Tropical 1990s Ebel 1911 Two-Tone 'El Primero' Chronograph (Ref. 1134901) "Purple" Dial

In relation to the world of watchmaking, Ebel is a relatively young company. It was only formed in 1911 by the Charles and Ray Eames of the watch-making world, Eugène Blum and his wife Alice Levy. The name "Ebel" is actually an acronym of the couple's name "Eugène Blum Et Lévy". It's generally known that Eugene headed the mechanical department of the company, while Alice was responsible for the aesthetics of the brand and many of the early designs.

The company slowly grew throughout the early 20th century but boomed in the '70s when Ebel began producing wristwatches for Cartier under the direction of Eugene's great-grandson Pierre-Alain Blum. Ebel was responsible for the design and creation of the now-extremely collectible, "Louis Cartier Collection," which debuted in 1973 and included models such as the Cristallor, Gondole, Ellipse, and Vendome.

Today, vintage Ebel watches remain extremely undervalued despite being one of the most experimental and interesting watchmakers to come out of the 20th century, including this incredible automatic that seems to have taken a few design cues from the Royal Oak with its exposed case screws and hexagonal crown. The two-tone stainless steel/18k yellow gold case and bracelet, matched with the rich purple dial make the watch look almost regal while also keeping both feet firmly entrenched in a '90s design aesthetic.

But it's the movement inside that should really turn heads. That's because this ref. 1134901 features an El Primero movement, the famous heartbeat that powers the Rolex Daytona of the same era, as well as the eponymous Zenith El Primero Chronograph.

This is a fantastic piece from a lesser-known brand and one that will turn heads and start conversations wherever you go.

SPECS

Stock # EBL1911EP
Brand Ebel
Style 1911 Chronograph
Model
1134901
Serial 38XX
Size Men's
Material Stainless Steel / 18K Yellow Gold
Dial Purple "Tropical"
Millimeters 38
Bracelet Ebel 1089 Two-Tone Bracelet

CASE & BRACELET

The two-tone stainless steel case, 18k gold bezel, and case screws are all very well preserved, showing minimal signs of previous use and no elements of over-polishing present. The case retains its original gold-capped hexagonal crown. The watch comes supplied on its original two-tone Ebel-signed bracelet, which retains 18 links that show almost no stretch and will fit up to a 6 3/4-inch wrist. The bracelet also comes with two additional links as well.

DIAL & HANDS

The original blue dial with applied gold Roman numerals is in wonderful vintage condition and has taken on a rich and deep indigo/purple color with some minor elements of age on the edges that would be expected for a watch of this era. The lume plots have aged to a soft grey color, under UV light inspection the 5 and 6 o'clock plots are mostly missing though no other degradation is present in the rest of the lume plots. The original gold hands are in excellent condition and match the dial lume perfectly with no degradation present under UV light inspection.

ACCESSORIES

None. The watch was recently serviced and is keeping time perfectly, backed by our 1-year warranty on accurate timekeeping.

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