanon where we made impressive sales and earned an excellent reputation.

Witnessing a constant upsurge, the Middle East is a key market for us, second only to Europe. Meanwhile Ebel has had a strong presence in the US that has been there since the 1980s.

A commemorative book celebrating Ebel’s 100th anniversary is set for release next month. What can we look forward to?

This written record of the brand’s history talks about the Ebel house and events that marked the economic, cultural and sports scenes since the 1950s. It draws a truthful image of the various time frames in the life of the Ebel brand. The sixties, for instance, were the  times when Ebel opened up to the international markets, after 50 years of existence.

The book is due to launch on July 15, 2011, during the celebration of the 100th anniversary, and the book will be offered to all of our loyal partners. A digital copy will be available on the internet.

This work is the crowning of an extensive and persistent effort that required hours of researching and delving into the documents of our clients. For example, we found Arabic-written marketing posters targeting the Middle East dating back to  the 1960s.

The 1980s saw the introduction of the brand to America, where we contributed our partnership to many sporting events such as the 1987 Formula One race in  Detroit and the Las Vegas race in 1983. We also had partners in Europe during the Roland-Garros tennis championship.  Yannick Noah, Boris Becker and Gabriela Abatini sported Ebel watches during  their matches.

What are your plans for the future?

Creativity is the ultimate objective in  our collections. We will expand our brand name by quickening the product design phase. We already drafted a strategy for new, innovative products.  Ebel makes watches for men and women. Seventy percent of customers are women and 30 percent men. Our watches possess a sense of style and modernity.

In the women watches segment we realized the offering was limited. Many brands adapt male models, making them more appealing to women by changing the dial color and adding precious stones. Few brands focus on the development of an original design targeted at women.

High-end watchmaking for ladies is not very elaborate and still falls short of meeting the requirements of modern women. Ebel could achieve some groundbreaking progress by targeting active, modern and fashionable women in the 30- to 40- year segment. This is where our designers will center the best of their efforts. We are well-known for our innovative designs, as the ring watch issued decades ago demonstrated. This innovative spirit will continue to be our source of inspiration today.