Today, we’re going to be going through a watch that is very much not intended for the adults in the room. Nossir – the Blok 33 is very much intended to get kids used to wearing a watch, and telling time on an analog dial. Perhaps not of interest to everyone, but in my house, I definitely had kids ready to help test this one out.
The first thing to know about the Blok 33 is right in its name – the 33 refers to the 33mm diameter case, perfect for smaller wrists. The next kid-helpful part of the watch is the strap. Though it doesn’t have any stretch (which would be a nice add to the next version), it easy to adjust. It’s a man-made textile strap that adjusts through a single buckle and velcros into place. Easy on, easy sizing, and easy off at the end of the day.
They’ve also made the crown on the Blok 33 in a destro configuration. Meaning, the crown is on the left side of the case. For those who wear a watch on their left wrist, this keeps the crown from digging in. My daughter – who’s a lefty like me – tends to wear stuff on her right wrist (unlike me), and she really did not like the crown hitting her hand. So, for this review, she switched it over to her left wrist.
The other part of the Blok 33 that is kid-friendly in a big way is actually the dial. If you notice, the hour markers are actually slightly off of their indice. This is to give a clear indication of where things go from one hour to the next. For the minutes, those are plainly labelled (on the fives) with a block for each minute. Combine that with the color coding that matches the hand to which number they’re needing to look at, that goes a long way to helping them learn to tell the time.
Also helpful is the bezel on the Blok 33. It’s clicky, and bi-directional. What it’s for is to help them get a sense of some of the standard units of time (5, 10, 15, and 30 minutes). They can easily use it to time something out, and just set the start of the 5-minute marker at the minute hand, and then they’ll know when, say, 15 minutes have elapsed. Not quite the way we’d use a countdown bezel on a dive watch, but again, it’s to get new watch wearers used to the concept.
There are a lot of features on the watch that we liked, and I am all about having kids learn how to tell time on an analog dial. Both the plasticky case and the strap seem well-made, and we didn’t have any issues with it in our time with the watch. Which is good, because at $179, you don’t want it to feel cheaply made, even if it is “just” a kids watch. I mean, it’s got some grown up specs, with the sapphire crystal, ETA quartz movement, and 100m WR rating. Given all that, just make sure you’re getting the color palette your kid likes (there are six different ones), because this should last them a good long time. blokwatches.com
Tech Specs from Blok
- Case: 33mm Swiss bio polymer
- Bezel: Rotating bi-directional with timer function
- Movement: Swiss Made quartz ETA 3 jewel with anti-shock
- Bezel Marquetry: 316L Stainless Steel with contrast fill
- Dial: Embossed brass with pad printed indexes + appliqués
- Hands: Brass dauphine style
- Lens: Scratch resistant sapphire crystal
- Crown: Screw down 316L stainless steel
- Band: 17mm recycled woven polyester / alter-nappa leather liner
- Buckle: 316L stainless steel
- Water Resistance: 10 ATM / 100 metres
- Theoretical Battery life: 10 years
- Accuracy: +/- 10 Seconds Per Month
- Provenance: ‘Swiss Made’
- Warranty: 2 Years
