Level makes no difference. If you're going to be a crafter in that area then yes, start researching right away. It's a long process.
Keep in mind that special sets that can be made require research of x number of traights per item you're trying to craft. So if the set you want requires 4 traights and you want pants of that set you'll need to have 4 traits (any 4) researched on pants (breeches).
Edit: Each time you research a trait on a particular item the next research on that same type, for example bracers, will take longer. So by the time you have many traights researched on bracers they will start taking days to finish researching.
Also you can put skill points into that crafting skill line that will speed up research and allow you to research multiple items at the same time.