October 2001, I was there: when Ebel relaunched its Wave
It was at the Villa Turque in La Chaux-de-Fonds. A group of 150 hand-picked guests had been invited by Ebel to join in the launch of the Classic Wave, which paid tribute to the Sport Classic line introduced in 1977.
By Joel Grandjean
Editor-in-Chief
Everyone dreamed of crossing that threshold and moving around those hallowed halls, which belonged to a watchmaking brand whose evolution was worthy of one of those Greta Garbo films.
Built in 1916-1917 by the famous architect Le Corbusier, a native of La Chaux-de-Fonds, the building was purchased by Ebel in 1986 to celebrate its 75th anniversary and confirm the full adoption of its motto "Architects of Time."
That evening, the building, which had been regularly turned into a vessel to accommodate a very special kind of hospitality, housed 150 invited guests, including the inevitable spate of retailers, a handful of VIPs, a daub of "influencers" – the term is younger than the event itself – and an army of journalists from all corners of Switzerland.
Identifying waves
The menu of this musical and televisual dinner cocktail – presented by a still youthful Dominique Schibli – featured the memorable launch of the Classic Wave by Guillaume Brochard, CEO of the brand at the time, and Alfio Pennisi, the director of the Swiss market. Following a period of vassalage with Investcorp, Ebel had been taken over by LVMH in 1999.
And so, the entire evening, replete with orchestra and dancers, and in very special hues, silver grey, ivory white and orange, was dedicated to this model, with its highly identifiable character, its monocoque case, the screws on the bezel, the choice of two tones, gold and steel, and as usual, the most typical traits: the bracelet links that morph into gentle and overwhelming waves. A bracelet that has firmly taken place in the world's esthetic unconscious as the immutable distinctive signal of the Ebel brand.
In 2001, it was thanks to the inspired interpretation of two designers, Renato and Marco Scarinzi, that the first editions of the Classic Waves redux were published.
The two brothers were the first to go into third millennium mode and engage this identifying legend at Ebel, one that represented one of the greatest watchmaking successes in modern times. A success that the brand does intend to perpetuate, since the 15 Waves presented at Baselworld 2014 were put on the market during the second quarter of the year. A Wave Lady automatic, and a Wave Gent available as an automatic or Swiss-made quartz.
EBEL Wave 2014 collection
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Visit our dedicated page on the new EBEL Wave 2014
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