Blok Watch Review
I ordered one for my daughter virtually the first day they came out.
I was absolutely in love with the idea behind the dial layout (the hour 'blocks' are not the the edge of each hour, like every watch in the world, they are centered!) and bezel functionality (5, 10, 15, 30 minute 'blocks') for kids. The all important minute hand is brilliant orange, hour is little shorter dull grey, and the second is a subtle yellow skeleton hand.
So, " we are starting homework in 10 minutes, set your bezel" looks like this:
I should mention - we at first ordered a light blue one. Perhaps owing to getting basically the first one off the production line - the bezel was weirdly stiff after several days with it. Also, our blue model didn't have great legibility of numbers in all light conditions. With these 2 concerns I contacted the head of the company by email....
....and he immediately returned my email and sent off a new yellow model to us. Stellar and responsive customer service. It was the first run and injection molding has some nuance and very tight tolerances, so he was happy to know what needed to be improved. I also requested a smaller band for my daughters crazy skinny wrist, and they decided to create one and add it to the general options list! Sweet!
So, now we have the yellow colorway (my daughter's color preference, it's best to let your kid decide!), small wrist size band. It looks great, is easy to read, and the bezel is nice and clicky, it works perfectly.
Matching shoes is important:
From handling it, I expect this watch to last years, if not decades. Far and away better build quality than normal kids watch.
The case is sturdy. The strap is lined with soft Japanese leather to make it more gentle on kids skin. Sapphire crystal and 100WR - go swim with it. The threaded crown has a red alarm gasket that alerts you when it's unthreaded. Every screw crown should have this feature!! It's a tiny ~34mm watch but I like how it looks on me as well!
My impression is that quite a bit of care and thought went into these watches, in addition to a being brilliant idea about to help kids interpret precious time better. (My scores below reflect the watches price point and the focus of it's design.)
Blok Watch Review
Yes
No
- light and tough
- comfortable
- teaches how time passes better to kids
- fun color and band options
- feels like a more expensive watch
- My early production model had a stiff bezel - it was quickly fixed
- some models might have harder to read numerals
@fieldwalker.watch/ on Instagram. 一期一会 Treasure the unrepeatable nature of a moment. Zen Zaratsu state of mind. ~6” wrist. Explore the ocean and the mountains in my free time.
Thanks for the review! I’ll have to check these out as I’m looking to purchase a watch for my son, but I‘m also considering a Parchie Pal. Any experience with those?
Right on 👍. My son loves both of his.
The strap we’ve swapped out to make it easier for him to put on and because he‘s a very active kiddo. There was quite a bit of thought in their design, I had Neil (CEO of Blok) on to talk about it just shortly after they launched.
https://analogexplorer.substack.com/p/ae-12-blok-watches
Thanks for the great review. Been considering this as Xmas present for my daughter. She‘a got a digital one but she still has trouble understanding the passing of time. I bet this would be helpful!
This looks like a well-thought out design. Nice review!
Thanks for the review! I’ll have to check these out as I’m looking to purchase a watch for my son, but I‘m also considering a Parchie Pal. Any experience with those?
I don’t know the Parchies… so can’t really comment.
I handled some swatches for kids and they felt like 1 month lifespan type of devices.
The Blok company seemed to care in ways I hadn’t heard from other companies.
They wanted the next to skin to be leather from a known safe source. They didn’t lume it since lume at this price point is from China and not trustworthy in regards to its ingredients. Their ethos is that of an overprotective parent - I appreciate that, even if I’m not great at it 😂
I don’t know the Parchies… so can’t really comment.
I handled some swatches for kids and they felt like 1 month lifespan type of devices.
The Blok company seemed to care in ways I hadn’t heard from other companies.
They wanted the next to skin to be leather from a known safe source. They didn’t lume it since lume at this price point is from China and not trustworthy in regards to its ingredients. Their ethos is that of an overprotective parent - I appreciate that, even if I’m not great at it 😂
Thanks for the extra insights…I can certainly appreciate their approach as well. And if you’re concerned about toxic lume and the quality of the leather that’ll touch the wrist of your kid from the watch theyre going to wear, I’d wager that you’re not half bad at being a parent 😆
Thanks for the great review. Been considering this as Xmas present for my daughter. She‘a got a digital one but she still has trouble understanding the passing of time. I bet this would be helpful!
