Reply With QuoteTheir shite. Cheap crap with crazy RRPs that are always false and just intended to make you think your getting a bargain.
where do folk buy them? and when you meet someone wearing one, why do they all say "it's worth 1,2,3 grand but i only paid 250 for it"???
are these like a fake version of themselves?
I dont get it. have never seen them in any shops.
anyone care to educate me?
Their shite. Cheap crap with crazy RRPs that are always false and just intended to make you think your getting a bargain.
The sellers pay between £20 and £50 pounds for them . Very cheap, nasty, Chinese made, shite.
Edit
Interestingly (or not) they were made (not currently in production, as there is a warehouse full, which is far too many) in the same factory in Guangzhou who produce the (similar quality but better priced) watches for ingersoll.
Last edited by java; 24th June 2013 at 10:18.
People like to think they're clever, on the inside track, and always get a good deal.Originally Posted by third time lucky
These watches (and similar items) appeal to people's egos more than anything else.
JMO of course.
In order to understand beauty, we must first understand what is not beautiful,
is there anything that is actually right with this watch?
lmao.In order to understand beauty, we must first understand what is not beautiful,
is there anything that is actually right with this watch?
Some things are worth less than nothing. If someone was determined to give me that watch for nothing, I would be happy to pay a reasonable sum of money so they didn't. So IMO that gives it a negative value.
The marketing is designed to make people think they are getting a real bargain. The manufacturer will be making a fair percentage profit even at the 'reduced' price.
As far as the watches go I have never had one so cannot speak as to their quality. They are made in China but a fair percentage of goods I buy these days are made there and most seem ok.
If they charged 50 times more for them then they would be desirable as veblen goods rather than 'bargains'. However, the demographics of the buyers would change. The manufacturer could up the quality a bit but with veblen goods this is not essential. It is the marketing of the quality that is far more important then the actual production cost and quality.
Mitch
No they are just shit. China can make some very high quality watches... there are not them.
The man behind Krug Baumen is a millionaire because of them.
Is it really almost 9 years ago we discussed this? - http://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.php?7819-Watchdog
Meanwhile, there's a warning about most watches here - http://www.ripoffreport.com/r/Timezo...tchparad-95993 - believed to have been posted by Terry Allison.
Eddie
Whole chunks of my life come under the heading "it seemed like a good idea at the time".
If it has a German sounding name, it sure must be quality stuff????
I'll get me coat.
Daddel.
Last edited by Daddelvirks; 24th June 2013 at 12:43.
Got a new watch, divers watch it is, had to drown the bastard to get it!
A little bit unfair, chaps....lmao.
The shade of blue used on the bezel is OK.... and the font used on the numbers could be worse.... the case shape isn't the worst I've ever seen either. And the only one (admittedly it's only one) that I have ever handled was no worse than some of the bottom end Russian stuff I've come across.
Now it's all perception, isn't it? If you think of it as a thirty quid watch it isn't that bad. On the other hand if you are think of it at the stupid RRP quoted then it's a pile of shite. A lot of these watches seem to be sold at about the same price as low end Seiko or Citizen (either of which would be an infinitely better buy, IMHO) but beauty is in the eye of the beholder and you have to concede that there are some very high end watches that are so fugly it hurts (Hublot Big Bang, anyone?).
And given that Klaus Kobec do seem to have original designs then I can understand why they appeal to the non-WIS
who thinks he's getting a bargain.
Rob
What a load of rubbish.
But then again you did say you have never had one and are probably dying to try out the old "veblen goods" phrase so beloved of some.
They would never be desireable as "veblen goods" as they don't have one good point.
I had to change a battery in one once for a poor unfortunate. The "metal" that the case is made of was easily cut into by the case knife. I reckon I could have cut the thing in half with a butter knife.
The quartz movement inside was miniscule (not much bigger than the battery)
You often see them at boot sales and they can just about command 50p, never a pound because the hands are often to be seen rolling around loose inside.
Hilarious crap.
Cheers,
Neil.
