Welcome to On Q. I'm Michael Bartley.

As you know, western Pennsylvania is a very special place, and there are many people in this region who have special talents.

One of them is a man from Robinson Township who makes watches.

But these are no ordinary watches.

They're precision luxury timepieces.

What's even more surprising about these watches is who wears them.

Steelers offensive tackle Max Starks is one, along with actors Gary Sinis and Pittsburgh's Jeff Goldblum.

And tonight On Q's Chris Moore introduces you to the person we call the Watch man.

Surely not without the Gold Rover that you can rewind.

Michael Kobold knows a lot about watches.

What this machine does is it simulates the movement of your wrist.

He knows what makes them tick.

So the hands we keep them here.

And what makes them move?

So starting his own watch company was a no brainer for this entrepreneur.

The spirit of America does.

And here.

Michael Kobold Watch Company is headquartered in Robinson Township.

Michael's the CEO.

What is his fascination with timepieces?

I see all the old ones laying around.

Well, I fell in love with mechanical watches when I was 12 years old.

And at that time, you know, I had no real concept behind the craftsmanshi that goes into making a watch.

And I'm sort of obsessive compulsive.

So once I like something, I study it to death.

And when I was 16, I worked with a mentor who happens to be one o the world's great watchmakers.

That's Gerd-Rüdiger Lang of Chrono Swiss in Germany.

And he taught me everything I know about watch design and watchmaking and manufacturing.

Fast forward to his college years.

Michael decided to make watches while he was a studen at Carnegie Mellon University.

But making watches was eas compared to some of his classes.

Now, I understand your professor there told you this will make a nice hobby.

He looked at it and said, this is not a good business.

This is just a hobby.

And you can't really you know, make it big in this.

And and when I'm tol you can't do something is really when I get going and I proved them wrong.

Did he ever.

In 1999, Michael started his own high end watch business, selling them online from his dorm room.

I started this venture purely for class credit and truth be told, looking back on it, it's basicall what got me through university.

But when you do everything like package things and send them off, then you have a much broader knowledge and you're more confident.

And I think that's what helps a lot when you then hir your first couple of employees.

This one man operation now has eight employees, but this small company has a high profile clientele.

Bruce Springsteen wears Kobold watches.

So does actor James Gandolfini of The Sopranos.

What was the first big thing that let you know you were on the right path?

I felt that I was on the right path when, James Gandolfini phoned, and I had no idea who he was, but he had heard of me, and, And we became friends.

People loved cold watches because of James Gandolfini, because of the character used to pla in The Sopranos, Tony Soprano.

And that's when I realized we were on to something.

But Gandolfini didn't just buy 1 or 2 watches.

He bought several hundred, giving them out to the entire cast and crew of The Sopranos.

Gandolfin has also posed for Kobold adds his photographs along with those of other celebrities.

Even politicians ador Michael's office, like president Bill Clinton and pop artist Burton Morse, who designed this watch dial.

Actor Kiefer Sutherland also wears a Kobold watch on his TV program 24.

Because of its manly appearance.

Manly enough?

Are your watches intentionally manly?

Well, there's a reason for that.

Yes, they are intensely manly, but not because I try to come across as manly, because I'm not.

I mean, I'm a chocoholic.

So that, you know, cut me out.

It was basically because my mentor, my watchmaking mentor makes really beautiful, dainty watches which appeal to people like me.

However, I realized als that if I start my own company and if it were to succeed, don't want to step on his feet.

You know, I just want to be as far removed in a market sense from him as I can be.

And as far as the prices of Michael Kobold watches, well, they're not cheap.

They're pretty expensive.

I mean, the average watch runs about $3,000.

They go up to, you know, five, six, seven, 8000.

And that's just in steel or in titanium.

So in gold, they're much more expensive.

But, you know, the goal is to make a quality product that can compete on the international marketplace, not just, you know, a gimmick in this financial climate that we have.

Is this, may be harmful for your company the way the world's economy is going?

Chris, we're dealing with it just the same wa that everybody else is dealing.

We have, you know, cut production, we have cut advertising and other costs.

But, you know, you hope for better times and you do what you can.

But Michael is not afraid of challenges, economic or otherwise.

So in 2008, with hardl any training and only a week's notice, he attempted to clim Mount Everest with his friend.

British adventurer Sir Renaud finds.

But a hand injury ended his trip at base camp.

I'd looke at some of those pictures of you crossing those bridges that look like they're made with step ladders, tied together with rope over crevasses.

Why would you do this?

That's a good question.

Once I was on the ice, I was terrified.

But, you know I was able to manage my fears.

