Alright, folks – it’s time to take another look at a Kobold watch. Why? Because I really dig the looks of the watch, and as we saw in the earlier post I wrote, they offer a lot of watch. Today, we’re going to take a closer look at their Richard E Byrd Chronograph. Now, if you remember your history classes, you’ll recall that Byrd was the first explorer to fly to the South Pole on November 29th, 1929. And this informs some of the design cues for the watch. They’ve made it in an aviator-style, and they label the dial color as Arctic Blue.
It’s that blue dial that first drew me in, especially in contrast to the brown leather of the strap (yeah, it’s crocodile pattern, but I’ll let that slide for now). Another thing I like about the dial is how the subdials (at 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock) aren’t readily noticeable. Sure, that will detract from the readabilty of those subdials, but it allows for a cleaner look.
Along with the good looks of the piece, you get the following:
- K .722 caliber manual-wind mechanical movement (Swiss-made)
- 40mm stainless steel (316L) case with 20mm lugs
- 100m water resistance
- Anti-magnetic / shockproof / pressure proof (10 atm)
- Domed, AR-coated sapphire crystal
- Assembled in PA
Of course, all of that doesn’t come cheaply – Kobold is currently asking $2,750 for the watch. Not a cheap watch by any means – but for an American-made (or at least, designed and assembled) watch with an in-house movement, the pricing seems to be not totally unreasonable. If I were to change anything, it would be that strap – a simple, or more “rustic” style, I think would be more in keeping with the aesthetic they’re going for here.