Bit harsh as reading what he said I took it as he was speaking for what the average person may see in them rather than someone with a little watch knowledge. People buy them because they see a bargain, they are not the only company to offer huge "Discounts" To con people into thinking they are getting a good deal plus the fact if they are bought online the first chance someone will know how poor they are is when it arrives and is put on the wrist.What a load of rubbish.
But then again you did say you have never had one and are probably dying to try out the old "veblen goods" phrase so beloved of some.
They would never be desireable as "veblen goods" as they don't have one good point.
I had to change a battery in one once for a poor unfortunate. The "metal" that the case is made of was easily cut into by the case knife. I reckon I could have cut the thing in half with a butter knife.
The quartz movement inside was miniscule (not much bigger than the battery)
You often see them at boot sales and they can just about command 50p, never a pound because the hands are often to be seen rolling around loose inside.
Hilarious crap.
I've never handled a Krug Baumen or a Klaus Kobek but I once owned a genuine Claude Valentini.......
Last edited by Dapper; 24th June 2013 at 16:30.
Normally see ads for these in the back of the Newspaper. Highly inflated RRP and then massive discount for loyal 'generic newspaper title' readers.
Can't say I've ever seen one on somebodies wrist but I'm sure many ignorant people get tricked into buying them. By ignorant i don't mean stupid, it's just that some people aren't to know they are buying poor quality rubbish.
I've seen worse looking watches than that Krug-Baumen however it's the quality of the build and movement that is ultimately lacking.
You are suffering from a lack of understanding about the point I was making. The quality of the watch and manufacturing cost has little relation to the cost to the customer.What a load of rubbish.
But then again you did say you have never had one and are probably dying to try out the old "veblen goods" phrase so beloved of some.
They would never be desireable as "veblen goods" as they don't have one good point.
Hilarious crap.
With inessential goods like watches, what matters most to manufacturers is positioning and the marketing strategy.
The companies, like Krug, manufacture watches very very cheaply and sell them moderately cheaply.
They could have chosen the Kobold strategy and manufacture at a pretty average cost but then market and sell them as luxury expensive watches.
Which customer suffered the biggest rip off, the Krug customer with his $75 watch or the Kobold customer with his $5000 watch?
All watch companies main strategy will be positioning and marketing. For most mass producers of watches manufacturing costs are a very very low percentage of final retail and that price is decided by positioning not manufacturing.
Mitch
Yes, that's the main attraction here.
As a bonus, the huge RRP makes them very 'desirable' in certain circles, for a specific type of person.
In this category can also be included a few Swiss brand names that were quite iconic a few decades ago but fell into Chinese hands. Can't remember at this hour any examples, I'll try to add them tomorrow.
I have to confess to owning a Klaus-Kobec. It was a Christmas present years ago before I knew anything about watches. Funnily enough I still wear it very occasionally if I'm wearing a double cuff shirt, because the Navitimer won't fit under a double cuff.
I'll just get my coat then.....
Hah - worked out how to embed!!
I'll still get my coat though....
No. But it's still better looking than many recent Zenith offerings.In order to understand beauty, we must first understand what is not beautiful,
is there anything that is actually right with this watch?
I've never handled a Krug Baumen or a Klaus Kobek but I once owned a genuine Claude Valentini.......
At the risk of losing (what little) credibility I have on here I'm going to admit to owning a Krug Bauman dive watch that I bought in the M3 service station car park whilst commuting from my home in Surrey to Chase Manhattan Bank in Bournemouth. I would like to point out this must have been 1995-ish when I was working down there and long before I got into watches.
It was Tag look alike in "steel" and "gold" with a dark green face and the classic Tag style wavy bracelet. In fact it was a complete clone of a Citizen model available from Argos at the time, only the Krug was a bit cheaper because I bought it from a big dude in the BMW who was returning from a watch fair and needed to off-load some excess stock.