And that's something that's really important when you're doing these things.

Because everybody's afraid of something.

And so Michael Coble was trying again.

This time he's training for Everest by working out with the Navy Seals on Kamada Island in California.

They are making a man out of me, if you will.

And they're making me strong and fit.

And it's pretty grueling.

It's not fun, but hopefully with their help, I'll be able to summit Everest and carry the Navy Seal flag up there.

But this isn't just a trip to test endurance.

Michael is on a fundraising mission for the Navy Seal Warrior Fund, which supports injured or fallen Navy Seals and their families this year.

The reason I'm doing it is because I have a friend who's a Navy Seal who was critically injured in Iraq, who's in a wheelchair now.

And I want to support the fund that make sure that his his family and he are taken care of by me going up the mountain.

You know, not being an expert that the message that we're trying to send is that, you know, the average Joe, just a regular guy can do something that is pretty irregular or pretty cool to help people in the military.

And then I would get to extra large fellow.

Pittsburgh mountain climber Will Cross is also a friend of Michael Kobold, and he's joining him along with Ryno finds and another British explorer, Kenton Cool, for the latest expedition.

How do you think he' going to do this next time up?

I think, Mike, success depends on his frame of mind.

Physically, he's very strong.

He's very determined.

I mean, that's demonstrate by the success of his business.

It's a challenge for him, I think will be the cold and the deprivation.

Mentally and physically.

It's a depriving environment, you know, a lack of oxygen, a lack of sleep, a lack of good food.

You've got to be focused.

You need to be focused.

You will get away with 1 or 2 tiny mistakes.

It's an unforgiving environment.

Will should know he actually made it to the top of Mount Everest in 2006, despite his diabetes and having had the disease for over 30 years.

Exploration gives me a platform to demonstrate to those struggling with the condition, with the diet, the exercise, the injections, the appointments that.

Yes, it's challenging, it's difficult.

But, you know, you can still get out there and and live the life that you want to.

Is this what you're going to wear to ever.

Yep.

Yeah.

This is one of the the sponsored items.

This is my expedition suit for for climbing to the summit.

And so Michael Kobold hopes to become one of the chosen few to reach that summit.

And then he hopes to safely return to the quiet world of watchmaking in Robinson Township.

What does the future look like for us?

Well, right now I'm just focused on the Everest expedition.

That's the number one thing.

Everything else is the future, and I've put it on hold.

But I really hope that, you know, one day, you know, people appreciate mechanical watches more, that there will be many other watch companies like Kobold in America.

That would be a wonderful thing.

And if I can be part of that in some small way, by bringing in the, renaissance of mechanical watchmaking in this country then my dream would be complete.

When Michael started his company in 1999, he sold his watches for about $600.

He made about $50 on each one.

Today, as we mentioned, his watches go for thousands of dollars.

Michael, the Kobold Watc Company is one of Pittsburgh's hidden treasures.

Wow And they're beautiful watches.

They are high end watches now.

Regarding the trip to Mount Everest.

How much is he hoping to raise for the Navy Seal fund?

Well, at least a quarter of $1 million.

It'll take Michael and his fellow climbers several weeks to scale the mountain.

But that, of course, depends on the weather.

Spring is generally the season when there's the least amount of snow and rain and th unpredictable mountain climate.

Now, this is a dangerous mission, and he hopes, and we all hope that they'll be safe.

Won't be easy, I'll tell you that.

We have more information about that climb on our website if folks are interested.

Wqed.org/OnQ.

As Chris said, we wish them well.

Be safe guys.

Chris, thanks so much.

Great story.

All right.

Still ahead, the countdown t a nationwide digital conversion may have you in the market for a new TV, but what are you going to do with your old one?

We have an eco friendly answer.

And spend a day with the knights.

We're going medieval.

Still to come on.

Q continues.

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The date may have changed, but the outcome will be the same in just a little over a month.

Television stations across the country will switch from broadcasting an analog signal to a digital signal.

Although you do not have to buy a new television for the changeover.

Many consumers have seen this as a good time to upgrad to high definition television.

So if you recently bought a new TV, what should you do with your old set On Q Tonia Caruso explains how, where and why you should recycle your old television.

And do it thanks to television, that marvel of modern science from its early days of blac and white to the progression of color television, has see a lot of changes over the years.

But perhaps nothing as big as this.

The high definition television is just deliver spectacular images that did.

I think that's what people really want.

Today's technology goes way beyond plain old digital television.

High definition televisio is fast becoming the standard.

Paul Byers is WQED executive director of engineering and operations.

