Alice Levy was a pioneering Swiss entrepreneur and designer who co-founded the luxury watch brand Ebel. Born in the late 19th century, Levy’s legacy is defined by her role as a primary architect of one of the few major horological houses established through the equal partnership of a husband and wife. On July 15, 1911, she and her husband, Eugene Blum, founded the company in La Chaux-de-Fonds, naming it “Ebel” as an acronym for “Eugene Blum Et Levy.”
Within the partnership, Levy was responsible for the brand’s aesthetic direction, product design, and business strategy. Her approach to watchmaking was characterized by a focus on elegance and ergonomic comfort, often favoring modest and laconic designs over the more pompous styles of the era. Her influence was instrumental in Ebel’s early success, particularly in the realm of jewelry watches. Under her creative guidance, the brand was awarded a gold medal at the 1914 Swiss National Exhibition for a patented ring watch and later won the Grand Prix at the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs in Paris for its Art Deco haute joaillerie timepieces.
Levy’s leadership extended beyond design into the commercial management of the firm. During the economic depression of the 1920s, she worked alongside Blum and their son, Charles, to sustain the business by shifting focus toward the supply of high-quality movements to other manufacturers. Her commitment to the brand remained steadfast for over half a century; she served as the company’s creative director until 1960 and continued as the chairperson of the board of directors until her retirement in 1968 at the age of 88.
Alice Levy is remembered as a visionary figure who challenged the male-dominated norms of the 20th-century watch industry. Her dedication to blending technical precision with artistic refinement laid the foundation for Ebel’s identity as the “Architects of Time.” Her influence persisted through subsequent generations of the family business, most notably in the work of her grandson, Pierre-Alain Blum, who cited her eye for stylish design as a core inspiration for the brand’s global resurgence in the 1970s and 1980s.