Mk II Kingston Connery Bond Homage Watch Is Here!
Donald Grant
U.S.A.Posts: 2,241Quartermasters
Well it finally came. Although I like to live with a watch for a while before I write a review, I can tell you that I'm well pleased with the Kingston. It feels solid and is quite heavy. But enough talk, here are pictures of my Swiss Made Kingston with C3 lume and Connery/6200 style bezel configuration. Enjoy!
DG
DG
So, what sharp little eyes you've got...wait till you get to my teeth.
"People sleep peacefully in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." Richard Grenier after George Orwell, Washington Times 1993.
"People sleep peacefully in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." Richard Grenier after George Orwell, Washington Times 1993.
Comments
That's excellent. Can't wait to see pictures!
DG
"People sleep peacefully in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." Richard Grenier after George Orwell, Washington Times 1993.
looks well cool DG -{
cant wait to see yours to Kan
Thanks, it's a great quality piece with some improvements on the original as per MK II marching orders. Well I have to go now. Must conduct a raid on on a heroin mill disguised as a tank farm. Mr Ramairez and his heroin flavored bananas has to be deep sixed ASAP! The Kingston is coming with me. Now where the hell did I put my white dinner jacket and dry suit?
DG
"People sleep peacefully in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." Richard Grenier after George Orwell, Washington Times 1993.
congrats to your brand new toy.
Looks really tempting and I can feel your excitement about it (purchased a SubC 2 weeks ago and am still on honeymoon with it - regardless to it's faults).
You know, that I am very stubborn when it comes to non-original watches and I'd like to hear your opinion regarding this - particularly as you are having the real deal.
Enjoy your watch and hope, that Kan receives his one very soon, too
Dalton - the weak and weepy Bond!
Jimmybondi
You have a good eye Superado. The Kingston is slightly larger and perhaps a tad bit heavier than the 6538. If I remember correctly, the Kingston is 39mm vs 38mm for the Rolex. I must say the Kingston has a quality feel to it and so far it's been bang on time. Very choice! I know some people poo poo homage watches, but the watch industry is rife with even the biggest manufacturers knocking off watches. Didn't Tag Heuer knock off the Submariner with it's diver? Just saying.
I'm very proud to wear the MK II Kingston. To me it represents quality. Also, I'm happy to be one of many who helped nurture the brand from watch modder to full bore manufacturer by buying its products. The Kingston is my third MK II piece, but it surely won't be my last.
DG
"People sleep peacefully in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." Richard Grenier after George Orwell, Washington Times 1993.
I am still a bit concerned about the Kingston - and Dell Deaton will slice me/us in pieces for this - I have been one of the plank owners, too.
My opinion about this watch is as follows:
I dislike fake watches mostly for the following reasons:
1. cheating
2. the people behind the business (Mafia)
3. quality
4. lack of creativity
1. Most people state, that their knock-off is "only for me" and that they have no intention to cheat others. If you look at the watch fora and ebay, these are full with fake watches "belonged to my grandfather, father, co-worker, friend who owes me money etc. . So at the end of the day, these fakes end up with people, who intend to cheat others or don't know, that they are trying to pass off a fake as a genuine item. Because of this, any (e.g. Rolex, Omega) branded copy is a no-go for me.
The Kingston does not fall under this category as it's not Rolex-Branded.
2. MK II is an established company now and we all can see from the open forum, that Bill and his crew are very open to customer's needs, questions and suggestions. IMHO, they are not after the last $$, they are trying to make their products as well as possible and their prices are hard to beat if you have a look at their quality.
Totally different to these organized criminal circles in Asia, who organize the making and distribution of fake watches.
3. MK II watches are Swiss made or assembled in the US and they did several improvements over the 6538 so far: I just recall the saphire crystal, the better case material and I am sure, that a modern ETA movement can beat any 50yo Rolex movement in almost every regard.
If Bill had access to real Rolex movements, I have no doubts, that he would have been tried to get them built in for a reasonable price
4. I have to admit, that I don't find MK II's Kingston watch design very creative. You have said it so: Many brands have a long history in going after the SUB design and we are not only talking about TAG. I can even see some SUB DNS on vintage Omega Divers and even the SMP has many Sub Elements.
