Recently I funded a Kickstarter project for a dive watch made by a micro brand (Kingsbury). Now that the watch arrived, I wanted to share my experience with the purchase.

First, lets talk specs...

Movement: Seiko NH36
Type: Automatic (24 Jewels)
Features: Day/Date/Hacking
Material: 316L Stainless Steel
Size: 43.5MM
Crystal: Sapphire
Water Resistance: 300M
Bezel: Unidirectional Rotating w/ Ceramic Insert
Lume: Super-Luminova

Now lets look to the price... at the time I joined the kickstarter, it was just in its early stages of backing, so the cost of the watch was $209 USD. At this price the specs looked very tempting, and considering this company has had a few other successfully backed projects in the past, I pulled the trigger.

During the campaign, backers suggested that a blue option be added, and it was. Likewise, as the campaign progressed, the company included more add-on parts such as additional leather, and stainless steel bands (also based on the recommendation of backers, so the company was very responsive). On top of that, for reaching their "stretch goal," Kingsbury included a 7 strap kit for free (4 rubber straps in various colors, 2 leater NATO straps, and 1 nylon NATO strap).

Going all out, I decided to go ahead and purchase the stainless steel and leather band plus a Deployant clasp. All 4 of those pieces were an additional $54, bringing the total cost to $263! As promised, the watch was delivered in July just 2 days behind schedule with all the included bands.

The packaging was very plain and all the straps were just thrown into a box (which for the price I am not concerned about).

Here you can see all of the straps and the watch itself in their packaging.

Here is the whole set that came for the price listed!

First impression is that the watch is very nicely made and with a heavy case. There was a lot of steel there and you can feel it. The brushed finish on the case was executed pretty well too. The engraving on the caseback is crisp and detailed. The crown even tightens to be with the K the correct way. The caseback is not centered, but expected that way.




The color of the watch is blue, but under certain lighting, it has hues of green/turquoise hues. Not terrible, but the blue seems “off” on occasion.

Next, let’s looks at the dial and hands. The dial has nice textured wave patterns, day/date display at 3 o’clock, circular markers at each 5 min mark and various markings at the 3/6/9/12 hour markers. Hands are of the “sword” type variety and quite an interesting sweeping seconds hand. Minimal branding and overall appealing look.

Unfortunate at the 9 o’clock marker, the lume application was a little off and appears uneven. The hands have thin lume application and appear to have thinner levels towards the center. In time that may lead to some of the lume falling out. For an Omega, I’d be down on that kind of QC, but for a $200 watch, I think it’s quite within spec and I won’t be complaining.



The lume is a pleasant light blue super-luminova, but what appears to be thin application does cause it to lose its glow somewhat quickly.

Finally, let’s looks at giant haul of bands this watch came with. NATO straps feel of the normal variety and I cannot comment much as I haven’t used them yet. The rubber straps are thick yet very soft and sit very comfortably on the wrist. I hope that they do not wear out too quickly. Leather strap has built in quick change bars in order not to mess with the leather, so that’s a bonus.



The kit also came with the optional stainless steel bracelets. To my surprise they are not hollow links and have a good amount of heft to them. The finish is nice too. I am a bit let down by the quality of the metal buckle as it’s kinda flimsy and thin. Compared to the rest of the band and the watch itself, it’s not even close in quality. Compared to the price, it’s still alright, and no complaints here.





Overall, I think the watch is a great buy at the price point as long as it holds up to normal use. Few QC issues and minor annoyances, but I wasn’t expecting perfection at this price point. It’ll be a placeholder until I get a better diver, at which point I’ll pass it on (give away) to one of my friends who may have an interest in watches but may not be able to spring for a more expensive version.

 

It looks nice looks like you got a lot of bang for your buck so far. Have you backed any other KS watches I looked at a few that didn’t strike my fancy but I missed that one you have. I’m just curious about the watches longevity. Thanks for that review I gotta look at KS once in a while again

 

This was the first KS watch I've backed. I have backed a few other projects with varying success. The reason I was comfortable with this company is because they had several other previous campaigns that were successful and had timely delivery. Plus, I couldn't find much negative reviews on their previous watches either...although in full disclosure, I found very little of any reviews for them.

I think KS is a valid place to find some micro brands... but I would definitely advise looking at the previous campaigns. If this was Kingsbury's first go round, I wouldnt have pledged. Also, at the end of the day, you may decide that instead of a few micro brand watches, you can save the cash for one established brand. Just depends what you're looking for I guess.