Reply With QuoteMy 2p? Keep the Sub, and if you need a chrono then buy a Sinn or Damasko. If the issue is the bezel, only Damasko will do.You will, of course, recieve much differing opinion to this! :)
Hi folks,
been considering selling off my Sub 14060 to get something else. came across Kobold in particularly this bad boy..
The Phantom steel PVD model. It looks very intimidating and dare i say unique. Price is a bit much...but want to learn more about this watch.
Any info greatly appreciated.
My 2p? Keep the Sub, and if you need a chrono then buy a Sinn or Damasko. If the issue is the bezel, only Damasko will do.You will, of course, recieve much differing opinion to this! :)
F.T.F.A.
+1 Don't bother with a Kobold, there are a lot more interesting watches out there for less money, IMHO. Guinand for example.
cheers
Mark
WAY overpriced new IMO, if you must have one buy it lightly used for half price or less.
Well, that's what i did with the Seal i had, and even then only kept it for about 2 months as it was seriously lacking in character.
:)
To echo comments - way overpriced new.
Keep the sub - look to Sinn and others for a decent chrono at a better price :wink:
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
Keep the Sub. You would miss it. Sinn/Damasko recommended. There is/was a nice Bremont on the SC as I recall.
Dave
Overpriced and overengineered. Done by Fricker in Germany, ex-Eddie supplier. I have a Kobold Seal, and man I am a very happy owner although I recognised I paid way too much. So....do what you feel and you cannot be wrong. But if I have to choose between my Kobold or my Rolex....the Kobold looses by far...
I forget the exact timeline, but Mike Kobold started making watches around 2002 (give or take a couple of years) while still in university (OK, he assembled some from NOS and overstock parts and cases himself, and later commissioned others to make them up as well - as do many others, so no stone throwing) and he sold them practically door to door for a 2-3 years (along with very personalized service). He was known for making affordable Real-Man's tool watches. He was much thought of by policemen and firefighters, and priced his watches to be affordable to them (<$600). His watches were ROUGHLY equivalent to Bell & Ross and Ollech & Wjas at the time, and his work was much talked about on the MWR forum. Then about 4 years ago, not long after he graduated university (I believe with a business degree), his prices went up about 300-400%... for the same basic watches. It was much talked about at the time http://www.tz-uk.com/forum/viewtopic...&hilit=+kobold; about how he sold out, didn't care for he base supporters, etc. Haven't followed him much since, as there is no way I could afford one of his watches now. Wish I had got one when I could. :(
Oh yeah. That's right... they were the equivalent of Bell & Ross, O&W, and Sinn also.
New? overpriced outside the US and overpriced in the US ,decent watches but nothing special you would be better of with Sinn or UTS IMO at less money.Preowned appear on a regular basis on WUS sales forum but of course you have to take into account shipping,taxes and exchange rate :roll:
They gained a good following and i believe the company still have a decent rep on back up and "tweaking" but as i said outside the US you will literally pay a price.
Martin
I FEEL LIKE I'M DIAGONALLY PARKED IN A PARALLEL UNIVERSE
Kobold watches are like an old girlfriend who I keep going back to after straying with other brands :D Whatever the reason is, I seem to like them a lot. Perhaps they all have a nice rack, or something. :twisted:
I thought the Phantom was my 'grail', one I always liked the look of, wanted to bust in doors with it on (per the blurb on the website) and I bought a busted up head on ebay for a reasonable price:
Sent it to Kobold and they fixed up the movement for a tidy sum :D In the meanwhile purchased a $1000 matching bracelet at less than half price and they were ready for a relationship:
Then I sold it for a small profit. No grail there. Although a great watch, I somehow decided I don't want a chrono :roll: Again.
Decided I wanted a slim Kobold, very plain basic watch and I got this movado looking thing, the original soarway - liked it a lot too, but had to move it too(although I did see one posted the other day with a phantom bezel and insert that was very handsome!). Sold this at break even, after fees and postage, as I think I purchased a few hundred too high, but I felt the vibe at the time and had to do it :twisted:
Received this one in a a trade a while ago - the hands were different than the other PS's and I loved the quality of this one, although the titanium made it feel like it was a toy. This one holds my record for the highest price I've sold a watch for and I made a very nice profit on it. :D
Endurance II - another beauty and well made watch and very accurate but couldn't live with a blue bezel so got a black phantom count down insert and it made this watch rock. But I keep forgetting I don't like chronos all that much. :twisted: This is like getting involved with a hot babe, getting her breast implants for an upgrade and then dumping her. Nice profit on this one too. Makes me sound like a pimp :lol:
Seal - my first Kobold girlfriend with a dodgy past - did she or did she not have a date wheel under that face? Who GAS? Had this one for a while and sold when I purchased a 14060M, so I can address the actual question above - Kobold or Rolex - well, they're different watches and the comparison was a $1250 watch versus a $3500 watch new. You can compare but you can't. Like a 20 year old girlfriend who's coming of age and an equally beautiful 27 year hottie who has matured - same function, same parts, big difference and nothing wrong with either.
