How many times did Ebel enter the GPHG?

Ebel entered 49 watches between 2003 and 2016 and was shortlisted six times. It has never won a prize.

On 8 October 2026 Movado Group agreed to sell 95% of Ebel for $66.5 million to a group led by Montres Journe SA, the company behind F.P. Journe, with Chanel and Pierre Jacques also participating. The deal has yet to close.

Pierre Jacques becomes Ebel's CEO when the sale closes.

What was Ebel's best year at the GPHG?

Between 2005 and 2008 Ebel had 23 entries and five of its six shortlistings, including the 1911 BTR chronograph in 2007 and the Caviar in 2008.

Ebel at the GPHG, a heyday without a prize

Ebel entered the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) 49 times between 2003 and 2016. Six watches made the shortlist and none won. On 8 October 2026 Movado Group agreed to sell 95% of the brand for $66.5 million to a group led by Montres Journe, the company behind F.P. Journe, with Chanel and Pierre Jacques also taking part. Ex De Bethune CEO Jacques becomes CEO of Ebel once the deal closes.

When was Ebel's heyday at the GPHG?

From 2005 to 2008. In those four editions Ebel fielded 23 watches, according to the Ebel record on our GPHG index. The shortlisted models were the New Wave, the Brasilia Lady, the 1911 BTR chronograph with Calibre 139, the Caviar and the 1911 Tekton FC Bayern Chronograph. Other entries included the Villa Tourbillon (2005) and the Tekton Real Madrid (2009).

Here is the irony. In 2005, the year the New Wave made the shortlist, the Men's Watch prize went to François-Paul Journe's Chronomètre Souverain.

What happened since?

Entries thinned to two in 2011 and four in 2012 (the Onde). A single La Maison Ebel limited edition followed in 2016, and nothing since.

Can Journe and Chanel revive Ebel?

Respect for the buyers is easy. Doubt is easier. Movado has owned Ebel since 2004, and reports of the sale say the deal also covers the Villa Turque, which given that was designed by Le Corbusier and is a listed building, could alone be worth well in excess of the 1-2 million Swiss franc price tags that similar-sized buildings in La Chaux-de-Fonds command on the real estate market. Journe built its name on tiny volumes of very expensive watches. Ebel needs scale at accessible prices in a crowded mid-market where demand is uneven. That is a different trade, and $66.5 million buys time and offers no guarantee.

My suggestion for Jacques: enter the 2027 GPHG with a watch worth shortlisting. A comeback has to start somewhere.