"When I first started working with Jason, it was the meteorite watch that just stood out above the others, and was clearly the watch that resonated with me." – John Cowie
John Cowie has been working with ZENEA Watches since February 2021 helping them with their branding and marketing. While he’s hesitant to call himself a watch fanatic, he does tell us that he has always appreciated a nice watch, explaining how it’s the perfect complement to your outfit.
An emerging technology specialist during the week, and an avid outdoorsman by weekend, John grew up on a farm in Beaverton, Ontario that has been in his family since 1895.
“When I was a kid, we had a lot of livestock, then it transitioned into crops, corn, soya beans, canola…basically whatever the person running the farm at the time decided to grow. These days it’s more of a crop farm,” he tells us. It was on this farm, along with time spent on the family cottage, that John would acquire a passion for the many traditions passed down from generation to generation.
John’s deep respect for the traditions of his family has led to a love of hunting and fishing. Both activities, which were passed down from his father, and his grandfather before that, remind John of them to this day.
Another time-honoured tradition passed down in John’s family is cooking. In his words, “Cooking is a passion of mine, and to be a good cook, you need to keep a close eye on time.”
John has never been one to hunt for sport. Rather, his interests in the history and traditions of old--both in his family and the world, have led him to respect the animals he hunts and to strive to master the cooking techniques passed down in his family.
With such a deep affection for history, it’s no wonder he gravitated to the ULA DIVER – Time and Space Meteorite when selecting his ZENEA watch. With a dial made of the Muonionalusta meteorite which impacted in northern Scandinavia about one million years BCE, this watch is a great reminder to Appreciate Every Moment, something John strives to do every day in his life.
While he opts for a smartwatch with GPS while he’s hunting, fishing, or riding his ATV through the backcountry of Beaverton, he says his ZENEA watch has a reserved space in his collection for special occasions.
It should come as no surprise that John is not a stranger to social gatherings. Whether he’s just returned from a successful hunt and is cooking up a delicious meal for his family and friends at the cottage or enjoying an intimate night out—his ZENEA watch is often along for the ride.
Over the past 22 years, as President of Adlure Media, he has led a team of software engineers that have done work for the likes of The Ontario Liberal Party, Shoppers Drug Mart, P&G, TD Canada Trust and others. His ZENEA is no stranger to the boardroom, where John often wears it to complete his look during meetings.
“In a world with smart watches and all this technology around our wrists, there’s something unique to getting a Swiss-made watch that has gears, and is a flashback to the way watches were built many years ago” he explains as he tells us how the historical aspect of the watch and its cosmic connection is something he always speaks on when asked about the watch.
In addition to his work at Adlure Media, he is also an active speaker on web development and social marketing at conferences across North America, teacher at Humber College, and sitting member of the Direct Marketing Association of Canada advisory board. He feels that having a stylish timepiece is the perfect boost of confidence to help him perform his best when leading lectures & presentations.
“In short, I love history and tradition. The biggest thing for me with my ZENEA watch is that I just think it’s cool to have something that’s traditional. It’s a modern watch, but maintains a very unique sense of timelessness.” – John Cowie
About ZENEA Watches
ZENEA Watches was founded in 2019 by Jason Hutton in Toronto. Fascinated by history and our connection to the passage of time, Jason is building ZENEA around the core principle of appreciating every moment.
Designed in Canada, and hand assembled at our Swiss factory, ZENEA timepieces serve as a reminder to take a moment to appreciate the world around you. Manufactured by some of the highest regarded Swiss watch makers, all ZENEA timepieces are built to stand the test of time.
Whether it is for yourself, or a gift for a loved one—With each ZENEA timepiece, we hope to inspire you and your family to appreciate every moment, and the goodness of all people.
