The Himalaya Everest Edition HW features a dial fashioned from a piece of rock collected just below the summit of Mount Everest. The dial is more than three times as thick as regular dial and contributes a significant amount to the weight of the watch. To offset this weight increase, the new Himalaya Everest Edition II has a case made from polished aerospace-grade titanium. (An 18K rose gold case is available on request.)
A normal dial has a thickness of between 0.2mm and 0.4mm. The Everest rock has a thickness of 1.0mm. In order to fit the substantially thicker piece of Everest rock onto the dial plate, Kobold subcontracted the operations of cutting, slicing, grinding and polishing the pieces of rock to a German firm specializing in this work.
The German experts faced challenges along the way but after almost two years, we finally held the first Everest dial in our hands. The result was amazing and our customers agreed - the first run of 25 automatic-winding Himalaya Everest Edition watches sold out in a short amount of time.
In 2021, Kobold began developing the Himalaya Everest Edition II. The new watch is powered by a hand wound Swiss-made Unitas 6497 caliber that has been modified to include a central seconds hand and to accommodate the unique thickness of the dial with the Everest summit rock.
The Himalaya Everest Edition arrives on Kobold's Original Canvas Expedition Strap.
The watch is covered by a 10-year warranty against material defects and inferior workmanship.
Specifications:
Case:
- Kobold Intrepid case
- aerospace-grade titanium or 18K rose gold
- sapphire crystal, domed, anti-reflective
- screw-locked caseback
- 43.5mm diameter
- 13mm height
- 22mm between lugs (strap size)
- water resistant to 10 atmospheres (100 meters/330 feet)
Movement:
- ETA 2824 (Swiss Made), automatic-winding
- or UNITAS 6497 (Swiss Made), hand-wound, modified with central seconds
The Back Story
In 2009 and 2010, Kobold-founder Michael Kobold reached the summit of Mount Everest and collected a number of rocks a few yards below the summit, on the Nepal side of the mountain. Initially, these rocks were intended as gifts for friends and family. After returning from the expedition, a Nepali goldsmith fashioned a ring featuring a small piece of the summit rock, which Michael presented to his future wife and fellow Everest summiteer, Anita. It was then that the idea was born to turn some of the rocks into watch dials.
The first run of Himalaya Everest Edition watches was limited to 25 pieces, which sold out soon after Kobold opened its flagship store in Kathmandu. This edition, however, had a design problem. The dial was too thick to accommodate even the highest hand height available on a Swiss movement (height #4), causing the hour hand to touch the dial. The result was that most of the first edition watches failed in the field.
Despite this recurring problem, some of the original Himalaya Everest watches have sold for substantially more than the $16,500 list price. In 2012 at a watch auction in London, one of these unique watches changed owners for GBP 25,000.
The new Himalaya Everest Edition II has overcome the teething problems of the earlier edition. By substantially increasing the hand height of the movement, the "HimEvII" has adequate clearance between the dial and the hands and is therefore not only a ruggedly beautiful showpiece, but a reliable and accurate timekeeper as well.
