---
title: "A New Era for Ebel: F.P. Journe, Chanel and Pierre Jacques"
description: F.P. Journe, Chanel and Pierre Jacques agree to acquire 95% of Ebel. Explore the USD 66.5 million deal, its heritage and what could come next.
---

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# [A New Era for Ebel: F.P. Journe, Chanel and Pierre Jacques](https://marketing.yourasset.com/blog/ebels-next-chapter-why-f.p.-journe-chanel-and-pierre-jacques-are-taking-notice)

 Written by [Martin Dehlin](https://marketing.yourasset.com/blog/author/yourasset) | Oct 9, 2026, 9:13:09 AM

*An agreement to acquire 95% of Ebel brings an unexpected group of owners to one of Swiss watchmaking’s most distinctive names.*

A watchmaker celebrated for independent haute horlogerie, a major luxury house and the former chief executive of De Bethune are joining forces around Ebel. It is an unusual combination—and one that makes this far more interesting than a routine change of ownership.

Movado Group has signed a binding agreement to sell a 95% interest in Ebel for USD 66.5 million to a buyer group led by Montres Journe SA, the company behind F.P. Journe, with Chanel and Pierre Jacques participating. Jacques will become Ebel’s CEO following completion.

The prospect brings fresh attention to a brand whose influence deserves another look. Long before integrated bracelets became a defining theme of today’s watch market, Ebel had developed a design language that remains immediately recognisable.

## The Ebel many collectors remember

Founded in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1911 by Eugène Blum and Alice Lévy, Ebel takes its name from its founders’ initials. Its reputation grew around a balance of watchmaking and design, an approach that became particularly successful under their grandson, Pierre-Alain Blum.

During the 1970s and 1980s, while the quartz crisis unsettled much of the Swiss industry, Ebel found an audience for elegant quartz watches. It also manufactured watches for Cartier, illustrating the industrial importance behind its refined public image.

The defining design arrived in 1977: the Sport Classic. Its integrated case and flowing wave-link bracelet gave Ebel a signature that could be recognised across a room. Rather than relying on a large logo or an elaborate dial, the watch made its impression through shape, proportion and the way its bracelet continued the line of the case.

*The Sport Classic remains central to Ebel’s identity. Image: EBEL.*

Ebel’s story also extends beyond quartz. Its chronographs used Zenith’s El Primero movements, adding a mechanical chapter that remains relevant to enthusiasts looking back through the brand’s catalogue.

That combination gives the prospective owners something substantial to work with: a recognisable bracelet, an established sports-watch identity, elegant watches for women and a credible mechanical history.

## From family success to successive owners

Ebel’s fortunes changed after Pierre-Alain Blum’s investments outside watchmaking put pressure on the business. Investcorp acquired the brand in 1994, followed by LVMH in 1999.

Movado announced its agreement to purchase Ebel from LVMH in December 2003, with the acquisition completed in 2004. Over the following two decades, Ebel continued to make Swiss watches, but its place in the collector conversation became less prominent than during its earlier peak.

The new agreement reflects a shift in priorities on both sides. Movado can concentrate on its accessible-luxury and fashion-watch portfolio; Ebel gains the prospect of owners whose focus and experience are closely aligned with luxury watchmaking.

## What the agreement includes

The announced price is **USD 66.5 million for 95%**, subject to customary adjustments and closing conditions. Movado will retain 5%.

The deal covers Ebel’s trademarks, other intellectual property, inventory and certain dedicated assets, including the Villa Turque. These will move into a newly formed Swiss subsidiary, along with certain personnel, before the buyers acquire their interest. Movado will provide transition services after closing.

Completion is expected in the coming months. The agreement has been signed; the ownership transfer has not yet been announced as completed. The individual stakes of the consortium’s participants have not been disclosed.

## Why these buyers matter

François-Paul Journe’s involvement is the most unexpected element. His reputation rests on watches with a clear technical purpose and a highly individual character. Applied to Ebel, that perspective could bring renewed scrutiny to the product itself: how it looks, how it wears and why someone would choose it.

His comment in the announcement is revealing:

> “The product, the product, the product.”

Chanel brings an existing relationship as well as broader luxury expertise. It took a 20% stake in Montres Journe in 2018, so this agreement extends an established partnership. Its participation adds experience in craftsmanship, creative identity and long-term brand development.

Pierre Jacques provides the executive leadership. His background at De Bethune gives him experience in a watch business where technical ambition and close relationships with collectors matter. Translating Ebel’s archive into a coherent contemporary collection will require precisely that combination of judgement and execution.

*From left: François-Paul Journe, Movado’s Efraim Grinberg, Chanel’s Frédéric Grangié and Pierre Jacques. Image: Pierre Jacques, via SJX Watches.*

## An architectural landmark comes with the brand

The Villa Turque adds another dimension. Designed by Le Corbusier in La Chaux-de-Fonds, the house was acquired by Ebel in 1986, the brand’s 75th-anniversary year.

*Villa Turque, designed by Le Corbusier in La Chaux-de-Fonds, is part of Ebel’s heritage—and among the assets included in the acquisition agreement.*

It became an expression of Ebel’s interest in architecture and the relationship between beauty and function. Its inclusion in the transaction preserves a tangible connection to that identity.

For a future revival, this matters. Ebel already has a setting, a visual vocabulary and a history around which to tell its story. The challenge is to make those connections meaningful through the watches.

## What could come next?

No detailed product roadmap has been announced. There is no confirmed plan for Journe-developed movements, a new price position or a specific relaunch collection. Those possibilities should remain questions rather than promises.

Our view is that Ebel’s strongest opportunity starts with its own design language. A carefully judged Sport Classic evolution—with close attention to proportions, bracelet construction and finishing—could offer something distinctive in a crowded market for integrated-bracelet watches.

Its mechanical chronograph history provides another direction worth exploring. Equally, the brand’s longstanding strength in women’s watches deserves attention. A revival that concentrates only on male collectors could overlook an important part of what made Ebel successful.

*The Ebel 1911 chronograph illustrates the brand’s continuing mechanical sports-watch identity. Image: EBEL, via MONOCHROME.*

For collectors, the next milestones will be the closing of the transaction, the new leadership’s stated direction and, eventually, the watches themselves. The acquisition alone tells us little about future resale prices. What it does provide is a compelling reason to revisit Ebel’s history and follow its next releases.

Ebel has a rare advantage: it does not need to invent a recognisable identity. It needs to make that identity desirable to a new generation. With Journe, Chanel and Jacques involved, the next chapter is one the watch world will be watching closely.

[View full post](https://marketing.yourasset.com/blog/ebels-next-chapter-why-f.p.-journe-chanel-and-pierre-jacques-are-taking-notice)

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