But I stay with it: I don't find the Kingston design very creative, but if Bill would have been more creative in terms of design, the entire Kingston project would be useless.
Summary: Yes, the Kingston is copying the Sub design but they have tried to be better than the original in many aspects. They don't try to cheat people and they don't serve fake people as a fake status symbol because they carry their own brand on the dial and on the case.
The Kingstons are Swiss made and the owners are involving their customers during the design process. Every step is carefully considered, the assemblage is done with great care and you can expect a quality watch for an unbeaten price.
The raised funds don't support shady things and it's good to get a James Bond spirited watch for a fraction of the US$ 30-50k bill, when buying a real 6538 - if you are able to get one at all.
I am looking forwards to receive my watch soon (but still have a small dark cloud around my head for the copy thing) and am happy for those, who already have.
-{ -{ -{
Enjoy the Kingstons
Dalton - the weak and weepy Bond!
The MK II logo is very discrete particularly in gilt print. It's a very subtle, understated watch that ticks all the Bond boxes without a fake logo. Moreover, it has the feel of quality and the double dome saphire crystal and ratcheted bezel is an improvement over the acrylic tropic 17/19 crystal and the friction bent wire affair of the original bezel. Don't get me wrong, I love my Rolex big crowns, but the MK II is a sweet piece.
I was recently at my watchmaker's shop. My watchmaker worked as a supervisor in one of the Rolex service departments for over twenty years, and services Rolex, but can work on just about anything ticking. He treats me like a son. Anyway, while there I was looking through some of his old watches and was struck by how many different brands knocked off the Submariner in the 50's and 60's. It's old news. According to him, Rolex was not even always a top brand. LeCoultre, Omega and perhaps one other were, but the top companies went to production side of things particularly during the quartz revolution. In essence, selling a lot of watches for a cheaper price. Rolex never did this and always re-invested its earnings with a good portion going to marketing. Think tennis, golf, racing etc.
According to my watchmaker, Rolex is being overtaken today by other brands like Omega. Why? Primarily becuase Rolex does not change much. A Submariner from the 70's pretty much looks like a Submariner of today despite the bigger case re-design. Maybe, but I do know that people like commercial divers who in the past bought the the Submariner as a real tool watch would be crazy to do that now. With the recent price increase, it has to be almost in the $10,000.00 arena. For an entry level tool watch? That dog don't hunt! Perhaps they'll still buy it, but not to dive in. The Suunto* would probably be a better choice.
Nevertheless, I will say that if Rolex did it's own homage of the big crown like they did with the Tudor homeplate chronographs and sold it at a reasonable price, they'd sell a boat load of them. We can only hope.
In the mean time fellow plank owner, enjoy the MK II Kingston, a watch that lovingly pays homage to the Rolex big crown of old while keeping its own identity.
DG
Edit: *Suunto watches are made in Finland and are used extensively by the Military and Law Enforcement. The Suunto Elementum Aqua costs between $899.99 and $1,199.99 depending on case construction. It does the following:
"The Aqua dive watch knows when you enter the water, automatically calculating dive data once in a water level of .6 meters/2 ft. Dive logs start and stop recording data at 1.2 meters/4 ft.
During a dive, the Aqua calculates real-time and maximum depth. The Aqua also tracks water temperature and dive time once you descend to 1.2 meters. Keep bragging rights with logs of your last 14 dives.
Once you surface, the Aqua counts down up to 48 hours surface time, letting you know when it's safe to return to the water.
The Aqua's features are best suited to free-diving, though any diver benefits from the watch's distinguished features."
"People sleep peacefully in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." Richard Grenier after George Orwell, Washington Times 1993.
Each to his own, Bondtoys and Sir Miles.
Sir Miles, you said one of my very favourite words in your last post..........LeCoultre.
Sir Miles? I'll take that as a big compliment. A great promotion!
DG
"People sleep peacefully in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." Richard Grenier after George Orwell, Washington Times 1993.
Did I really do that?
I really did do that didn't I.
