You don’t often see watches like this in pairs, but up on eBay for sale are a couple of 18k gold Kobold Polar Surveyor watches. One is all gold with the lovely metallic blue Kobold face, and other other is gold with a alligator strap and a black face. The bands are obviously interchangeable. Kobold watches are rare in the watch world for being an American company. Based out of Philadelphia, they use mostly swiss components are designed to be very rugged and functional. Knowing their upmarket appeal, Kobold does offer some of its pieces in gold as these two are.

A Kobold watch is meant to be fully functional and reliable and deep depths, and very cold temperatures. Their base Valjoux 7750 movements have been modified to include a AM/PM indication. The reason for this is that when you are exploring the arctic poles, the day and nights can be very long (months on end). When this occurs, you do not have the luxury of the day/night phase to know what time it is. Thus the AM/PM indicator provides the information that the normal 12 hour watch cannot. The base Valjoux 7750 is there in it’s full glory. A very reliable movement that includes a 12 hour chronograph for measuring a variety time elapsations.

At first glance, the Kobold Polar Surveyor is not much more than another time tool. Although closer inspection reveals a weighty and substantial element of design and class. A watch like this will look good in 100 years, along with watches like Rolex and Patek Phillipe. Many “showy” watches these dates will look dated quickly, but a watch like this never goes out of style. The idea is the simplistic functionality. When you merely polish what already works well, you enter the realm of “classic design.” Don’t get me wrong, I love innovative looks, but they often suffer from looking dated quickly. Something that looks familiar when you look at it is a design goal many strive for and fail. When you look at the Kobold, you know it instantly. You know what it does, and that it fits with anything you wear. This is a timeless piece of functional art.

These two watches together are being offered starting at over $17k. Which yes, Is a lot of money, but considering that is less than a quarter of what they would if purchased together from a retailer, it is a great deal. Coming together in a dual display box, you have watches that can be worn for any occasion. My personal preference would be to switch the bands, as I love the black on all gold look, and the brown alligator strap looks very nice complimented with the shimmering arctic blue.

To view these handsome pieces check out the Kobold Polar Surveyors on eBay here. koboldwatch.com