Aside from them, it’s just an outstanding watch, and an outstanding first effort from John, the first of many to come, we should all hope. My complaints are very small and very few. I’ll also tell you up front that I’m going to nitpick it a little, because that’s what we watch-nerds do, we pick nits with watches, and find things to complain about, things most people wouldn’t notice. I love it, and I’ll tell you why in a moment. Kickstarter backers also received a set of shield-shaped cufflinks with the Cobra’s logo, and an extra strap. It’s now USD $525 on his website, for either the date or no-date version (the racing stripe versions are sold out). Overall it’s a phenomenal watch, especially considering its price – I paid CAD $409 including shipping to the US on Kickstarter, which equals about USD $375. It felt like an eternity, but it arrived last week, and I have to say it was worth the wait.

In this case it was also combined with the jealous feeling of wishing I had been the designer. I immediately backed the project for one of the no-date, no-racing-stripe versions, reached out to John to introduce myself and wish him luck, went online to blather about the Cobra to anyone who would listen, and then proceeded to wait for my watch to be made and delivered to me. The Cobra stopped me in my tracks, gave me that gooey feeling inside, that “I want” feeling. I was just doing what I frequently do, checking out other watch projects to see what’s hot, and what I’m up against. I found the Cobra de Calibre on Kickstarter. As a typical watch-nerd, I like to analyze the new additions to my collection with all the intense scrutiny of a zoologist cataloguing some previously undiscovered species. I like to own and wear the watches they design. Yes, if John’s launching his own brand, he’ll be my “competitor”, but the truth is I’m friendly with a good number of my competitors. Yes, I own my own watch brand, but I also collect watches. You might want to sit in on one of those school board meetings to see what textbooks he’s recommending – ‘cause they’re the same guy. He’s the guy who designed a PAM-esque watch with a grooved dial, racing stripes, and a tattoo logo – inspired by a similar one on the back of a stripper he dated.

John’s the guy next door, a safe choice to sit on the local school board.īut there’s this other guy, Johnny Lee, and he’s a bit of a wild child. He probably drives a minivan and attends PTA meetings. There’s an accountant in Vancouver, Canada named John Lee. People seem to like ‘em, and so far they’ve all sold well, so while he may be another bum, he’s not a complete idiot when it comes this stuff. Despite no background whatsoever in product design, or any design for that matter, he has pressed on to create five watches, the Riccardo, the Acionna, the Spectre, the Cerberus and the Orthos, with another model to be revealed soon. Today’s Guest Bum, Chris Vail, is the owner and lead designer for Lew & Huey Watch Company ( based in Philadelphia, PA.

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