Few watches capture the spirit of the 1980s quite like the Ebel 1911 Chronograph. Closely associated with the era through Miami Vice, where Detective James “Sonny” Crockett, played by Don Johnson, wore Ebel chronographs, the model combined unmistakable design with one of the most important automatic chronograph movements of the period.

Under Pierre-Alain Blum, Ebel became one of the defining names of 1980s Swiss watchmaking. The brand introduced its El Primero-powered chronograph in 1982, six years before Rolex adopted a modified version of the same celebrated Zenith movement for the automatic Cosmograph Daytona in 1988. Ebel's early commitment to the El Primero also played an important role in the movement's revival.

The present stainless-steel example, reference 9134901, is particularly interesting as its movement is marked Zenith calibre 40.0. This short-lived transitional version of the El Primero was produced during the movement's return to production in 1986, before being succeeded by calibre 400. Ebel designated these El Primero-based movements as its calibre 134.

The watch retains its original stainless-steel Ebel bracelet and is accompanied by its original certificate dated August 1989. The combination of the early calibre 40.0, original bracelet and period documentation makes this a particularly appealing example of Ebel's increasingly appreciated neo-vintage chronographs.