{"id":274254,"date":"2025-11-09T23:51:12","date_gmt":"2025-11-09T23:51:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/274254\/"},"modified":"2025-11-09T23:51:12","modified_gmt":"2025-11-09T23:51:12","slug":"hz-watches-hz-03-blue-marble","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/274254\/","title":{"rendered":"Hz Watches HZ.03 Blue Marble"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jamie Weiss<\/a><\/p>\n

Australian microbrand Hz Watches debuts its third model line, a dressy daily inspired by the famous 1972 photograph of the Earth taken aboard Apollo 17.
\nIt pairs a titanium case with a trio of enamel sector dials (as well as an aventurine dial) sporting a small seconds that utilises our planet as an indicator.
\nLike all Hz Watches, it\u2019s powered by a quartz movement, in this case a Seiko VD78.<\/p>\n

Hz Watches\u2019 founder Matt Zillman might be the nicest guy in the Australian watch scene<\/a>. The young founder of Hz Watches and emerging microbrand retailer WatchPoint is clearly someone who values community \u2013 giving microbrands other than his own a platform to succeed \u2013 but he also leads by example. What do I mean by this? Well, Hz Watches represent some of the best-value and most interesting microbrand<\/a> watches on the market, offering extremely impressive specs and levels of finishing for the price while unashamedly celebrating their quartz movements<\/a> in a way that most brands, small or large, are afraid to.<\/p>\n

\"HZ<\/p>\n

Hz Watches\u2019 first two collections, the straightforwardly titled HZ.01 Everyday<\/a> and HZ.02 Chronograph<\/a>, are now joined by a more poetic third model line, the HZ.03 Blue Marble<\/a>, which further establishes the brand\u2019s reputation for quality watchmaking at a great price.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Blue Marble was the first full portrait of our home, and across the world it made us pause and reflect about our perspective \u2013 to be able to see the bigger picture,\u201d Hz Watches explains. \u201cWe wanted to capture that feeling with the HZ.03, with the tiny Earth orbiting the seconds sub-dial. The next time you look down to check the time, we hope you might pause for a moment, and be reminded that we are all connected, and a part of something bigger.\u201d<\/p>\n

The case<\/p>\n

\"HZ<\/p>\n

Like the HZ.01 Everyday and HZ.02 Chronograph before it, the HZ.03 Blue Marble features a grade 5 titanium<\/a> case with predominantly brushed finishing, save for polished bezel sides. As enthusiasts, we\u2019re used to paying a (often significant) premium for titanium, so to see a sub-A$400 watch sporting a titanium case is very cool. Also like the HZ.01, the HZ.03 has an enamelled Hz logo medallion adorning its caseback, which is a nice touch.<\/p>\n

\"HZ<\/p>\n

At 36mm in diameter and 43.5mm lug-to-lug, it\u2019s the smallest Hz model yet, as well as the lightest \u2013 it\u2019s positively breezy on the wrist, and will fit just about anyone. It is a little thicker than you might expect at 11.5mm, but 1.6mm of that is thanks to the noticeably domed crystal: the shape of the crystal means it\u2019ll slide nicely under a cuff, and it also reminds me subtly of the planetary theme it\u2019s going for.<\/p>\n

The dial<\/p>\n

\"HZ<\/p>\n

The HZ.03 Blue Marble\u2019s dials are the collection\u2019s most impressive feature, though. Four options are available at launch: three enamel dials in white, blue and black, as well as an aventurine<\/a> dial model that feels particularly fitting \u2013 resembling a night sky, or the expanse of space. The enamel models are adroitly executed, with the white enamel easily my favourite of the bunch: it looks positively milky, and again, it\u2019s very impressive to have enamel and aventurine dials of this quality at this price point.<\/p>\n