It's still remarkable when you do a side by sid comparison between the analog TV and the HDTV, showing the same pictures.

The difference is striking.

Even in this tough economy.

Sales of HDTV are on the rise.

And now so too is the concern about what will happen to all of our old television sets.

And I'm thinking the 30th is the one I might have a conflict with.

David Maza is the Western regional director of the Pennsylvania Resources Council, or PRC, one of the state's oldest environmental groups.

We know that these television sets that people are going to be potentially disposing of as they become somewhat obsolete with the switch over to digital, contain some very, dangerous and sometimes toxic products.

And components.

Televisio sets are full of all kinds of, heavy metals, thing like lead, cadmium, beryllium, you know, the plastics, the PVC, the poly vinyls.

So there are a lot of, a lot of components to these things that are known carcinogens.

So we're trying to do here is to provide the, the general public with a safe and viable option for disposing of these television sets.

Keeping them out of the landfill and making sure that all of the materials that are contained in these, sets are disposed of properly.

The PRC work with several groups to promote the recycling of televisions and other electronics.

One of those groups i a local company called e Loop.

Ned Eldridge is e loops president.

So we basically ar the are the people that show up at the events and collect all the material, and then we take it back to our warehouse.

We process the material to the point where we organize it by, by like commodity group, and then we send it off to processors that actually break it dow and do the disassembly and then, provide a, a chain of custody back to us to show that the material has been handled properly.

Elop recycles televisions and other electronics year round.

Construction.

Junction and Point Breeze serves as one of its permanent collection sites.

We pick up from this location every two weeks.

We have all of our smalle electronics like your computers, your printers, and smaller monitors in the steel boxes.

And then we'll build a, a pile of televisions.

Customers are asked to pay a fee base on the size of their television.

We charge, $15 for a 19 inch TV, and then it goes up to as muc as maybe $35 for the larger TVs.

Is it, in general expensive to recycle a television?

That is the most expensive items that we recycle, primarily because of the weight.

They're very heavy.

Our downstream processors charge us by the pound to process that material.

Another big reason for the cost.

Disposing of the materials safely.

David Mesa uses this computer monitor to show just some of what recyclers have to deal with.

So we've got the plastic case, which is PVC plastic.

If burn could give off toxic fumes.

We've got the picture tube itself, which is where the lead is contained.

Tube this size could contain anywhere from 6 to 8 pounds of lead.

Also, the cadmium is contained inside this in the band.

The metal band that goes around the outside.

You've got heavy metals.

You've got copper.

You've got some other metals here in the circuitry.

Beryllium is in the circuitry as well, which again is a known carcinogen.

So lots of potentially toxic materials handled properly.

Most of these materials can safely be reused.

This is a sample of lead.

This is about a half pound of lead.

And again 6 to 8 pounds of that containe within the picture tube itself.

Lead acid batteries, which is what your ca battery is contain lead panels.

So a lot of this lea can go back into manufacturing.

Other products.

We have some samples here of shredded plastics, which would be a sample of the outside case itself, shredded down into, pellet form to be, remade into other products.

We also have crushed glass, which would come from the picture tube once the lead is removed.

And again, this would be remade re manufactured into another product.

And we have a small sample of mercury.

No real re-use opportunities for mercury, but you do want to make sure that we capture it and dispose of it properly.

The alternative, Mazur says, is that the mercury and other metals could end up in landfills, potentially leaching into the soil and water supplies.

And that, he says, is hopefully reason enough to get people to recycle their old TVs.

I thin in the grand scheme of things, you know, you look at this is is somewhere between ten and $35, depending on the size of the television set that you're dropping off.

It's a relatively smal investment when you think about the bigger pictur of what the serious, effects of these materials could be.

And.

It's not a hard argument to make that people want to keep it out of the landfills as well.

Our message is, you know, with our social conscience being what it is today, that most people will do the right thing and recycle.

Now, the Pennsylvania Resources Council recently held a successful Don't Trash or TV event.

In February, close to 180 people participated in the event and 235 televisions were collected.

Look for more events like that in the future.

In the meantime, remembe you can recycle your television any day of the year at Construction Junction and various other local locations.

For more information, log on to our website wqed.org/OnQ.

And Michael, it really is something that you may not think about in the beginning.

And once you find out everything that can happen, it really is important to so many people out ther in the same position right now.

Exactly.

Help the environment too.

Thank you.

Tonia Thanks so much.

Well you've probably seen people do Civil War reenactments the same for World War two.

Both very popular here in the U.S.

but did you know there's an international appea to recapturing medieval times?

And one of the biggest groups is based right here in Pittsburgh.

