During the week or so of watches overload that is BaselWorld, there are many MANY parties, dinners, brand events, product launches and generally a lot of eating and drinking to be done. This is all in the name of watch industry networking and brands being able to show off their latest arguably unnecessary wrist adornment. A small number of the gatherings are purely informal get-togethers for independent watchmakers, bloggers and industry insiders, including one dinner which has been organised by a European blogger friend for years now. It was at this dinner in about 2016 that I came across Dutch-born Adriaan Trampe and his co-founding partner at the time, who had just re-launched an old watchmaking name, Eza. Eza was originally a medium-sized manufacturer in Pforzeim in Germany - an ancient city on edge of the black forest with a long history of jewellery and watchmaking (Laco, Stowa…). I only really spoke at any length with Adriaan the following year, as by then they had successfully launched, and sold many examples of the Eza Sealander - a very attractive vintage-influenced dive watch…and so were keen to establish partners in far-flung markets such as Australia. I wasn’t yet in a position to help them in the Australian market, but we parted with the understanding that one day we’d work together. Adriaan is a business school graduate who had turned his hand to watchmaking and after cutting his teeth at Rolex bought and re-launched Eza. He has spent a lot of time in Switzerland since, working with (among others) independent super-watchmaker Stephen McGonigle, learning the craft of true independent watchmaking. After we’d had a few discussions it was obvious that he was a young guy with plenty of passion and drive with the intelligence and business savvy to make it work for him. The preamble of this intro however was to establish that the kind of people one meets at this type of Baselworld ‘after’ party/dinner are not your boring business types, and most are great people to have a coffee or a drink with and this has been proven with Adriaan a few times over the last few years. He’s an example of my ideal watch source : a small independent brand owner with great functional design sense, good watchmaking knowledge, and an excellent sense of humour !
I’m proud to finally be able to sell these outstanding value-for- money watches in Australia.
In a return to the brand’s Pforzheim roots, Eza have just announced a ‘made in Germany’ version of the original Sealander model for release soon. Price $1’380.00 Message rob@genevablue.com.au if interested
UPDATE 7/2020: NEW MODEL AVAIL. SOON AT GENEVA BLUE: VINTAGE-INSPIRED “1972”, BLUE DIAL, 39mm…
Price range - Eza Airfighter Blue or black-dialled pilot watches : AUD 1’150.00 - 1’260.00
