Till 2019, Kudoke was a comparatively unknown, small, impartial watch firm primarily based within the city of Weifa in northern Germany between Dresden and the Czech border. Stefan Kudoke, proprietor and watchmaker, is effectively acknowledged for his engraving and skeletonizing expertise: his watches normally have both an elaborately engraved dial and skeletonized motion or a skeletonized dial revealing wheels, springs, and levers with intricate engraving.
In 2019, Stefan Kudoke introduced the brand new Kudoke 1 and a pair of watches throughout Baselworld. Dealing with each watches, I assumed that they had been very completely different than the earlier skeletonized Kudoke watches I used to be accustomed to. Each the Kudoke 1 and a pair of have easy, elegant dials, the brilliance laying within the ending and engraving of the newly developed motion (made in cooperation with Habring2).
Apparently, I used to be not alone. Within the August 2019 challenge of GQ, Wes Lang, a recent American artist hailing from Los Angeles, wrote an article on the Kudoke 1, stating, “Kudoke 1 represents the head of watch accumulating.”
Then in November 2019, husband-and-wife workforce Stefan and Ev Kudoke had been referred to as to the rostrum on the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève’s awards ceremony, also known as the Oscars of watchmaking, to just accept the award for one of the best watch within the Petite Aiguille class, which rewards watches costing between 4,000 and 10,000 Swiss francs. Successful this award introduced Kudoke some long-awaited publicity and has led to extra business success.
Distinctive piece Kudoke Flieger Idea (photograph courtesy Kudoke/Peter Tung)
Visiting Kudoke: a discovery
Throughout that Baselworld journey I had organized a winter go to with my two greatest watch associates, who’re from Berlin and Prague respectively. In early December 2019 we drove to Weifa, an hour and a half from the Czech capital. Kudoke has a small workshop inside the household house that may accommodate three or 4 watchmakers. On the time we visited, Kudoke employed one watchmaker from Korea.
After discussing the current GPHG award, Stefan demonstrated his engraving course of for actions as we moved from bench to bench. At one among these benches, we spied an uncommon pilot’s watch with a skeletonized subsidiary seconds cutaway revealing an elaborately skeletonized guide winding Unitas motion beneath.
I name it an uncommon pilot’s watch as a result of it isn’t a conventional German flieger primarily based on historic fashions, however moderately Kudoke’s interpretation of a flieger watch.
Cutaway small seconds dial of the distinctive piece Kudoke Flieger Idea (photograph courtesy Kudoke/Peter Tung)
Stefan Kudoke has an affinity for flieger watches, so he determined to make his personal a flieger prototype in 2017. He wished to include his conventional skeleton work, however not skeletonize all the dial. So he designed the watch so {that a} majority of the dial had the everyday minimal options of a flieger, however eliminated what would have been the subsidiary seconds subdial to disclose the bridge and wheels of the motion.
Whereas he was very happy with the end result of the prototype, his focus was on the event of the Kudoke 1 and a pair of on the time. Being a small household enterprise, precedence was given to the larger undertaking. In hindsight, it was the correct choice because of the success that adopted.
Attributable to lack of assets, the prototype flieger remained simply that and the undertaking was shelved. Nonetheless, Stefan remains to be motivated to make a Kudoke flieger in future.
Solely as soon as was something about this flieger ever revealed – in Wristwatch Annual 2018 as a part of the Kudoke portfolio, the place it’s nonchalantly listed as “Kurt.” As Ev Kudoke, who takes care of most non-watchmaker duties inside the family-run firm, jokingly recollects, Stefan wished to eternalize the flieger someplace, which is why it may be seen there.
So this was a just about unknown one-off idea watch sitting within the Kudoke workshop, and my coronary heart soared. However . . .
Love at first sight
Kudoke’s prototype flieger was love at first sight for me, nevertheless one among my associates on this journey had already mentioned the potential of buying this watch with Ev, and I used to be too late in making my request. However I used to be completely happy that it was going to buddy who would get pleasure from carrying the distinctive flieger.
Distinctive piece Kudoke Flieger Idea (photograph courtesy Kudoke/Peter Tung)
Quick ahead to mid-2020, and I obtained a press launch of a new variation of the Kudoke 2. I responded to Ev, thanking her for sharing the press launch and casually requested if my buddy had picked up the idea flieger. To my shock, she responded that sadly he had needed to again out so it was nonetheless out there. Was I ? After just a few Floss dance strikes, I replied with an emphatic all-cap YES!
