Ebel Brasilia Men's Quartz&Automatic Swiss Watches Review

Ebel Brasilia Men's offers a formal look that's almost anticlimactic when compared to some of the friskier Brasilia Ladies designs.

Only two out of fourteen currently produced variations come encrusted with diamonds; men's collection obviously seeks to offer an alternative of quiet restraint, suitable for occasions where boundaries are routinely respected rather than crossed. This intent is further emphasized by the use of stately Roman numerals that rest on a rectangular inner frame – a characteristic replication of the square form.

Movements

Brasilia Gents watches encase quartz or automatic movements, and contain a central seconds hand, a portent of mechanical elaboration of the 1911 collections.

But even before that, the chronograph watches demonstrate Ebel's engineering ability – or the ability to retain class while adding speed related functionality, the enemy of all things stately and gentlemanly.

A gentleman, as the saying goes, will walk, but never run. Brasilia Gents chronographs debunk the saying, suggesting that running has nothing to do with one's virtus.

The main difference from Brasilia Ladies is in focus. The latter line dedicates most of its resources to outward effects, using many, sometimes hundreds, of diamonds, and creating an engaging interplay between the lines, the blocks of metal and crystal.

Men's models are more static; they focus on inner dial aesthetic, packaging it within a calm frame of cases and bracelets, or straps. Though Brasilia Gents too offer white or black dials, and occasionally use two-tone or diamond designs, the larger size and the mentioned focus eventually render the watches notably different from their feminine counterparts.

The two basic visual components of dial configuration include the Roman numerals and the inner rectangular frame that echoes the shape of the case itself. Inside the frame there's a pattern of a color opposite to the overall background; it draws the eye – thus making the center of the piece also the center of attention.

The side effect of this effect is improved legibility, as the user is encouraged to ignore other elements of design, and focus on the hands. A small, but consummate collection.