When a new up and coming Australian watch company makes contact with you to check out their maiden watch, then of course it piques my interest to “give it a go”!

Matthew Zillmann, founder and CEO of Hz Watches, states that his new watch company (and brand) was

“born out of an idea to create high quality and affordable watches that celebrate quartz innovation”.

– Matthew Zillmann

With Hz Watches’ inaugural timepiece, the HZ.01, I reckon they nailed their charter of creating an affordable (under AU$350) watch with high quality and durable material (Titanium! Yep, titanium!), scratch resistant sapphire crystal and an equally impressive Swiss made Ronda Caliber 507 movement.

I am well aware that “an affordable watch” is a subjective statement, but you would be hard pressed to find a watch with equally built materials and quality for the price that the HZ.01 is aimed at. Speaking of which, the HZ.01 pre-orders are now open for all watch enthusiasts with an introductory price of AU$249.00 – which is $100 cheaper than the regular retail price! When was the last time you bought a new watch with a titanium case, sapphire crystal and leather band for less than AU$250?

A week may not be long enough, but I reckon it is enough time to either bond or not with a new watch. The HZ.01 passed the initial “first impressions” test, and as soon as it went on the wrist, it felt like an old pair of slippers – nice and comfy, not too big and not too small for my 7″ wrist – it’s a perfect size and weight, thank you to the titanium case. It has been my daily GADA (Go Anywhere, Do Anything) watch for the past week and it hasn’t missed a beat, keeping accurate time thanks to the Ronda movement.

There is a great synergy between titanium and quartz where it feels super light on the wrist, but also allowing the wearer to beat it around without worrying about the movement, sapphire crystal or marking the titanium. If you play golf, stop wearing your mechanical watches while playing, you need a good quality and light quartz watch like the HZ.01.

If you have gotten this far, then it is about time I went into the main reasons I like this watch (and a niggle that I have), especially at its affordable price.

Firstly, I love the story behind the inspiration and what made Matthew Zillmann start Hz Watches’ (read the story here) and his toiling to get their first watch to market. Of course, being Australian owned and designed helped a tad too. Equally, the size (38.5mm case diameter, 46mm case length (lug to lug) and 9.85mm case height) of the watch with its tapered lugs maximises comfort and wearability. I’ve already mentioned the lightness and durability of the watch thanks to its titanium case, but there is also its 20mm wide quick-release leather strap which matches the watch quite well. There are also the other bits where the attention to detail is quite exquisite, like the stepped tuxedo dial that adds depth and contrast, highlighting each aspect of the dial, and also the sunburst portion of the dial and how catches and reflects light – creating different effects under different lighting conditions – its very eye catching. Oh yeah, the red tipped seconds hand is a nice touch too.

If there was a niggle, I could only think of one – I wish there was more of the BGW9 superluminova used on the numbered hour indices, but like I said, it’s a small niggle and the hour and minute hands are quite legible with their blue hue in low light / darkness. I was also going to mention that I wish the crown was signed (the pre-production review watch was unsigned), but Matthew assured me that the production watches will be signed with Hz – woohoo!

Before anyone asks does the seconds hand sweep, no it doesn’t! Remember that this is a sub AUD$350 watch (or AUD$249 during pre-order), so to get a high-beat quartz movement, like the Bulova Precisionist, would increase the price considerably – so please keep this in mind when making your judgement on this timepiece.

HZ.01 Specifications:

• Brand: Hz Watches
• Model: HZ.01
• Case Material: Titanium
• Case dimensions:
  • diameter: 38.5mm
  • lug to lug: 46mm
  • thickness: 9.85mm
• Crystal: scratch resistant sapphire crystal
• Movement: Quartz – Ronda Caliber 507 (45 month battery life)
• Waterproof: 100M
• Band: Leather strap with 32,768Hz signed titanium buckle (a nice touch)
• Lume: Swiss BGW9 superluminova
• Price: AUD$349.00 (or AUD$249 if pre-ordered before launch)

The HZ.01 launch sale will open globally for all customers on Sunday the 28th of January 9:00am (AEDT, Sydney time), or:

– (EST) New York – Saturday, 27th of January 10:00pm
– (GMT) London – Saturday, 27th of January 5:00pm
– (GMT +8) Singapore – Sunday the 28th of January 6:00am

Once the full pre-order allocation has been exhausted, or 48 hours has elapsed, the HZ.01 collection will retail at $349AUD per piece.

Deliveries are expected to commence in early April 2024, and will be fulfilled on a first in first out basis.

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Conclusion:

There can be no better compliment than to say that the HZ.01 (review watch) will be a difficult one to send back, as it has proven itself with its very good looks, matched by being super comfy and durable – which is great for a GADA watch. I have nothing like the HZ.01 in my collection, so I hope to pick one up in the very near future.