Kobold’s Skeletonized Pandemonium Watch
An American assembled timepiece of unreal beauty and complication
Recently, we were lucky enough to get our hands on Kobold Watch Company’s Pandemonium watch—the first completely skeletonized chronograph assembled entirely in the US, from parts both domestic and international. An automatic winding chronograph movement stands completely visible in the piece, designed by a specialized team in northwestern Pennsylvania. Adventure is at the core of the brand, but this highly refined piece is a step in a new direction: exploration within the world of domestic watchmaking. From the brushed stainless steel to the double domed sapphire crystal, its exterior is aimed at drawing eyes inward—and it does so easily. The 44mm watch displays hours, minutes and seconds, as well as chronograph seconds and the date. It also comes with a story.
Kobold’s founder Michael Kobold shares with CH, “This watch is for my mentor Gerd R. Lang, founder of Chronoswiss. He’s been my mentor since I was 16. I started Kobold as a class project when I was in college to learn a few tricks. Long story short: it took off. I made all these very tough watches just to be different than my mentor’s company, but I always loved that design, that style. He and I worked together for many years despite our separate companies, and remain good friends. I did this to honor him because this is the style that he made.” The movement in the Pandemonium is Swiss, but it has been modified to make everything more visible. Kobold makes their cases in house at their Pennsylvania lab, as well as their hands and straps. They’ve been doing so since 2008, and were the first to do so in the US in almost 40 years. Each Pandemonium takes roughly three months to make—a worthy homage for a celebrated mentor.
The Pandemonium is available from Kobold online for $7,500.
Images by Cool Hunting
