ollowing a period of inactivity, the historic Mouvex 1911 brand has been acquired by a family of designers working in the watchmaking industry. After nearly five years of R&D and fine tuning, the brand has launched its first signature collection, called “Art Deco”.

The revamped brand settled on the “artistic” niche by focusing on crafting distinctive shapes and designs for the watches, from the case shape to the refined engravings on the back. The relaunch has brought a high level of rebranding, from the product design influence, positioning in the market, to the level of communication and engagement with customers.

After nearly five years of R&D and fine tuning, the brand has launched its first signature collection, called “Art Deco”.

“This is a special opportunity for us to revive a historic Swiss brand while also choosing together, as a community, in which direction we will go in the future,” says owner Valentin Guidi.

Throughout the new brand concept, there is an underlying tone with the usage of art & design functionality, from the product design to the packaging, which is both environmentally friendly and multi-functional. The brand’s main message will continue to convey the notion of Swiss excellence as well as creating a sense of exclusivity through the limited numbered products per collections. A new “Legacy Chapter” will be unveiled at a later date.

The first collection is available online through the brand’s e-commerce section, as well as through selected retailers (see the list here).

Mouvex 1911 has conceived an official website which also explains more about the history of the brand, which began in La Chaux-de-Fonds in the ‘Watch Valley’ where some of the most prestigious Swiss watchmaking brands were founded.

In 1911, two talented Swiss watchmakers, Eugène Blum and Alice Levi-Blum, launched simultaneously the brands Mouvex and Ebel. Mouvex was sold in chic boutiques in Paris and across Switzerland. The founders released collections with Art Deco inspiration due to the architecture of the founding city and Paris, which Blum frequently visited.

In 1911, two talented Swiss watchmakers, Eugène Blum and Alice Levi-Blum, launched simultaneously the brands Mouvex and Ebel.

In 1962 at the Basel Fair, the brand Mouvex was registered under the company Ebel, in this extract from a Europa Star issue from that year.

©Europa Star 1962

The second half of the 20th century brought many challenges, and it was then decided that the founders would focus on their other brand Ebel, while Mouvex would be placed in a state of “hibernation”. Today, the brand starts a new chapter in its history with this new collection.

The first relaunch collection is inspired by the Art Deco time-period to pay tribute to the brand’s heritage, since the brand was founded in 1911. The Avant-garde design used on the watches is a combination of square and round shapes, which illuminates the distinctive Art Deco forms that can be for versatile daily usage as well as high end-end occasions.

The Avant-garde design used on the watches is a combination of square and round shapes.

The Swiss Made Mouvex watches are crafted in high quality premium materials featuring the highly sought-after automatic movement ETA 2824-2 with sapphire glass for the dial and caseback. The watch has been meticulously engraved on the caseback with a unique Art Deco design and includes the product numbering details.

The watch is available in three main case versions: Stainless Steel and Black or Rose Gold plated Stainless Steel paired with straps or bracelets ranging from Mesh Stainless Steel, Rubber, Italian and Calf Leather to Italian Calf Crocodile Print Leather. Its straps are also compatible with the Apple Watch.

The concept behind the packaging is both eco-friendly and functional. Usages include a brilliant natural sound amplifier that works when you play music by your smartphone and place it on the dock in the stand, recharging station and a place to keep loose change or keys. The watch box hence easily converts into a smartphone pod so that any phone can be charged by connecting through the back of the box with a cable.

The watch is available in three main case versions: Stainless Steel and Black or Rose Gold plated Stainless Steel.

FACTS & FIGURES: MOUVEX 1911 “ART DECO”

• Reference: 500 pieces (limited and numbered)
• Collection: Art Deco (Swiss Made)
• Year: 2019
• Size: 38mm x 45mm
• Thickness: 11.5mm
• Movement: ETA 2824-2, Automatic self-winding mechanism, bidirectional; Frequency: 28’800 vibrations per hour; 4 Hz, 25 jewels; Power reserve 42 hours
• Functions: Hours, minutes, central seconds, date
• Bracelets: Genuine Italian leather (vintage, croco, camouflage), Mesh, Silicon
• Waterproofness: 50m
• Price: € 990 Euro
• Sapphire Glass – Stainless Steel 316L – Engraved caseback with 360-degree opening
• Reusable watch box : smartphone pod and natural acoustic amplifier
• Price: € 990

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