Apple Watch without iPhone

No, an Apple Watch requires a compatible iPhone for setup, and will not function independently without a paired iPhone.

Francidundi wrote:

Thanks! So I can't set it up with my MacBook air? (sorry I know NOTHING about technology)

No, an Apple Watch requires a compatible iPhone for setup.

You will need an iPhone 6s, SE (1 or 2), 7 or newer, running iOS 13 or newer.

The GPS only Apple Watch can do  Everything  the cellular model can do  as long as  your iPhone is  nearby, where nearby is somewhere in the same 3-4 bedroom home (assuming typical wood frame construction).  And of course when the iPhone is with you when you leave the house.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT205547

But the GPS only totally depends on being able to see the iPhone for many services, especially SMS/MMS texting and phone calls.

The Cellular Apple Watch allows you to leave your iPhone at home while you go for a walk, run, bike ride, etc...

The Cellular Apple Watch shares the iPhone's phone number.  This requires the iPhone cellular carrier to support the Apple Watch.  The iPhone carrier charges a monthly fee for this service.  In the U.S. the fee is $10 per month added to your iPhone bill.

iPhone Cellular Carriers that support the Apple Watch, which models, the radio frequencies each model uses, and the country where they offer service:

https://www.apple.com/watch/cellular

Your carrier Must be listed by name in the above link. NVMO's that piggy back on another carriers network, unless explicitly mentioned, do not support the Apple Watch.

If you pair and setup using someone else's iPhone, then the Apple Watch is going to be using that person's information for the setup. The Apple Watch will receive their messages, if cellular, their phone calls, if GPS their phone calls if they are nearby, their contacts, etc...

Never a good idea to use someone else's iPhone to setup an Apple Watch.

You have to use a iPhone to set up an Apple Watch. Maybe you can use a family member’s.