How I Accidentally Fell Into Watches (Yes, I Didn't Know What I Was Buying Either)
I first started wearing a watch at the start of Year 6. It was a battered Fitbit Charge 2 that I bought because my rugby team had started doing Parkruns. To be fair, it did exactly what I needed at the time - small enough for my wrist, simple, and practically indestructible. I wasn’t particularly good at the running side of things; I am a prop for a reason, but it just worked, and I’m pretty sure it’s still in a drawer somewhere. To be honest, it’s probably right next to my second watch, as in Year 7, I bought an Apple Watch Series 2, and honestly, I really liked it. It was brilliant, messaging friends in class without teachers noticing, playing Pong and other games when I should’ve been paying attention… it did everything, well apart from helping me to learn. But, looking back, I wasn’t really wearing a watch - I was wearing a screen, and sure, there are some days I miss small features, but then I just reach for my phone instead. To be honest, whilst smart-watches are brilliant for some people, they just don’t work for me. After the initial novelty wore off, I didn’t really use them for anything other than the time. Surprisingly though, my transition into ‘proper’ watches started by complete accident.
At 15, YouTube recommended I watch a review from Ben's Watch Club - definitely a channel worth checking out if you haven’t already. At the time, I was into cars, history, planes, trains, and although that hasn’t changed, the YouTube algorithm, in all its wisdom, connected all of that to watches, adding yet another interest to the list! The review in question was about a watch from AVI-8 - a brand built around aviation-inspired designs, so naturally I was immediately drawn in.
(Click the image for a link to his video)
Whilst I don’t particularly remember watching the video, I can clearly recall seeing the picture of the watch in the thumbnail. Having watched the video again recently, I can see why I was so captivated; some stylish camera angles, honest opinions and well, the watch, at least for me, speaks for itself. The review was for an AVI-8 Flyboy Engineer Automatic, and, apart from all the aviation-inspired details, the watch itself had one main thing that drew me in; a watch face that faded from black into blue with a textured finish inspired by the dials in an aircraft cockpit. Honestly, with the watch in front of me now, I still love it just as much as the day I bought it. Sure, it may be clouded in nostalgia and memories, having travelled with me to two different continents and survived both snowboarding (I can hear the skiers booing) and a rainforest, but that’s the thing, that’s what a good watch does for you.
Strangely, though, the Flyboy is actually my second ‘proper watch’, as I was unable to purchase the exact watch I saw in the video. Like many smaller brands, AVI-8 produces watches in limited runs, and they had already sold out. Luckily, I ended up finding one on eBay months later (and for a bargain price too!). However, that’s not where AVI-8 disappears from the story; what Ben had done so well in his review was sell me on the brand. I fell in love with another AVI-8, the Spitfire. My pick of the range, all named after significant places in the plane's development, was the Birmingham variant with a navy dial and leather strap (yes, my favourite colour is blue if you hadn’t already guessed). It wasn’t anything groundbreaking or wildly expensive for what it was, but it was a well-rounded daily watch that I still wear all these years later.
At this relatively early stage in my watch journey, I remember hearing terms such as sapphire crystal and automatic movement and thinking they sounded impressive, without really knowing what they meant. I just knew I liked how it looked and the idea of it not having the constant ticking of quartz hands. I hoped I was making the right choice. Thankfully, I was lucky, and both watches have been flawless despite not having been serviced (whoops!). But, as I found, the problem for most first-time buyers is that, much like when buying a car, you can end up overwhelmed quickly by opinions, flashy colours, endless specifications, and far too many options.
Had I not spent many hours researching during the years since buying that watch, I’d still not know what any of it means, especially what it means for daily wear. So, that's where the idea for “The First Watch” came from. I was sick of watching the same old content that never quite explained what I wanted to know. What do the statistics they quote mean when it comes to actually wearing and using the watch? How will I know if it will suit me? Would I actually wear it? This is what we do. Through our blog posts, courses, memberships, and plenty more, we will help you explore and, most importantly, understand the world of watches by answering your questions and building a watch community.
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