Spirit of America 44
Automatic
In time for its 10-year anniversary, the Kobold Watch Company launched its most significant contribution to American horology and its new flagship model: The Spirit of America Automatic.
Its origins are a nod to the esteemed history of American watchmaking. With over 87% of the watch manufactured in the United States, this timekeeper represents a bold return to U.S. wristwatch manufacturing.* The Spirit of America Automatic is the first Kobold to be designed, engineered, manufactured and assembled in the United States. Its distinctive Soarway case is entirely U.S.-made. Herein lies perhaps the biggest achievement of Kobold's unique and groundbreaking Made-in-USA project.
Not only is the well-known Soarway case, including its bezel, mid-case and caseback, manufactured in Pennsylvania. Even the crown, crown tube, lug bars and screws are American-made. The raw material from which each case component is milled is stainless steel. The signature domed sapphire crystal is also grown, cut and polished in the U.S. Hence, the Spirit of America Automatic's case is truly 100% U.S.-made.
In early 2006, Kobold committed itself to assembling all of its watches in the U.S. and in 2007 ventured to manufacture a timepiece that consists mainly of U.S.-made components. This strategy is a significant departure from the way in which other industry leaders in the high-end watch segment produce their watches. However, not all components of the Spirit of America Automatic are American-made.
At the core of the Spirit of America Automatic beats a self-winding manufacture (in-house) movement, the remaining stock of which is exclusively available to Kobold. Caliber K.2651, an automatic-windingl 21-jewel movement, features a power reserve of 42 hours and bi-directional winding rotor. The movement itself was originally made in Germany, but re-worked stateside. over 86% of its actual value is of U.S. origin.** The base caliber, a Forster movement, features polished blued-steel screws that have been heat-treated. This process is in keeping with the traditional school of watchmaking, as opposed to the modern chemical treatment process used to elicit the blue hue of screws destined for more generic watches.
The winding rotor is manufactured in the U.S. On special request, the rotor will feature hand-applied guilloche decoration, as well as 18-K gold plating. Each movement is modified, decorated, assembled, adjusted, and tested in Kobold's Pittsburgh workshops. The K.2651, while straightforward in design, is a reliable and accurate movement ideal for the minimalist Spirit of America timekeeper. The watch's Bauhaus-inspired design is complemented by a hand-made, galvanized copper dial with either Jet Black or Arctic Blue sunburst finish. The dial features brushed stainless steel appliques, over which a pair of brushed steel hands indicate time. Both the dial and hands are legible even in complete darkness thanks to being treated with the latest-generation SuperLuminova luminous material. The dial is proudly signed "PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA".
However, the Spirit of America Automatic is more than just a pretty face. Like all Kobold watches, it was designed to be durable and withstand the elements. Kobold deemed that merely being water-resistant to a depth of 330 feet (100 m.), antimagnetic, and shock-resistant per DIN regulations -a stringent set of criteria fulfilled by only few wristwatches of modern production- would not suffice for the company's first American wristwatch. The team at Kobold's Pittsburgh facilities intended to showcase their new creation as being better engineered and more carefully manufactured than the company's Swiss and German-made watches. A test of a different kind would have to be devised.
Few watches have been tested in such extreme environments such as on the summit of Mount Everest. It was a matter of coincidence that in 2008, when the first Spirit of America Automatic prototype was at long last assembled, that the company's founder, Michael Kobold, was on an expedition to Mt. Everest with explorer Ranulph Fiennes. The prototype was thus dispatched from Pittsburgh to Everest Base Camp in the high Himalaya.
After careful examination by Kobold, Fiennes and fellow Kobold brand ambassador Kenton Cool, the prototype was further tested on the mountain. The watch performed flawlessly, even at high altitude and in very cold weather. To conduct the ultimate test, the prototype was later worn by Cool on his summit climb. The Spirit of America Automatic passed this real-life test with flying colors in terms of its reliability and ruggedness. In May 2008, the official order to commence serial production was given directly from Everest Base Camp.
(For more on the 2008 expedition to Mt. Everest, please click here.)
On request, an American-made leather strap by artisan Greg Stevens can be added to this watch. The Spirit of America Automatic comes on a genuine alligator strap and arrives in a wooden collector's box. Like all Kobold timepieces featuring U.S.-made components, the Spirit of America Automatic comes with a 10-year warranty against material defects and faulty craftsmanship.
1 |
2