Sorry.
Fiddlesticks. That was meant to be a complimentary post. I'm very sorry.
I'd just read Sir Miles ticking off Richard--W, and I always turn into a bit of an fluffbrain when pretty watches are on the table.
Sincearly, sorry. That was extremely rude of me.
From now on I will address you as Sir Donald Grant.
Don't think anything of it friend and you certainly don't have to call me Sir. It's indeed an honor to be mistaken for Sir Miles if only for a short while. A very knowledgeable fellow he is.
DG
"People sleep peacefully in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." Richard Grenier after George Orwell, Washington Times 1993.
Dalton - the weak and weepy Bond!
DG - Can you take a similar shot with the Rolex? The Kingston looks big on that Bond strap. The Rolex seems small in comparison in the Goldfinger and Thunderball scenes. Does the Kingston move around on the strap because of the size and weight? I'm going to do the original Bond style without the keeper strap too.
$10,000 for a standard Rolex Submariner these days! That seems too high. I thought they were in the $5,000 range. I think the new Omega Seamaster is around $3,000. The liquidmetal versions are a bit higher but will probably come down a bit as the liquidmetal technique might be applied to all Seamasters.
I'll look up Sunto, I think I heard of them but can't remember. But Rolex would have my money if they made a retro homage big crown Submariner. They might do it eventually with the homage watch they have coming out with the orange hand. I can't remember the name of the watch now.
Thanks for the Kingston pics. I'm still a ways off for mine.
The non-Date Sub (old model, old bracelet) will be at around US$ 6.300,-- then.
Dalton - the weak and weepy Bond!
Here is a shot I borrowed from another thread. It's my 5510 witch shares the same basic case as the 6538 although with different internal dimensions for the later 15XX movement. The strap chosen is an 18mm worn on both the Kingston and the Rolex with 20mm lugs. It's the so called "understrapper" look that Connery used on his big crown Sub. However some have speculated that the strap Connery wore was actualy 16mm between 20mm lugs.
Edit: No the Kingston does not move around a lot. You should be able to fit a finger between the band and the wrist.
Orange hand? That sounds like a homage to the so called "Steve McQueen" 1655 Explorer II.
DG
"People sleep peacefully in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." Richard Grenier after George Orwell, Washington Times 1993.
Yes, on the other hand he rates QoS so it all balances out.
So how much does this reproduction model cost? Also, I take it it's no longer available. (Sorry, late to the party.)
Roger Moore 1927-2017
DG
"People sleep peacefully in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." Richard Grenier after George Orwell, Washington Times 1993.
Thank you DG!!!
DG
"People sleep peacefully in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." Richard Grenier after George Orwell, Washington Times 1993.
DG - Are you going to do a review with a Rolex comparison? I always wanted the vintage Rolex but the cost, older materials, and age put me off of it. I wanted a watch I could always wear and not worry about damaging. Although, I still don't completely get the idea of the tool watch. Because if I'm going to do something with a high chance of watch damage (paint, motorcycle ride/repair, etc). I just take off the watch.
Oh and I remembered about the Suunto. Found out about it while attempting to find what watch the really hot Agent Kensi Blye wears on NCIS LA. Although, she wears another brand.
Yes, I do intend to write a review of the MK II Kingston. However, I have to put it through its paces and live with it a while before I put pen to paper, or rather finger to keyboard. I can say that the Kingston is, as a young turk with whom I work said to me regarding a new pair of semi-custom boots that I recently got, FTD.
Translation: Fresh To Death.
The Kingston is definitely Fresh To Death! Not my words, but it fits the Kingston to a T.
DG
"People sleep peacefully in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." Richard Grenier after George Orwell, Washington Times 1993.
Grant, so you own a 6538? That is an amazing feat in itself. I long to see one in person. What a gem and what an awesome thing to be able to have both the Kingston and the 6538 in your hands. I am very excited to read your full review on it. Include some more shots of the two together. Its just great to see.
I think my only complaint so far is the size of the blip on the bezel. Not sure why it is so small and I wish it had more dimension to it. VERY small issue there. I really go love it.