Prepare to meet the society for Creative Anachronism.

As On Q spends a day with the Knights.

We welcome you to the Agincourt event.

C.S.

Lewis said you become what you pretend to be.

It's a nice extra addition to my life.

Well, your knight is in our barony, and that makes a difference, too.

We're tryin to keep the spirit of it back.

I mean, more than anything, here's an opportunity to step into a story.

Because we are.

The society for Creative Anachronism is a medieval recreation group.

We research elements of the Middle Ages, and we try to recreate them, to actually relive them as best that we can.

The Ren Faire folks just wanted to play the show.

Basically, they want what they think it might have been like.

We try and have a happy medium.

The SCA began in Berkeley California, as a fun experiment between a few history buffs and it's expanded tremendously.

The burning marks of the Debatable Lands, which is Pittsburgh and the vicinity, is one of the largest groups and one of the oldest.

There's research going on, but if you're not interested in that, you don't have to do it.

Anything that they would have done.

You know, there's probably someone out there who's interested in doing it.

It.

I do a little bit more.

Doesn't look and truly enough.

I picked up cooking as a hobby several years ago, and what I primarily use is called the Labor Cure Cooker.

It's a 15th century English text written entirely in rhyme, so it omits large chunks of information.

Like all the ingredients.

How long to cook it?

What is your life kind of look like at the end?

What I'm cooking tonight is just some white beans cooked in almond milk and very simple.

I requires a ton of salt for it to have any flavor.

Really.

This is also the hot water.

I found a lot in this that I've been able to really sink my teeth into academically.

Really understanding what it was, why it was, ho it fit into the greater society.

Yeah, some of the fighting lends itself best to as a spectator sport.

There will be fencing.

There will be a lot of archery.

There'll be tournaments, fighting and there will be melee fighting.

This is our beginning of our battles.

This is called the breach battle.

Basically, reenacting th some of the fights in 100 Years War, as in, was actually fought.

In 1415, a army of the English invaded France.

2000 soldiers including mostly Welsh archers, and they fought a army from France of 10,000 soldiers and defeated them using mainly their archers.

There are a couple things 21st century that are less than ideal, and one of them is that you can live your whole life and never know, never kno whether you're a coward or not.

So this is an opportunity to come out and say, today I'm going to I'm going to show you my war face.

What people come in for is to understand and recreate the Middle Ages as best we can.

I think what keeps peopl in, though, is the camaraderie and the fact that you can sit down with someone that you've never met before and have really interesting conversation.

There are plenty of people who do their day job and then come and do this.

It's a really interesting organization in terms of the diversity.

I run a restaurant, I cook, I clean.

I'm a radiologist.

I, I read Cat scans and MRI's all day.

I myself am an emergency medical technician.

I'm an English teacher at Frederick High School in Frederick, Maryland.

I moved to Buffalo, did a PhD in clinical psychology.

I'm a project administrator for a bank.

I'm a psychiatrist and a mom of three kids.

We're all here for to understand the Middle Medieval period.

And along with that goes a set of a sense of honor and a sense of chivalry.

The idea of a knight on horseback riding across the countryside, looking for good deeds to do, and for ways to improve his own culture and his own society.

People are a lot nicer to each other when they're in gar than when they're on the street.

It's a different time of chivalry.

People seem to be nicer to each other, more pleasant to deal with.

Being kind to one another is an important principle in the society.

And that's, I think, what what keeps people in.

I've met some wonderful people here, and the SCA has a has a good effect on people.

I really love this.

This is my two weeks of vacation.

Every year I spend doing this.

Every weekend I can get off so that I can go to an event.

I go to an event.

This is what I really daydream about, you know, when I'm not running is is, you know, fighting on the field in armor or what you can do in court.

It gives every single one of us a chance to be the person that we, the person that we want to be.

You know, you get a chance to you get a chance to show a completely different face to the world The SCA is an international group with hundreds of thousands of members worldwide.

Our own Pittsburgh brony practices every night of the week and has meetings bi monthly.

For more information about the society for Creative Anachronism.

You'll find a link on our website.

Just go to at wqed.org/OnQ for all the information.

And that'll do it for us tonight.

Tomorrow night.

Don't forget to tune in for a special encore presentation of On Qs Panther Hollow.

This historica look back at one of Pittsburgh's most unique neighborhoods garnered such a positive response from you.

Our viewers.

We're airing it again, so if you didn't catch it the first time, be sure to tune in tomorrow night 7:30.

Until then, for Chris Moore, Tonia Caruso, all of us here in On Q. I'm Michael Bartley, thanks s much for watching.

Good night.