Movado cashes out most of EBEL

Selling the shiny side hustle

Movado Group is handing off 95% of its EBEL brand in a deal worth $66.5 million. The buyer group is led by Montres Journe SA, the Geneva luxury watch maker, and includes Chanel — because apparently even luxury watches get a little celebrity-cast ensemble treatment.

Why this matters

For Movado, this is a pretty classic move: convert an asset into cash and sharpen the focus on the parts of the business that matter most. If you’ve ever cleaned out your closet and sold the leather jacket you never wear, same energy — just with more Swiss finishing and a much bigger check.

What to watch

• The transaction value gives Movado fresh capital to work with.
• Giving up a 95% interest means Movado is mostly out of EBEL’s future upside.
• The presence of Montres Journe and Chanel suggests EBEL still has luxury-brand value, even if Movado no longer wants to carry the whole bag.

Big picture: this is less about a dramatic breakup and more about portfolio triage. Sometimes the smartest luxury move is knowing which brand to keep and which one to cash out of.