PuristSPro Interviews Thomas Van Der Kallen

President of Ebel

by Jack Forster

© May 2007

Click to view image

Ebel, the 'Architects of Time,' was for many years not the first brand that sprang to mind when dreaming of a top quality timepiece, but in recent years much has changed.  From a comfortable but undynamic position in the 1980's as a solid producer of distinctive quartz watches to today, Ebel has undergone dramatic changes.  Perhaps Ebel has always been somewhat underestimated and underappreciated by horological cognoscenti; high quality distinctive mechanical watches have long been part of the brand's output.  From its development of a perpetual calendar based on the Zenith El Primero in 1984, to the more recent development of in-house calibers 137, 139, 240 and 288, Ebel is indeed bidding to be seen as a manufactory rightfully proud of its technical accomplishments.  Retaining the distinctive Ebel look but reimagining it in a forward looking and fresh way, Ebel, now under the leadership of CEO Thomas van der Kallen since 2005 and also under a new corporate owner, the Movado group, is shaking lose its former image and staking out new ground.  Mr. van der Kallen kindly consented to share his thoughts about Ebel's future with PuristSPro.com.

PPro:  How did you come to join Ebel?

TVDK:   I was attracted by both the opportunity to rebuild Ebel as well as to be part of a dynamic and entrepreneurial company (Movado Group) that has acquired Ebel with a long-term vision and commitment to rebuild it.

PPro:  Tell us a little about your prior experience in the watch industry.

TVDK:   15 years in Richemont in different management positions for different brands (mainly Piaget and Baume & Mercier) in the Netherlands and USA.

PPro:  What was your awareness of Ebel during your tenure with Baume and Mercier and Piaget?

TVDK:   When I started in 1990 in the Netherlands as Sales & Marketing Director for Piaget and Baume & Mercier I experienced the very strong position of Ebel in the market.

PPro:  Ebel, perhaps more than most other brands, has a distinctive look: the biomorphic lines of the cases and bracelets are immediately identifiable.  Will Ebel begin to break away from this iconic design, or will future Ebel watches retain, at least to some degree, this distinctive appearance?

TVDK:   This distinctive look is inherent to the spirit of the Architects of Time. It would be absurd to totally break with this precious asset. But this heritage does not prevent us from re-interpreting our designs to appeal to today's men and women. And this is exactly what we did with the new 1911 BTR with much success in 2006. The BTR line integrates all iconic design elements of the historical line 1911 (hexagonal case, 5 screws on the bezel) but in a very modern and totally re masterized interpretation.

The Hexagon collection we will launch in September was born from the same idea: how to re-vamp, to modernize the Classic line?

PPro:  How do you see Ebel positioned relative to the other brands in the Movado Group?

TVDK:   Ebel is the international leading Swiss luxury watch brand of the group.

PPro:  With Ebel re-inventing its lineup of men's watches, will we be seeing attention given to re-imagining its line of women's watches as well?

TVDK:   Brasilia ladies' models launched in 2006 were the first step of our strategy for women bringing a brand-new yet very Ebel rectangular shape.  We have already started to redesign one of our most emblematic ladies' models; launching in Spring next year…

PPro:  How important to Ebel is the development of vertically integrated manufacturing capability?  

TVDK:   We have a vertical integrated in-house product development and engineering department as well as our in-house movement development and assembly for the Ebel calibers.

PPro:  Will you be exploring other complications?

TVDK:   Yes, we are developing our fifth Ebel caliber and exploring more additional complications.

PPro:  Where does the new 1911 Discovery chronograph fit in Ebel's lineup?  It seems a bit of a departure from the BTR line, in its use of an ETA movement rather than one of Ebel's proprietary calibers.  

TVDK:   Both lines, under the umbrella of the 1911, share similar values: mechanical movements, design inspired by the historical line 1911.  But where 1911 BTR stands for what Ebel does best in the mechanical men's watch segment, 1911 Discovery is the young brother and the entry price of the 1911 collection.

BTR is meant for watch collectors as the models are made of the best or high-tech materials (hand stitched leather straps, gold, titanium, rubber, and carbon fiber), features iconic design details and are exclusively powered by Ebel proprietary movements. Whereas Discovery offers a reliable mechanical watch to a young man who is looking for a first well crafted and beautifully finished sport watch at a very attractive price.

BTR and Discovery are complementary and totally fit in the global 1911 collection. They do target very different consumers.

PPro:  What does the Ebel slogan, "The Architects of Time," mean to you, and how will we see that meaning expressed in the future?

TVDK:   There are many similarities between the architect that designs a graceful and elegant house and the architects that create Ebel timepieces.  When Le Corbusier designed La Villa Turque, the inspirational home of Ebel, he created a masterpiece that is at once ideally functional, graceful and stately.

Ebel takes the same approach to watch-making. This spirit is reflected in all of our products and will continue to inspire us in all our initiatives.

This interview was conducted through electronic correspondence.  PuristSPro would like to thank Thomas van der Kallen for taking the time to answer our questions, and we wish him and Ebel - the best of success.

We welcome comments, suggestions, and corrections to this interview.

© May 2007 – Jack Forster and PuristSPro.com - all rights reserved