HISTORY
1995
Michael Kobold begins working with master watchmaker Gerd-R. Lang, founder of Chronoswiss (Munich, Germany).
1997
Gerd-R. Lang has an idea: sell rugged sports watches under the brand name Kobold.
1998
Kobold begins collaboration with Helmut Sinn to produce the first series of Kobold watches.
Kobold becomes the first watch brand to sell its watches directly over the Internet.
1999
With the guidance of Carnegie Mellon University entrepreneurship professor Jack Roseman, the Kobold brand is trademarked and the company formally incorporated.
2000
Work begins on the design of a unique watch case, later named the Soarway case. The Soarway case is designed by Michael Kobold with the help of Gerd-R. Lang and the explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes.
2002
Release of the Phantom Chronograph, the first watch featuring the new Soarway case.
2003
The Polar Surveyor Chronograph is released - the world's first mechanical chronograph with GMT, day/night and date indicators.
2004
Kobold begins making heavy investments in research and development to help bring watchmaking back to the United States.
The actor and Kobold brand ambassador James Gandolfini draws his vision for a new, oversized Kobold watch on a piece of paper.
2005
Release of the Soarway Diver Seal, a 1,000-meter diver's watch designed by the actor James Gandolfini.
James Gandolfini appears in a controversial international advertisement campaign featuring the Seal.
2006
The Spirit of America is released, the first Kobold watch assembled in Kobold's atelier in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The components for this watch are made in Germany and Switzerland.
2008
Release of the Spirit of America Automatic, the first watch with a U.S.-made case in almost 40 years.
2009
Michael Kobold becomes the first watchmaker to climb to the summit of Mount Everest.
2010
Following a second successful Everest summit expedition, Michael Kobold invites two Sherpa mountain guides to learn the art of watchmaking in Kobold's U.S. facilities.
2011
The producers of the film Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol select the Kobold Phantom as the watch for one of its main characters. The film's villain is named "the Cobalt".
2012
Kobold Nepal is founded in Kathmandu. Release of the Himalaya line of watches.
The Kobold Himalaya Everest Edition becomes the world's first watch with a dial made from a piece of rock from the summit of Mount Everest.
2014
Kobold unveils Merry Oaks Farm, its new manufacturing facility outside Volant, Northwestern Pennsylvania. Merry Oaks has the first in-house watch case manufacturing facility in the United States in over 50 years.
Above: The explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes, master watchmaker Gerd-R. Lang and entrepreneurship professor Jack Roseman with their protege, Michael Kobold, at the opening of Merry Oaks Farm.
2015
Kobold Nepal begins the in-house production of luxury travel accessories.
2016
Kobold watches are selected for another Mission Impossible film.
2018
Kobold lays the groundwork for a rugged travel luggage manufacturing facility in Kathmandu, Nepal.
2019
The full scale of years of internal sabotage of Kobold Watch's operations in the United States and Nepal becomes evident. Kobold relocates to Europe and begins assembling a new team of colleagues. Kobold closes its headquarters at Merry Oaks Farm in Northwestern Pennsylvania.
2020
Kobold sets up a watchmaking workshop in Berlin, Germany.
2021
The rebuilding process continues with the effort to produce new watches as replacements for customers' watches that were stolen during the years of internal sabotage.
2022
After over a decade of planning, the Nepal Fire Truck Expedition gets underway in Berlin, Germany. Two months and 14,000 kilometres later, the expedition reaches Kathmandu, Nepal and in the process delivers the country's first functional ladder truck.
Meanwhile, customers continue to receive replacement watches after their original watches -mailed in for service to the former Kobold headquarters at Merry Oaks Farm- were stolen during the sabotage years.
2023
One of Kobold Watch's founding fathers, master watchmaker Gerd-R. Lang, passes away.
Michael Kobold comes into possession of Lang's archive and original tooling dies to manufacture Lang's iconic watch cases.
Kobold launches a curated Testimonials page on this website.
2024
Kobold launches a number of timepieces to commemorate its 25th anniversary. The Type C Field Watch and the Richard E. Byrd II feature cases designed by the late master watchmaker Gerd R.-Lang.
As part of its anniversary celebrations, Kobold launches the second Nepal Fire Truck Expedition by driving another firefighting vehicle overland from Germany to Nepal.
2025
The commitment to strengthening the community of Kobold wearers ("Koboldians") continues with Kobold representatives personally delivering watches to customers around the world.