Delugs Ambassador: Paul Blandford @f1ptb

We are pleased to introduce Paul (@f1ptb) from the London as our Delugs Ambassador!

Read on to learn more his favourite watch brand and complication, his hobbies, why he decided to join the Delugs Ambassador Program, and more!

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your background?

Having spent my entire working life doing boring finance stuff in London, I recently moved to Dubai to begin an exciting new adventure. Watch this space!

When and how did you get into watches?

I’ve been collecting watches for over 20 years now! I was originally a car geek before I became a watch geek. I eventually found myself spending more time on the watch sub-forum of a car website than I did on the car forum and that led me to join a UK-based watch forum. Before I knew it, I was down the horological rabbit hole and the rest is history…!

Apart from watches and photography, what are some of your other passions or hobbies?

Cars are most definitely a passion but only having one parking space helps to keep that in check! I’m a huge Formula 1 fan (hence the geeky personal number plate I had in the UK that is the reason behind my Instagram handle). I also love football and will watch pretty much any game that’s on TV, from Champions League to non-league!

What is your favourite watch brand and why?

Anyone who knows me is expecting the answer to be MB&F but I would like to add De Bethune and Urwerk to make my Holy Trinity of Indies! All of these brands are incredibly creative in a way which is so unique to their brand that you instantly know the watch on your wrist could only come from them. Add that to the most important thing for me, which is the connection I have with the people behind each of these brands and I hope it is clear why I absolutely love all three of them!

What is the one watch in your collection you never thought you would own, and why?

Tough question! Pretty much all of my watches have a story that goes with them. It would be easy to say it is the HM9 as that is (and always will be) my absolute grail watch. It was the first MB&F I ever owned and the start of my crazy indie watch journey. Alternatively, it could be the HM6 Final Edition as I genuinely never thought I would ever see one of the eight pieces that were made come up for sale, let alone be able to buy it! Or finally, it could be the UR-105 T-Rex: another piece I never thought I would see in person, let alone be invited by their team to buy the prototype directly from the safe at Urwerk HQ…!

Are there any specific watch complications or features that fascinate you the most?

I am fascinated more by unique watch design and unusual ways of telling the time, rather than a specific complication. Having said that, I am absolutely intrigued by what Stephen McDonnell has been doing in reinventing complications like the perpetual calendar and chronograph to make them better than anything that has ever been done before. I can’t wait to see what he is working on next!

Do you have any daily rituals related to watches?

Not really, although I cannot go out without a watch on my wrist (which I’m sure is not unusual for anyone reading this!) and I do like to set the time at 10:10 (or “smiley face o’clock”) for my photos.

Why did you decide to join the Delugs Ambassador program?

A large number of my watches have very non-standard strap designs (yes - I’m looking at you MB&F!!!) and Ken is an absolute legend when it comes to making bespoke straps at incredibly reasonable prices. We had been exchanging messages for years and it felt like meeting an old friend when we finally met in person at Dubai Watch Week in November 2023. Ken’s passion for making straps mirrors that which I see in the watchmaking of my favourite brands and so it was a complete no-brainer when he asked me if I would like to become an ambassador for the brand!