Eza Watches is a contemporary watch brand with deep historical roots, tracing its origins back to 1921 when it was founded by Hermann Becker in Pforzheim, Germany. Initially, the company, Hermann Becker GmbH, established a reputation as a specialist manufacturer of high-quality, water-resistant stainless steel watch cases, dials, and components. By the late 1950s, the brand evolved into a “manufacture” by developing its own in-house movements, such as the Calibre 312 introduced in 1958. However, like many traditional German and Swiss brands, Eza ceased operations in 1979 during the height of the quartz crisis.
The brand was revived in 2016 by two Dutch entrepreneurs and watch enthusiasts, Adriaan Trampe and Diederik van Golen. Trampe, a trained watchmaker who studied in Schoonhoven, Netherlands, now leads the brand as its principal figure. While the original founding was in the “Gold City” of Pforzheim, the modern iteration operates with a Dutch-German connection, maintaining assembly and quality control in Pforzheim to preserve the brand’s historical link to German precision engineering.
Enthusiasts are drawn to Eza Watches for their combination of vintage-inspired aesthetics and modern specifications. The brand focuses on “affordable luxury,” offering mechanical timepieces that feature high-end components such as ceramic bezels, sapphire crystals, and Swiss automatic movements (typically Sellita or ETA) that are often regulated in-house in multiple positions for enhanced accuracy. The design language avoids being overly modern, instead opting for a balanced, classic look that pays homage to mid-century tool watches while providing the reliability of contemporary manufacturing.
Key pieces in the Eza catalog include the Sealander, the brand’s flagship dive watch. Drawing inspiration from 1950s skin divers, the Sealander features a 300-meter water resistance rating, a ceramic bezel, and a regulated Swiss movement. Another significant model is the Airfighter, a professional-grade pilot’s watch designed with a focus on legibility and durability. More recently, the brand introduced the 1972 series, which includes faithful reissues and modern interpretations of their vintage divers from that era, including a limited edition 36mm model that retains the proportions and plexiglass crystal characteristic of the original 1970s design.
