Worn & Wound
Introducing the Kudoke 5, with a 24-Hour Display and a Slimmer Case
In 2019, the last year of Baselworld, I remember roaming the hall of AHCI and visiting Stefan and Ev Kudoke to see their new Kudoke 1 and Kudoke 2 models. The Kudoke 2 was an instant winner for me with the small hand engraved 24-hour day/night disc. Later that year, the Kudoke 2 won the “Petite Aiguille” GPHG award for the best watch under CHF 10,000. This put Kudoke as a brand on every collector’s radar. My first impression of the Kudoke 5 is that it is a natural progression or a logical conclusion to the K2 model with the 24-hour day/night disc as the dial. While the small disc in the K2 works as a nice indicator, the full blown 24-hour dial with a large day/night sky is more poetic and truly feels like it naturally belongs as a dial. The other noticeable thing about the K5 is that it is a brand-new case that is much slimmer than the previous models. It is officially listed at 7mm without the domed crystal (it’s 38mm in diameter and 47mm from lug to lug). Even though the domed crystal on the watch presented in Geneva last month was a prototype, it did not appear to add any height to the watch. This is the slimmest Kudoke watch I have seen. According to Stefan, engraving the day/night disc is a complex process involving relief engraving. The stars, moon, and triangle remain in place during engraving and the rest of the elements must be lowered. The whole engraving process takes several days. The biggest challenge he faces is not denting the disc during this ...
