Ebel, also known as the “Architects of Time”, will introduce in 2008 the 1911 TEKTON calibre 139. The 1911 designation is representative of the year Ebel was founded and the name TEKTON is taken partially from the Greek word architekton, which means architect. The manufacture Ebel began its love affair with architecture in 1986 when it bought and renovated the famous, and very important, Villa Turgue that was designed by renowned architect Le Corbusier and completed in 1917. I was thinking of a suitable setting to photograph some Ebel watches and remembered a wonderful catalog from the manufacture with great photographs of the Villa Turque.
Hence the watches you will see were photographed atop open pages of the book. Enough about architecture, let us get on with the TEKTON watch itself. “Sport” is the first impression I get when looking at the TEKTON, the latest addition to the Ebel 1911 series of watches. This new automatic chronograph utilizes the new calibre 139 movement, the fourth proprietary (in-house) movement from Ebel.
The dial is multi-layered, with windows to show all the chronograph recordings and date. The hour and minute hands are centered and treated in Super-LumiNova, as are the indexes at the perimeter of the dial to ensure maximum readability under the darkest of conditions. Also center-dial is the red chronograph seconds recording hand. Under these hands, and also central, is a red three-armed hand making one revolution each 90 minutes to record the elapsed chronograph minutes on the 30 minute sector at the top portion of the dial when the chronograph is activated. An hour-recording disc at the lower portion of the dial records up to 12 elapsed hours. If you look closely near the 9 o’clock position, you will see a small three-armed continuous seconds hand that is a quick visual indication that the watch is running.
The case of the TEKTON is created in an atypical Ebel manner. Instead of the usual mono-block cases for which Ebel is known, the TEKTON incorporates a sandwich method of case construction. The main case body portion is machined with a front and back opening, unlike the mono-block that only incorporates a frontal opening. Bezels, front and rear, with sapphire crystals that are coated on both sides for anti reflection, are secured to each other via screws that pass entirely through the case with the case body sandwiched between. This method of construction creates a very strong and water-tight capsule to protect the movement inside. Think of it as a wrist-sized bank vault!
