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One of a kind?
Bam!
Want another reason to like Kobold? The fact that they will let you customize your watch! Just because it's not "as it came from the factory", it doesn't mean they'll confiscate it or force you to restore it to it's original configuration. Plus, no matter what you think about the company, it's great to be able to call them and talk with a familiar person who you can recognize and who will recognize you. The ability to build this relationship is part of what I do enjoy about Kobold Watch Co.
The idea for this started a long while back when I saw Mike (aka bhaladog) post up a "Silver Ice" Kobold Soarway Diver modification that he had done by KWC. Silver Ice Soarway Diver
The Soarway Diver has long been a favorite of mine, so to find out that they produce dial variants that are "off the grid" was really, really exciting for me. After a few email exchanges with Mike, I found out they produced a black MOP dial. Those of you who know me know that I've always been a huge fan of black MOP and wish more watch designs utilized it. Too often, MOP is reserved for women's watches these days. :(
That was over a year ago. I've been through tons of watches since then, but the idea has been incubating. The availability of Kev's Soarway Diver simply set me over the edge, and I picked up on the project where I had left off. I made a few calls and had some great conversations with Brian and Dale at KWC and soon enough, I had a black MOP dial plus a domed Soarway Diver crystal winging their way over to California from across the US.
Well, the parts arrived today, and I immediately brought them to my watchmaker during lunch. An hour later, he was done! Lemme say - this is amazing. Beyond what I even expected. The domed crystal adds nearly as much to the watch as the custom dial does in that it really changes the entire feel of the watch in a subtle but ever-present way.
But the dial - stunning. It's almost grey at some angles and full of color at others. The quality of the dial is very high, with the MOP patterning being very even - indicating that surely some care was taken in selecting the pieces of MOP used to make the dial. It's got a great dial layout with the bold, white KOBOLD lettering. The applied indices work well to keep the dial from feeling cluttered or in-your-face, while the white minute markings along the outer edge of the dial make the original white baton hands a very natural fit.
I'm beyond stoked with this and am SO glad I didn't flip the watch before I had a chance to execute the mods (and believe me - I was THIS close. I had even PM'd a member here who had expressed interest in the watch). The parts cost quite a pretty penny, but how often are you able to, very easily, create a custom-ish watch for yourself?
Unfortunately, the domed crystal and the time of day make it really tough to capture good pictures of the watch, but I'll share what I have. I'll try to catch some better pics tomorrow morning (or the next time I get a nice, overcast day).
Huge thanks to Mike for the enabling and to Brian and Dale at KWC for the good conversations and help.
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