Independent watchmaker Kudoke releases another special edition of their Green World K3 watch. Here are the details of the Kudoke K3 Grüner Wald Sonderedition II.
Press Release with commentary in italics.
New: Kudoke K3 Grüner Wald Sonderedition II
The Kudoke K3 Grüner Wald Sonderedition II will retail at USD 16,500 before taxes.
Commentary
Interesting new release from Kudoke, the second in their special edition (sonderedition in German) with EsperLuxe. The watch is based on their model 3 with the unconventional hour indication. The minutes are traditionally displayed as a centrally mounted hand with the indicators on the periphery. But the hour indication is through the use of three unequal length hands pointing to a 120 degree arc cutout in the upper portion of the dial. Each of the hands trace their own “chapter arc” indicating time in three sectors marked 1 to 5, 6 to 10 and 10 to 2. Two of the three hands are visible, and will always point to the correct hour in two of the sectors. The hours of 2, 6 and 10 are shown twice as these are at the start and end of each sector, and two hands are visible to ensure no mis-reading of the hour. Also interesting is that this display is taken from the Glashütte Original PanoRetroGraph with the three tier arcs in the countdown function. This GO watch, now discontinued, was one of Stefan Kudoke’s specialities when he was with them, working on prototypes and complications. Interesting interpretation.
On this novelty, the K3, but with the upper dial plate executed in a deep textured green inspired by the forests around Saxony, where Kudoke is based. The green is made by a special lacquering technique with silver flakes. The movement also features a hand-engraved motif of an oak leaf in relief on the bridges and balance cock, visible from the display case back.
Overall, we find the novelty to be a very attractive looking watch. We love the classy, restrained look on the dial side, though the unusual dial layout certainly does makes a statement. We also love how it gets very decorative when the case is flipped over to reveal the extravagant movement finishing.
Pricing wise, the Kudoke K3 Grüner Wald Sonderedition II retails for USD 16,500. Compare this to the regular Kudoke K3 which has a retail of EUR 9,350 (about USD 10,300) before tax, this is a big 60% premium. But it pays for the special lacquer with silver flakes on the green dial and the oak leaf relief hand engraving on the movement. The regular K3 comes with a frosted movement with flat hand engraving on the balance cock. Hand engraving the regular K3 is available at a USD 4,310 surcharge. But Ev Kudoke, Stefan’s wife, tells us the Sonderedition II’s oak leaf motif relief engraving is more complicated and takes 50% longer to execute. The novelty also comes with a second strap and a second pin buckle.
Release details
Introducing the Kudoke K3 Grüner Wald Sonderedition II – An EsperLuxe 5 year Anniversary Special Edition Collaboration
In 2019, Christopher Daaboul of EsperLuxe first met with Stefan Kudoke at Baselworld’s dedicated AHCI (Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants) space. There was so much to love about Stefan’s work – strong German watchmaking aesthetic and high quality craftsmanship at great prices. Chris knew that there was a perfect match for EsperLuxe in line with the philosophy of promoting high-quality independent watchmaking. This led to the first EsperLuxe special edition collaboration – the Kudoke 2 Grüner Wald Sonderedition (Green Forest Special Edition). After four years, EsperLuxe and Kudoke bring back the Grüner Wald (Green Forest) dial and are proud to unveil another exclusive collaboration – the Kudoke 3 Grüner Wald Sonderedition II.
The name for this Esperluxe exclusive timepiece relates to the dial’s color, a deep textured green inspired by Stefan’s forest surroundings in the German watchmaking haven of Saxony. On the dial, the steel hands are flame tempered brown to complete the color palette of the forest.
But more than dial color variation, this special edition is about the brand and the region’s specialty: hand-engraving. Going above and beyond the standard engraving found on the Kudoke main bridges, the entire mainplate of this timepiece features a relief engraving of a traditional oak leaf design.
The K3 pushes Kudoke to its next level. One of the biggest challenges for every watchmaker is retaining the design language established for a collection without new creations becoming aesthetically monotonous. Here, the Kudoke K3 moves in a new direction while maintaining a strong connection to its predecessors. While this timepiece has retained the same, “traditional” indication of minutes with a large hand and dial ring, it is the indication of hours that propels the collection’s evolution in the Kudoke 3.
Placed on an attached plate and divided into three dials on the level below the central dial, the hour is indicated with the help of a triple-armed hour hand – each hand with different lengths running between the two dials. When one arm of the hand reaches the end of the hour scale, the next longer or shorter arm appears at the beginning of the next hour scale. Hours 2, 6 and 10 are then shown twice on different scales before the current hand arm moves on. This is inspired by a combination of an old english pocket watch (for the upper dial) and the Glashütte Original Panoretropgraph with a three-tier countdown function, a piece Stefan worked on during his time in the atelier for prototypes and complications at GO.
As with previous models, the understated 39mm stainless steel case with classic onion crown and 10.3 mm case height provides an appropriate setting for this classic yet extravagant watch, The timepiece’s beating heart, the KALIBER 1, is exposed through the sapphire crystal case back with its relief engraving, “Sonderedition II,” and oak leaf motif engraved on the balance cock.
The result of an exciting partnership once more, the KUDOKE 3 Grüner Wald Sonderedition is a special edition of 18 pieces available exclusively from EsperLuxe.
Kudoke K3 Grüner Wald Sonderedition II Specifications
Case:
- W: 39mm, H: 10.3 mm
- Polished stainless steel
- Fluted onion crown
- Convex sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating
- Sapphire crystal exhibition caseback
- 5 ATM/50m water resistance
Dial & Hands:
- Frosted two-part dial, silvered/ frosted green, with rhodinized chapter ring on top dial and plate to indicate hours in three sections on dial below
- Flame tempered brown steel hands, minute hand with infinity symbol, three-arm hour hand
Movement:
- In-house Kaliber 1 manual winding
- W: 30mm, H: 4.3 mm
- 18 jewels
- 28,800 vib/h (4Hz)
- 46 hours power reserve
- Relief engraved wheel bridge – “Sonderedition II”
- Hand-engraved balance cock with “oak leaf” motif
Straps & Buckle:
- Organic bovine leather strap, mocca brown with quick release system and stainless steel buckle
- Additional Alcantara strap, stonegrey with quick release system and stainless steel pin buckle
