Why I Purchased It: Kudoke Flieger Idea (KFC) – Reprise

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 properly acknowledged for his engraving and skeletonizing expertise: his watches often 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 couple of watches throughout Baselworld. Dealing with each watches, I assumed that they have been very completely different than the earlier skeletonized Kudoke watches I used to be accustomed to. Each the Kudoke 1 and a couple 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 concern 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 gathering.”

Then in November 2019, husband-and-wife workforce Stefan and Ev Kudoke have been known as to the rostrum on the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève’s awards ceremony, sometimes called the Oscars of watchmaking, to simply accept the award for the very 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 industrial success.

Distinctive piece Kudoke Flieger Idea (picture courtesy Kudoke/Peter Tung)

Visiting Kudoke: a discovery

Throughout that Baselworld journey I had organized a winter go to with my two finest watch buddies, 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 throughout the household residence 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 in every of 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’s not a conventional German flieger primarily based on historic fashions, however somewhat Kudoke’s interpretation of a flieger watch.

Cutaway small seconds dial of the distinctive piece Kudoke Flieger Idea (picture 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 needed to include his conventional skeleton work, however not skeletonize the whole 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 more than happy with the end result of the prototype, his focus was on the event of the Kudoke 1 and a couple of on the time. Being a small household enterprise, precedence was given to the larger venture. In hindsight, it was the precise choice because of the success that adopted.

As a consequence of lack of assets, the prototype flieger remained simply that and the venture was shelved. Nevertheless, 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 throughout the family-run firm, jokingly remembers, Stefan needed to eternalize the flieger someplace, which is why it may be seen there.

So this was a nearly 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, nonetheless one in every of my buddies 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 comfortable that it was going to buddy who would get pleasure from sporting the distinctive flieger.

Distinctive piece Kudoke Flieger Idea (picture courtesy Kudoke/Peter Tung)

Quick ahead to mid-2020, and I acquired 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 accessible. Was I ? After a couple of Floss dance strikes, I replied with an emphatic all-cap YES!

Crown, lugs, and case band of the distinctive piece Kudoke Flieger Idea (picture courtesy Kudoke/Peter Tung)

Skeletonizing the Kudoke means

Earlier than describing the detailed work on the motion, I want to shed some mild 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 practising and refining whereas nonetheless learning economics, Stefan determined to ascertain his personal watch model. His first fashions have been known as Black Magnificence and HS1. Later he developed extra figural watches just like the well-known KudOktopus, that are extra like little sculptures throughout the motion with the give attention to engraving somewhat than growing a particular motion. This manner, Kudoke may mix his ardour for particular designs along 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 vital for the soundness of the motion. It is a painstaking process achieved with a miniature watchmaker’s noticed. Additionally it is an arduous process for the reason that reducing is finished in parallel straight strains somewhat than curved shapes.

As we speak the vast majority of sketetonized motion elements are lower out by a machine. A machine-skeletonized motion has rounded edges for the reason that milling cutter has spherical form. If you see sharp, straight edges, it was seemingly performed 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 (picture courtesy Kudoke/Peter Tung)

Kudoke needed to present this flieger a bead-blasted end as an homage to historic World Battle II pilot’s timepieces, so the stainless-steel case acquired a bead-blasted therapy. Moreover, the brass motion plate and bridges have been additionally bead blasted. After that the motion elements have been electroplated with black rhodium.

All of the screws have been thermally heated to a beautiful deep blue coloration.

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 coloration earlier than making use of the double photo voltaic end.

Lume shot of the distinctive piece Kudoke Flieger Idea (picture courtesy Kudoke/Peter Tung)

My flieger has vital wrist presence however doesn’t weigh a lot because of the skeletonized motion. The vintage-style painted numbers and arms are graced with a robust blue-toned Tremendous-LumiNova, and the skeletonized subsidiary seconds dial provides 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 a number of luck and perseverance.

Throughout lunch, Stefan instructed me that he has not given up on the concept of a making one other Kudoke flieger sooner or later, however with a special 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’ll find out extra about by visiting www.kudoke.eu.

Fast Details 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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