Meet The Kudoke 2 Now with a Deep Blue Dial

Stefan Kudoke, German watchmaker and founder of the eponymous independent brand Kudoke, is a name that most indie watch enthusiasts should know. In fact, he’s no longer flying under the radar anymore since his watch won the Petite Aiguille category at the GPHG in 2019. The watch in question, the Kudoke 2 (and thus his second creation), has already appeared with silver, black, Nocturne or green dial variations – there’s even a highly attractive salmon edition. And now the collection expands with the addition of a deep blue dial, which is only available on special request. 

After graduating from watchmaking school, Stefan Kudoke started working for some of the industry’s big names, such as Glashütte Original, Breguet, Blancpain and Omega, in both the complications and service departments. And then, he realised that he needed to create something uniquely personal and established his own brand – Kudoke. Stefan has several collections: the HANDwerk collection covers traditional handmade watches such as the Kudoke 1 and the Kudoke 2; the KUNSTwerk collection is about engraved or skeletonised watches in very limited numbers; and the YOURwerk collection is dedicated to unique, bespoke watches.

Together with the Kudoke 1 we reviewed extensively here, the Kudoke 2 forms the classic collection and is available on a permanent basis. Both watches appear rather simple at first with few or no complications on offer. What matters is the decoration, finishing and craftsmanship. The overarching minimalism is combined with special attention to detail in the textures and engravings, resulting in timeless watches with a special aura. Watches that typically reveal their beauty to the owner and his loupe.

The Kudoke 2 is a slightly more complex take on the initial concept of the brand, adding a 24-hour display to a time-only movement. While the Kudoke 1 features a subsidiary second, the Kudoke 2 comes with an engraved rotating disc at the top to indicate day-night and the time on a 24h base. This is housed in a rather subtle and discreet stainless steel stepped case of 39mm, with a restrained height of 10.7mm. The case is entirely polished and features an onion crown. All quite toned down to leave space for the dial and the movement.

As mentioned, the Kudoke 2 is a watch that was already available in multiple colours, and now comes a new, deep blue edition. The basics of the collection are still alive, such as the fine-grained/frosted finishing of the dial, which plays with ambient light and, according to Stefan, ranges from bright blue to almost black depending on the angle. Time is read with polished steel hands and a rhodium-plated chapter ring with Roman numerals and dotted hour and minute markers, giving the collection a certain “British” inspiration. The applied Kudoke plaque is still found at 6 o’clock.

The main attraction of the Kudoke 2 Deep Blue is the hand-engraved, domed rotating indicator at 12 o’clock, which features a yellow gold plating as a representation of the day, with a white and black rhodium plating for the night-time indication. It is framed by a 24-hour scale to keep track of day-night.

Under the sapphire caseback is a movement developed by Stefan Kudoke. The hand-wound Kaliber 1 shares some parts with the Habring2 A11 movement but is executed in a totally different way, inspired by antique English pocket watches. The finishing is very pleasant, with yellow gold plating over the hand-frosted surface. The movement is dominated by the large, hand-engraved balance bridge. Bevelled edges, blued screws, a hand-applied snail finishing on the wheels and the polished click-spring complete the movement. It runs at a 4Hz frequency and stores 46h of power reserve.

The Kudoke 2 Deep Blue is not part of the permanent collection and will only be available on special request… So you’ll have to ask nicely and be patient. It is priced at EUR 9,718 (before taxes). For more details and enquiries, visit www.kudoke.eu.