Yes, my daughter was pretty hooked on digital type watches and I wanted her to get off those, at least for her formative years. The incredibly quick passage of 5 minutes is hard for a kid to perceive!
If she goes apple watch when she's 18 then all good. It's analog as long as I'm paying 😉
Great review and thank you for sharing. I'm super intrigued by this watch. Might just buy one for myself!
Great review and thank you for sharing. I'm super intrigued by this watch. Might just buy one for myself!
I sometimes, for fun around the house, wear her watch. It's very cool but even with my broomstick handle thin 6 inch wrist, it looks too small for me. But if you're ok with a 34mm - go for it! Way better than a 180 dollar watch deserves to be.
I’m late to this party but solid review. I’ve heard multiple interviews with the created and it really does sound like he cares about the product and its purpose. 2 weeks on, how does she like it?
I’m late to this party but solid review. I’ve heard multiple interviews with the created and it really does sound like he cares about the product and its purpose. 2 weeks on, how does she like it?
Thanks! Yes, it's part of her daily routine now, wearing it at school or whenever she's out.
And it's been a few months now, since I posted review after she'd already had it for a while. One other side benefit, she now has some interest in watches, and she and I enjoy chatting a bit about watches when we see something horo-interesting 🥰
note blok on wrist:
Thank you for this review, I am looking to get one for my 10 yo daughter, another user @Ichibunz kindly linked me to this review, weirdly I could not find anything on youtube (my go-to) so this is super useful, Thank you.
Thank you for this review, I am looking to get one for my 10 yo daughter, another user @Ichibunz kindly linked me to this review, weirdly I could not find anything on youtube (my go-to) so this is super useful, Thank you.
Not sure why? Nobody care about kids watches I suppose?
Maybe I should start a YouTube channel!!! 😀.... 🤔
I actually bought one of these for my (adult) wife who happens to have tiny wrists and a real problem keeping track of time. So far we both really like it. Build quality is top notch and I expect it will outlive us both. My only critique is the dial needs lume. The timer bezel is great for all sorts of mundane tasks like brewing tea or pacing yourself during presentations. I will definitely be gifting these to all the young nieces and nephews.
I actually bought one of these for my (adult) wife who happens to have tiny wrists and a real problem keeping track of time. So far we both really like it. Build quality is top notch and I expect it will outlive us both. My only critique is the dial needs lume. The timer bezel is great for all sorts of mundane tasks like brewing tea or pacing yourself during presentations. I will definitely be gifting these to all the young nieces and nephews.
100% agree - I chatted with the owner designer on the phone at one point (when I was badgering him to start making smaller straps for my daughter!) and suggested the next gen needed lume.
He was trying to stay with a only 'known suppliers' who he trusted on quality, knowing the product is for kids. The trusted lume he wanted would've boosted the price out of the range people spend for kids watches. But really hope it's added, or offered in a slightly more expensive model.
100% agree - I chatted with the owner designer on the phone at one point (when I was badgering him to start making smaller straps for my daughter!) and suggested the next gen needed lume.
He was trying to stay with a only 'known suppliers' who he trusted on quality, knowing the product is for kids. The trusted lume he wanted would've boosted the price out of the range people spend for kids watches. But really hope it's added, or offered in a slightly more expensive model.
I figured it was a materials safety or cost issue. I messaged the company on Social Media suggesting lume as well. I would gladly pay more for the option but I totally understand their position. As an aside, whoever packaged my watch took the time to set it to my time zone before sending it. That totally made my day.
I’m thinking about getting one of these for my nephew as his first watch for his next birthday. What age do you think this would be good for?
I’m thinking about getting one of these for my nephew as his first watch for his next birthday. What age do you think this would be good for?
Of course depends on the kid - maybe from age 6 to 8 is about right
My girl is now 11 but if there was an good option earlier I’d have bought it a few years earlier
Their new model has lume, but lacks bezel , and I think both models are great quality