I tried it on in the car park having been shown the brochure telling me it was £499 RRP and after the demo to show you couldn't scratch the sapphire crystal I knew it had to be mine. I was going to look the big sausage with this thing strapped to my wrist, a mere 40 smackers was a small price to pay to join the exclusive club of deep sea diver beaver magnet ... ohhhhhh yes, big sausage beaver magnet was going to be the new me. So purchase it I did
Well after a few weeks I noticed the steel bracelet and case back had shed their "steel" and a yellowy base metal was beginning to show through, soon to turn itself and my wrist a strange shade of green.
It wasn't long before the rash started either, within a matter of weeks the rash had spread and I was now looking like a deep sea beaver sausage with wet leprosy ... in my heart I knew it had to go and I had to return to the hum drum existence of a freelance business analyst, the big sausage dream was over before it had really begun.
To be fair it kept good time though.
I feel better now I've admitted this to all of you, like I've cleansed my WIS soul in some cathartic way.
I once came very close to buying a Klaus Kobec. I hadn't heard of the brand and it looked quite nice in the advert!
Luckily a friend bought one before I ordered and I saw how awful it was.
Respect to you from a fellow mug.At the risk of losing (what little) credibility I have on here I'm going to admit to owning a Krug Bauman dive watch that I bought in the M3 service station car park whilst commuting from my home in Surrey to Chase Manhattan Bank in Bournemouth. I would like to point out this must have been 1995-ish when I was working down there and long before I got into watches.
It was Tag look alike in "steel" and "gold" with a dark green face and the classic Tag style wavy bracelet. In fact it was a complete clone of a Citizen model available from Argos at the time, only the Krug was a bit cheaper because I bought it from a big dude in the BMW who was returning from a watch fair and needed to off-load some excess stock.
I tried it on in the car park having been shown the brochure telling me it was £499 RRP and after the demo to show you couldn't scratch the sapphire crystal I knew it had to be mine. I was going to look the big sausage with this thing strapped to my wrist, a mere 40 smackers was a small price to pay to join the exclusive club of deep sea diver beaver magnet ... ohhhhhh yes, big sausage beaver magnet was going to be the new me. So purchase it I did
Well after a few weeks I noticed the steel bracelet and case back had shed their "steel" and a yellowy base metal was beginning to show through, soon to turn itself and my wrist a strange shade of green.
It wasn't long before the rash started either, within a matter of weeks the rash had spread and I was now looking like a deep sea beaver sausage with wet leprosy ... in my heart I knew it had to go and I had to return to the hum drum existence of a freelance business analyst, the big sausage dream was over before it had really begun.
To be fair it kept good time though.
I feel better now I've admitted this to all of you, like I've cleansed my WIS soul in some cathartic way.
Kudos to for you for being so honest about your experience mate.At the risk of losing (what little) credibility I have on here I'm going to admit to owning a Krug Bauman dive watch that I bought in the M3 service station car park whilst commuting from my home in Surrey to Chase Manhattan Bank in Bournemouth. I would like to point out this must have been 1995-ish when I was working down there and long before I got into watches.
It was Tag look alike in "steel" and "gold" with a dark green face and the classic Tag style wavy bracelet. In fact it was a complete clone of a Citizen model available from Argos at the time, only the Krug was a bit cheaper because I bought it from a big dude in the BMW who was returning from a watch fair and needed to off-load some excess stock.
I tried it on in the car park having been shown the brochure telling me it was £499 RRP and after the demo to show you couldn't scratch the sapphire crystal I knew it had to be mine. I was going to look the big sausage with this thing strapped to my wrist, a mere 40 smackers was a small price to pay to join the exclusive club of deep sea diver beaver magnet ... ohhhhhh yes, big sausage beaver magnet was going to be the new me. So purchase it I did
Well after a few weeks I noticed the steel bracelet and case back had shed their "steel" and a yellowy base metal was beginning to show through, soon to turn itself and my wrist a strange shade of green.
It wasn't long before the rash started either, within a matter of weeks the rash had spread and I was now looking like a deep sea beaver sausage with wet leprosy ... in my heart I knew it had to go and I had to return to the hum drum existence of a freelance business analyst, the big sausage dream was over before it had really begun.
