Working in a small bedroom in one of their mother’s houses, the surfers produced a small quantity of the new straps to sell to their friends who were also in the surf and water sports industry and were experiencing the same problem of losing their watches. The designers wanted to ensure that the proposed strap was completely effective and so the straps were trialled and tested by a number of people in a variety of sports before progressing with the project on a larger scale.

The watch straps proved a big success during the testing period and so the two designers felt confident enough to take the product to locations whereby surfing and water sports were highly prominent. Therefore they used the funds raised by the local sales of the watch straps to fund trips to Australia and Hawaii whereby they sold more of the straps to a larger group of people and discovered a more extensive market. What made the strap innovative and popular was the simplicity of its design in relation to how effective it was. It also appealed as the design was funky and very reflective of the surf style trend.

Realising the greater potential of their product outside of surfing and water sports, the designers decided to extend and adapt the product to the snowboarding, skating and mountain biking market. The Animal brand was then officially born and has since become a popular and trendy design-led sports brand.

Animal watches of course incorporate the same Velcro and webbing strap material and are highly renowned in the sports industry, favoured for their functionality, simplicity, high style and affordability. Animal also maintains a strong presence as an overall brand name and regularly gets involved with sports events and sponsors riders in many core sectors such as surfing, snowboarding, windsurfing, mountain biking and kite surfing.

Each Animal watch is tried and tested before its mainstream launch by pro riders from a variety of sports to ensure that it provides maximum endurance and durability in even the most extreme conditions, and continues to function at full capacity. As a result of the brand getting involved in the action and having experts in each sports field, this of course allows first-hand knowledge and the products are tweaked and altered by the Animal pro team according to the feedback and needs of the professional.

The aesthetic designs of Animal watches are representative of the snow, skate and surf style scene with bold vibrant colours and patterns. Aimed at free sports enthusiasts, the watches have a rugged appeal, are fully water resistant and look incredibly striking and funky on the wrist. There is a watch designed for each specific sport but the styles are adaptable and also look great for everyday wear. There are also Animal watch versions specifically for males and females in addition to unisex designs which look equally great on guys and girls. Many Animal watches for females are incredibly pretty and feminine with sleek patterned straps and elegant dials but still boasting the funky Animal edge. Some Animal watches also feature bold and chunky or layered straps, patterned dials and can be described as fashion forward and relevant to current seasonal watch trends but have a unique sporty style that immediately stands out from the crowd.

Animal watches are a perfect example of a watch that was designed to solve a problem and in addition to being your perfect sporting accessory and with trial and testing a major part of the design process, an Animal watch successfully combines function, cool style and affordability.