Eva Leube, is a German born Independent watchmaker based in Zurich, Switzerland. Having worked for numerous watch houses, Thomas Prescher, Rolex, Ulysse Nardin she became independent in 2011 with the launch of ARI at Baselworld.

1. Describe briefly your childhood.

I grew up in Berlin within a family of scientists. Our parents took us through any museum, church, castle, opera house. But we also often visited my grandparents living outside the City surrounded by forests and lakes. My Grandfather was a physicist who told us kids that we could understand any mechanism if we just looked at it long enough. He worked as a rocket scientist in ballistics during the war and later built two deadweight-force standard machines, one of which is still in use today carrying out special measurement procedures. The machines were first installed in the National Metrology Institut in East Berlin and 20 years later transferred to the PTB (Physikalisch Technische Bundesanstalt) in Braunschweig. There, they built a new hall for the installation of the machines (one of them 17 m tall over three floors) where they created the necessary conditions, including climatisation of the underground floors. It was pretty uplifting to visit, all these years later.

2. As a child did you have any driving ambition?

Well, I always knew I wanted to learn a craft. To be an engraver or enameler or goldsmith, cabinet maker, pianist (not a craft) and yeah, a singer, I wanted to be a rock legend too, actually. Watchmaking was my mother’s idea and I loved it. It was a head-to-head between watchmaking and rock legend...

3. What is your first significant memory as a child?

That our Christmas tree caught fire while my parents were briefly out of the room. My brother and I threw the whole thing into a chair which melted a little on one side. I must have been around 2 or 3 years old so I don’t really remember the (small) fire but I remember the “scratchy chair”.

4. Have you ever had another profession?

I worked in a dental lab for a few months to help them out during busy times. They had those really cool materials. In the end I made myself a lovely farewell pressie, a cup with teeth of all shades around the rim. The cup itself is made of the pink compound which imitates the gums in falsies. The teeth around the rim are plastic too but they look so real it cracks everyone up.

5.  What made you decide to go in the direction you are currently in?

After “always” being a watchmaker in repairs and restoration, a change of direction happened during my years working for Rolex in Sydney. I was very happy there and we had a top time. But then I did my first marathon in Canberra in 2003 and was probably just so flooded with dopamine that I walked around with a big grin for a week, thinking that I was born for more. That was the time when I got really interested in the independent making of unique timepieces by hand and started looking into that.

6. What’s the worst job you’ve had to do? 

I did none of the classic University studying/ washing dishes on the side. Instead, I started my apprenticeship at 16 and then always happily worked in watchmaking. I really loved it all I must say, all workshops, all countries that I have lived in, the experiences, colleagues, all stages of my watchmaking career. Just two things were maybe a little off. Once I worked for a great guy, a very knowledgeable, skilled watchmaker who had a crazy wife though - not using this term lightly- and she was working with us. It took a lot of meditating to get her out of my head. Another time, an introduction into a new company entailed repairing 100 pieces of one particular model of their brand, omg that was quite painful a.k.a. boring. But in both cases, I moved on fairly quickly and undamaged.

7. What’s been the hardest moment in your life so far, and how did you overcome it? 

Can’t think of anything, I am grateful to say. One of my friends in Sydney always says I am born under a lucky star.

8. Who has had the strongest influence on you?

My family and my parents, in particular, put me on my path with much love and support and by giving me the mindset that I can be and do anything that I really want. Then there are my watchmaking colleagues and friends who create their own unique pieces; they all fascinate and inspire me very much. George Daniels’ work raised my interest first and foremost of course, but I love them all. Every independent with their own unique style of design and execution, the total immersion, unique skill set, business style, their craft is their art, is their life. There are watchmakers like Christian Klings or Miki Eleta and many, many others who I totally and utterly admire.

9. What are you most proud of? 

My two champions. Also, my ARI and my other watches which I built through all the action of raising them.

10. What advice would you give to a 20 something someone thinking of taking a similar path as you? 

To go for it. The highest form of self-love, to do what you love for a living. That’s the way to live your life.

11. Name three things on your bucket list.  

There are way more than 3 and they would mostly have to do with travelling experiences, interesting people who I’d very much love to meet and big life goals that I have. I’m keen to do the Appalachian trail one day (but not in one day haha). Other than that, I actually enjoy building beautiful watches.

12. Where do you think the watch industry is going to be in 10 years time? I have no idea and it's not really my field of expertise. I see what I myself and what other independents do as quite separate from the watch industry.

To learn more about Eva Leube