To be fair it kept good time though.
I feel better now I've admitted this to all of you, like I've cleansed my WIS soul in some cathartic way.
I guess hundreds fell into that trap of the salesman in his Beemer retuning from a sales conference thing.
How does such a watch have such a huge network of sellers if there are no proper bonafide bricks and mortar type retailers???
Yep, bought a Krude Boredman back in 1995 for £80 quid.
Guy wanted £150 & I really wasn't sure what it was so some negotiating took place..
Anyway, the wife liked the he dial colour
The watch case has lost most of its plating underneath, but it still works 18 yrs on
Not the best, but surely not so terrible depending on how much you pay...
she still wears it
These are the ones you often see on the inside pages of Newspapers and supplements, aren't they?
They do make me laugh inwardly.
I'm no watch snob - in fact, I love a bit of 'cheap' value (these days, I stick with Casio, Seiko etc. for all that and more) but they really must rope in a lot of hapless souls who think they're getting a quality piece of kit for not much money. To give them their dues, the adverts are pretty well-written and I can see why people are taken in by them.
We've all made mistakes though. About ten years ago - when I liked watches (I always have) - but didn't know so much, I bought one from two guys driving around in a Mercedes in the City, leaning out of the window saying 'over 'ere mate'. £70 or £80 quid for an awful piece of tat that would sell for a pound if you're lucky at a boot sale. You live and learn.
But unless luxury watches are not of the highest quality they will soon lose their place in the market. There is a lot of competition.
Of course manufacturing cost is a small percentage, you only have to look at G-shock to see that.
They have a good reputation as a go anywhere watch, many of them costing around the £100 mark.
In reality what do you get for that?
A piece of plastic and a printed circuit that probably costs Casio a couple of quid to make in China but people are happy to pay for them.
Krug Baumen etc are a ripoff because they (underneath the plating etc) are trying to look like something half decent when they are clearly not.
Cheers,
Neil.
Why do I get an image of Danny Dyer in "the business".We've all made mistakes though. About ten years ago - when I liked watches (I always have) - but didn't know so much, I bought one from two guys driving around in a Mercedes in the City, leaning out of the window saying 'over 'ere mate'. £70 or £80 quid for an awful piece of tat that would sell for a pound if you're lucky at a boot sale. You live and learn.
My meeting with a Krug Baumen salesman was not so genteel, it was in the carpark of Savacentre in Sydenham and he was only driving a BMW.
He did have a well thumbed catalogue and a line in spiel though.
Fortunately I knew what I was looking at.
I wonder how many of those they used to shift in a day?
Cheers,
Neil.
I must confess that after years of not wearing a watch it was a Krug Baumann chrono that got me into wisdom, iirc when I did a battery change it had a miyota inside.
12 years later it's still going strong on the wrist of one of my nieces and the gold plate is still fine, think I paid about £20 on eBay from memory. It looked a bit like a Longines Conquest too!
I did get a brochure with it that gave a list price of about £800 but I knew that was laughable even then. In the pre wis days I thought Sekonda was a quality brand (post ussr) so it shows how much I knew!
Isn't it then? But you can get those from the well known AD 'Elizabeth Duke at Argos', along with other exquisite timepieces by Lorus, Limit and the like.
I think the point is well made though - that many of us have bought watches in the pre WIS days without really knowing what we were doing. I was taken in by the fact the Klaus Kobec was advertised in the Sunday Times (so it must be good, right?), and had 'Swiss Movt.' at the bottom of the dial. Knowing what I know now that probably means 'Movement ripped off from a not very good Swiss one and made in Taiwan if you're lucky'.
Still, it's worth absolutely nothing so there's no point in selling it and, as I said before, it is useful when I'm wanting to wear double cuffs but still have a watch underneath that looks a little bit dressy. Interestingly the plating has held up really well, even in obvious wear points like the (fake) rivet heads on the bezel.
Obviously a quality piece - you're all wrong and I'm going to make millions......... or not.
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