Kobold Watch Opinions?

[leopardprey]

Anyone own a Kobold or have opinions. One of the few mechanical watches assembled in USA. Seems like they are real tool watches, kind of like old school Rolex. Unique company. Owned by a 27 year old. Only make 2500 watches per year, and 85% of sales are done through their web page.

[JAD3703]

Originally Posted by leopardprey

Anyone own a Kobold or have opinions. One of the few mechanical watches assembled in USA. Seems like they are real tool watches, kind of like old school Rolex. Unique company. Owned by a 27 year old. Only make 2500 watches per year, and 85% of sales are done through their web page.

Chad,

I've owned two Kobolds - one was a SS Seal Soarway Diver (the big monster) and the other was a Endurance II Chronograph.

Build quality, workmanship and materials / components used are all excellent. I found both watches to be exceptionally acurate and reliable. They hold their value relatively well (I sold the E II for within $200.00 of what I paid for it, a year after I bought it). Same thing for the Seal - I sold it for over 85% of what I bought it for, three plus years later, even though I'd beaten the snot out of it.

As for the customer service, it is simply outstanding. Personable, responsive and always there. As often as not, I would be speaking with Michael Kobold via e-mail or phone (not that I ever had any major problems with either - just buying additional stuff, talking watches / new models coming out, etc). Between Michael, Dan (the Manager) and Ed (the on-site watchmaker), they are all excellent and provide a level of customer service that I have not experienced before or since.

With all of the above, you're probably wondering why I sold them? Well, I found the Seal became too uncomfortable to wear on the SS bracelet for extended periods of time - it is a monster in terms of weight and thickness (height on the wrist). And the EII was simply another Valjoux 7750 movement chronograph - very nicelt executed but I love my Omega SMP 300 Chrono Diver more. Finally, they are shifting to a much more retailed oriented price model, so their watches are much more expensive these days (although you can still find decent deals on various watch forums once in a while).

I'd highly recommend Kobold at a decent price point - they are exceptionally well made and backed watches.

Hope I've covered everything. If you have any other questions, let me know.

Regards,

James

[Robb]

Anyone have a link for them? I wouldnt mind checking them out.

[JAD3703]

http://www.koboldwatch.com/

Good watches, great people. Just a bit over-priced now with their latest price increases. Still a great value second-hand, though.

James

[leopardprey]

http://www.inc.com/magazine/20070501...el-kobold.html

Good article to read about the company and the founder.

[Jedi]

i must say, the tactical smg-1 limited edition is kinda cool... very robust... nice price tag too!! USD5000+

[timebroker]

Friend was looking to buy one because of the sturdiness but eventually bought an IWC, not because they are better or anything like that only because he found a limited edition IWC.
He only buys what he knows is good quality so ...

[kakalika]

I love Kobold. I sent an email to the owner and CEO, Michael Kobold, asking if he could build an SMG-1 to my specification, I wanted the date window at the 3 O'clock position instead of the standard 4 O'clock position. Michael replied my email saying "sure, they can make a custom model for me"!!. Try communicating with Rolex and asking them to change something on one of their watches for you.

[JAD3703]

kakalika,

Yep, that's the one thing that I always appreciated about the Kobold Watch Company, and more specifically, about Michael and Dan. They really want you as the customer to have the best experience possible, and to be completely satisfied with both the watch as well as the company as a whole.

James

[Jedi]

Were they going to charge any extra overs for the customisation??

Weirdly I'm thinking between a Kobold or Seiko for my next piece... with the Explorer I lurking somewhere in the background...

[kakalika]

Originally Posted by JediSubExII

Were they going to charge any extra overs for the customisation??

Weirdly I'm thinking between a Kobold or Seiko for my next piece... with the Explorer I lurking somewhere in the background...

Oh yes, he wanted an extra $500 to modify the dial to my specs.

[Jedi]

Thanks for the info kakalika...

Could be just the ticket for a present for my folks...