\"HZ<\/p>\n

Materials aside, the design of the HZ.03\u2019s dial is clean and inoffensive. I\u2019d describe it as something of a sector dial, with the line-demarcated hour markers running in a broad track around the dial\u2019s periphery. A small applied Hz logo can be found at the expected 12 o\u2019clock position, with long, elegant feuille hands<\/a> hovering above the rich expanse of enamel or aventurine below.<\/p>\n

\"HZ<\/p>\n

At 6 o\u2019clock, you\u2019ll find a small seconds made from a section of black enamel, with a little graphic of the Earth \u2013 the eponymous Blue Marble \u2013 serving as the indicator. It\u2019s a sweet, subtle and playful touch that could\u2019ve very easily come off as cheesy or chintzy but feels quite classy in its restraint.<\/p>\n

The strap<\/p>\n

\"HZ<\/p>\n

The HZ.03 comes mounted on a genuine leather strap with a titanium pin buckle: the white dial gets a beige strap, the blue dial gets a blue strap, the black dial gets a black strap, and the aventurine dial gets a grey strap. Really, the strap is the only criticism I have of the HZ.03: the colour choices are great and Hz gets points for a titanium pin buckle, but the leather itself is on the cheaper side, and I\u2019d personally swap it out for an aftermarket solution. But the buck\u2019s got to stop somewhere, and I\u2019d rather Hz compromise on the strap rather than any other element of the watch. Thankfully, the supplied straps have quick-release spring bars to facilitate easy exchange.<\/p>\n

The movement<\/p>\n

\"HZ<\/p>\n

All Hz Watches use quartz movements, and the HZ.03 is no different. Where the HZ.01 uses a Swiss Ronda 507 and the HZ.02 uses a Japanese Seiko VK63A mechaquartz<\/a> movement, the HZ.03 goes for a different movement still, the Seiko VD78. A known quantity in the microbrand space, it\u2019s known for its robustness, ease of service, and accuracy to within \u00b110 to 20 seconds per month, with some owners reporting accuracy to within \u00b11 second per\u00a0week.<\/p>\n

Hz Watches HZ.03 Blue Marble pricing and availability<\/p>\n

\"HZ<\/p>\n

The HZ.03 Blue Marble is available now online directly from Hz Watches<\/a>, having made its debut at WatchFest in Sydney on the 1st of November, and at SpringSprangSprung in Singapore on the 8th-9th of November. Shipping will commence on the 11th of November, with all watches complete and ready to be shipped.\u00a0Price: \u00a3179\/\u20ac199\/US$239\/A$349 (enamel dials), \u00a3209\/\u20ac239\/US$279\/A$399 (aventurine model)<\/p>\n

Brand
\nHz Watches<\/p>\n

Model
\nHZ.03 Blue Marble<\/p>\n

Case Dimensions
\n36mm (D) x 11.5mm (T) x 43.5mm (LTL)<\/p>\n

Case Material
\nGrade 5 titanium<\/p>\n

Water Resistance
\n100 metres<\/p>\n

Crystal(s)
\nSapphire front<\/p>\n

Dial
\nWhite, blue or black enamel, or aventurine<\/p>\n

Lug Width
\n20mm<\/p>\n

Strap
\nGenuine leather strap, titanium pin buckle<\/p>\n

Movement
\nSeiko VD78, quartz<\/p>\n

Battery Life
\n~3 years<\/p>\n

Functions
\nHours, minutes, small seconds<\/p>\n

Availability
\nAvailable now<\/p>\n

Price
\n\u00a3179\/\u20ac199\/US$239\/A$349 (enamel dials)
\u00a3209\/\u20ac239\/US$279\/A$399 (aventurine model)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Jamie Weiss Australian microbrand Hz Watches debuts its third model line, a dressy daily inspired by the famous…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":274255,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[64,63,159273,159274,106453,121128,105],"class_list":{"0":"post-274254","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-technology","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-metaaustralian-brands","11":"tag-metamicro-mondays","12":"tag-metamicrobrands","13":"tag-metaquartz","14":"tag-technology"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/274254","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=274254"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/274254\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/274255"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=274254"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=274254"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=274254"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}