Zenith

......would you all remember? "Les architects du temps"? Ebel Chronos with Zenith El Primero in the engine room Steel and white gold Steel and white gold 'Mixed'...  

I have an ad from a US magazine for this watch, dated 1983 (when the caliber number would have been 3019PHC, in addition to Ebel caliber 134), "intelligently priced" at $1995. That was, of course, more than the Daytona, and the ref. 1134901 Ebel remained ...  

....just an opinion but I wonder if my fellow collectors feel the same. The 1911 chronograph with Zenith movement is like an art sculpture. Clean curves, outstanding design and incredible dial and of course a movement that is rarely rivaled today at 36,60...  

Wouldn't dare drilling this masterpiece

...and I did see one recently that was either a fake or had been drilled for a standard strap. The integral straps are part of what makes the strapped versions of these cases have such design integrity. This one was in their 2005 catalog: ...  

....the design is incredibly intricate and integrated. That said Ebel must have one of sadest endings in the archives of swiss watch making. Unfortunately today it has become unreconizable with designs that are almost indistinguishable from Fossil and che... 

While their pictures of this watch make it look utterly uninspired, in person it is quite beautiful, or really from any angle that shows its actual shape. Only Ebel would finish a watch in this way, even though it does not follow the Sport Classic pattern...  

These Ebels are now very underrated unless in all gold. Such a shame because Ebel recued Zenith over the Primero. Now I do not bother to look at the website becaue they have lost their way. I have two calibre 134's; rather tatty old photos attached. Sorry...  

.....cool, when I opened this thread and posted the pictures I did it quite hastedly and did not count on many views or reactions. Therefore just some additons: 1st Generation Ebel El Primero: there were several "generations". I specifically hunted steel/...  

It is a true pleasure to follow this thread and learn from you all. This exchange brought back sweet memories from my time as a PhD student, when I seriously contemplated an Ebel watch with the El Primero. Back then they where more expensive than the orig... 

If it was, the technical reference should be 1134901. Ebel used the same technical referencing scheme from their beginnings until just a couple of years ago. The first 1 is "gold and steel", digits two to four ("134") are the caliber number, and "901" is ... 

.........and I will more closely check on that "lightly engraved" bit of your message. As a quick fix, I can for now up-load another picture in which you see clearly that the color of the bezel, screws around the bezel and the crown is warmer and differen...  

and I suppose stranger things have happened. I do not see the same difference on my much-later 1911 Senior with the steel bezel (9080241). But I'm still struggling with that technical reference number. Ebel was usually pretty good about such things in the... 

go into Google and type: my first grail Maximilian you will get an interview with Maximilian Büsser, the owner of MB&F.