I have this photo in my account, but I don't think it's mine - so thanks in advance to whoever took it. :wink:
So, Kobolds are very good watches. I like 'em. New prices are ridiculous but they are the only brand I have purchased used, and consistenly made a profit on - the longer you keep a used one, the more likely the profit will be since the retail goes up regularly. You cannot say that for too many other brands. They are a joy to wear, the super ridiculous priced bracelets are very nice (kind of like the DN bracelet). I find myself looking at this bad boy too:
Saw one for about $2200 the other day and was sorely tempted, but I do have another watch I've committed to, so one day, I will do that chickie. I think if it came with a bracelet, I'd jump on it quickly. Buy one used and see what you think. The customer service, which is often touted, really is very good as the company remains very small still. You can also then post with the other 'people' on the Kobold forum on WUS and become super cool. :twisted:
The only real complaint I have about Kobolds is the polished bezels and other parts for what are tool watches - give me a break and give me some sandpaper and the problem goes away - e.g. Seal, Soarway.
If they were around at the time, he'd wear a Kobold:
:thumbleft:
Keep the SUB!!!!!!
I have a Kobold Phantom for sale, excellent condition, still have all original box & papers signed by Michael + extra Straps. Email me if interested dick@richardhead.com
.
This is the 3rd "for sale" I've seen on the main forum over the last few days ... so much for the 50 rule. :roll:
At least they find the proper threads to post them in. :P
john
THIN is the new BLACK
Always regret not buying a Kobold when they were resonably priced. Now if I spent that sort of cash I would be in Rolex territory and I do want a white dial EXPII.
Solid watches, heinously overpriced though new.
Owner is a bit of a pompous ass as well.
Mall ninja type with uber rich parents backing him up.
Hello Raydin i must admit i like some of Kobold's products but not at the prices they are selling them for plus His designs are copies of Sinn and other manufacturers.Happy hunting!
Seem overpriced to me. :?
Theres a bun fight over on WUS about the Prometheus chrono being identical to the Kobold Phantom
Is there any connection between Sinn and Kobold?
Lots of their watches look amazingly similar...
Is Kobold selling rebranded Sinn OEM'd watches?
M.
No.Originally Posted by snowman
No connection at all?
M.
If there isn't now, there was, much in the same way Sinn helped out B&R early on.
I've often wanted to compare your Arktis to my Polar Surveyour but it's probably just the dial colour and 7750 ebauche in common!
Last edited by DB9yeti; 7th April 2016 at 14:26.
Plenty of uninformed opinions here.
One truth though- overpriced when bought new.
Having said that, Kobold Seal is one of my five all time favorite watches.
If there is such a thing as a tool watch, this is it.
It is not a replacement for a Submariner, however.
Research the brand and the model. Plenty of information out there. Asking the question here, gives you a skewed opinion.
On a side note, I knew that a Kobold post will draw Sijoc out.
- - - Updated - - -
Nope.
Interesting, I didn't know it was a contentious subject - I thought it might be a simple 'Yes'
Yes, Lewis, your Kobold's similarity to my Arktis (and/or vice versa) is striking. The one on SC looks very like another Sinn too, which got me thinking.
I'll do some investigation, thanks.
M
That was directed at OP.Interesting, I didn't know it was a contentious subject - I thought it might be a simple 'Yes'
Yes, Lewis, your Kobold's similarity to my Arktis (and/or vice versa) is striking. The one on SC looks very like another Sinn too, which got me thinking.
I'll do some investigation, thanks.
M
I understand that the Kobold Phantom and the Polar Surveyour have some similarities to Sinn,visually.
I would say that the Polar Surveyour is a better watch than the Sinn Arktis.
There is a German connection somewhere.
Last edited by RAJEN; 7th April 2016 at 14:41.
Fricker cases, at least at first and the exact dial from the Sinn 103 has appeared on both O&W stuff as well as Kobold.
That's why I though they may have shared dials and cases, at least back in the day.
O & W,yes. Kobold, I don't think so.
I think it was Chinnock's sales thread here that got me thinking;
http://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.ph...ghlight=Kobold
Now I look at the PS in more detail I can see it's a higher spec in some respects (GMT complication and applied numbers, for example).
M.
Kobolds 1st series were rebadged Sinns ie Kobold 323 was a Sinn 156 etc..
From Mike Kobold homself:
I fell in love with mechanical watches when I was 12 and by the time I was 16 I had decided to work in the watch industry. So I thought the best way to start was by getting an internship at one of the watch companies. After getting rejected by most companies, I had little hope that my favorite watch company, Chronoswiss, would even consider my request. To my surprise, its founder -Gerd Ruediger Lang- contacted me and agreed to meet me. Soon thereafter, I found myself learning from one of the best in the industry. Mr. Lang and I became friends. One day, he said, there would be Kobold watches, which is something I couldn't even envision then. It certainly had never been my desire to start a watch company of my own. A few years later, when I was ready, I got in touch with another industry legend, Helmut Sinn. It was he who helped me assemble the first collection of Kobold chronographs.
Actually, that's true about the 323 which was a small run.
Have always wanted one.
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