Crown, lugs, and case band of the distinctive piece Kudoke Flieger Idea (photograph courtesy Kudoke/Peter Tung)
Skeletonizing the Kudoke method
Earlier than describing the detailed work on the motion, I want to shed some gentle on what impressed Stefan Kudoke to focus on skeleton work and engraving. He was first uncovered to skeletonized watches in his early twenties whereas working in Glashütte and was notably influenced by the particular editions made by Kurt Schaffo for Glashütte Authentic. Stefan was fascinated by the filigreed constructions and particulars and started to show himself the craft of hand-skeletonizing and engraving.
After a few years of working towards and refining whereas nonetheless learning economics, Stefan determined to determine his personal watch model. His first fashions had been referred to as Black Magnificence and HS1. Later he developed extra figural watches just like the well-known KudOktopus, that are extra like little sculptures inside the motion with the deal with engraving moderately than creating a particular motion. This manner, Kudoke might mix his ardour for particular designs together with his handcraft to create little ticking items of artwork.
Stefan Kudoke engraving at his bench
On my Kudoke Flieger Idea, Kudoke first sawed out all of the components from the Unitas motion not crucial for the steadiness of the motion. This can be a painstaking activity completed with a miniature watchmaker’s noticed. It’s also an arduous activity because the reducing is finished in parallel straight traces moderately than curved shapes.
In the present day the vast majority of sketetonized motion elements are reduce out by a machine. A machine-skeletonized motion has rounded edges because the milling cutter has spherical form. Whenever you see sharp, straight edges, it was possible accomplished both by a watchmaker or specialist who processed the corners by hand after the machine cutout was accomplished.
In hand-sketetonizing, after sawing out the motion plate and bridges traces of the sawing blade are noticeable. To take away these traces, the entire motion is filed. Submitting additionally aids in straightening the form of the bridges and motion plate.
Again of the distinctive piece Kudoke Flieger Idea (photograph courtesy Kudoke/Peter Tung)
Kudoke wished to offer this flieger a bead-blasted end as an homage to historic World Battle II pilot’s timepieces, so the stainless-steel case obtained a bead-blasted therapy. Moreover, the brass motion plate and bridges had been additionally bead blasted. After that the motion elements had been electroplated with black rhodium.
All of the screws had been thermally heated to a stunning deep blue colour.
Lastly, Kudoke handcrafted a double photo voltaic end on the crown and ratchet wheels. He additionally reworked a number of the ending on the motion, so I took the chance to personalize it with a “50” engraved on the ratchet wheel in honor of my fiftieth birthday in 2020.
He hand-engraved the blue “50” on the ratchet wheel, which concerned thermally heating the wheel to an ideal blue colour earlier than making use of the double photo voltaic end.
Lume shot of the distinctive piece Kudoke Flieger Idea (photograph courtesy Kudoke/Peter Tung)
My flieger has important wrist presence however doesn’t weigh a lot as a result of skeletonized motion. The vintage-style painted numbers and fingers are graced with a powerful blue-toned Tremendous-LumiNova, and the skeletonized subsidiary seconds dial offers my flieger the distinct Kudoke really feel.
I picked up the Kudoke Flieger Idea from Stefan and Ev Kudoke over lunch at their favourite steakhouse in Dresden. Because of the COVID-19 shutdowns and journey restrictions, that in itself required numerous luck and perseverance.
Throughout lunch, Stefan advised me that he has not given up on the concept of a making one other Kudoke flieger sooner or later, however with a unique design and maybe as a part of the Caliber 1 sequence. I’m assured that it’ll come to fruition.
Stefan Kudoke additionally does absolutely personalized timepieces, which you will discover out extra about by visiting www.kudoke.eu.
Fast Info Kudoke Flieger Idea
Case: 42 x 10.5 mm, stainless-steel
Motion: guide winding modified ETA Unitas caliber, 17 jewels, 2.5 Hz/18,000 vph, 46 hours energy reserve, motion dimensions 36.6 x 4.5 mm, skeletonized
Features: hours, minutes, seconds
* This text was first revealed on November 20, 2020 at Why I Purchased It: Kudoke Flieger Idea (KFC).
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