Stefan Kudoke is not a name that comes up often in casual watch conversations, and honestly, that is exactly where his appeal lies. Operating out of the quiet German village of Weifa, this former Glashütte Original, Breguet, and Blancpain-trained master watchmaker has spent years building a language of his own, one written in engraving tools and frosted dials rather than marketing campaigns. The KUDOKE 3 Nocturne, a limited edition of just 20 pieces announced in February 2026, crystallises everything the HANDwerk collection stands for: understated, deliberate, and thoroughly earned.
A Dial That Demands a Second Look
The Nocturne’s reading experience does not come easily, and that is the point. The KUDOKE 3’s two-level dial construction splits the display between a frosted base treated with black gold on the lower level and a galvanic black upper dial carrying the applied minute ring. Rather than white printing, Kudoke uses silver-coloured markings, which integrate softly into the dark tonal spectrum without the visual jolt of harsh contrast. The result is a dial that rewards patience, at first glance, you see a dark surface; after a few seconds, the architecture reveals itself.
Reading the time is, admittedly, unconventional. A three-armed hour hand traverses between the two dial planes, switching its active pointer as it progresses. At 2, 6, and 10 o’clock, two arms appear simultaneously before the active one continues. Minutes track conventionally via a long polished hand on the upper chapter ring, whose tip carries Kudoke’s signature infinity symbol, a detail also found at the 60-minute position. Crucially, the Nocturne swaps the blued steel hands of standard KUDOKE 3 versions for polished steel, reinforcing the monochromatic intent across the entire composition.
The Kaliber 1 — Dressed for the Night
Inside sits the in-house Kaliber 1, a hand-wound calibre developed in collaboration with Habring² and finished entirely within the Weifa manufacture. The movement measures 30mm in diameter and 4.3mm in height, beats at 28,800 vph (4 Hz), counts 18 jewels, and delivers a 46-hour power reserve, perfectly coherent numbers for a time-only piece of this character. The anti-shock system is Kif, the balance spring comes from Carl Haas.
What separates this Nocturne calibre from standard executions is the Flakes engraving on the bridge, rhodium-plated to complement the dark aesthetic. The technique involves gradually cutting tiny fragments of material from the bridge surface, creating a finely structured texture that scatters light with a lively shimmer, each pass of the tool is unique, meaning no two movements are identical. Kudoke also hand-engraves the balance cock with the infinity symbol, connecting the movement décor directly to the dial vocabulary. This level of decoration, which Kudoke now offers as an optional extra across the full HANDwerk range for €2,990 excl. VAT, takes this calibre from technically competent to genuinely artisanal.
Case: Matte, Purposeful, Exclusive
The 39mm stainless steel case arrives in a finish reserved solely for this special edition: a matte sandblasted surface that eliminates reflections and gives the watch a contained, almost self-contained presence. At 9.8mm tall, it sits lower on the wrist than earlier KUDOKE 3 references, which measured 10.3mm, thanks in part to subtle construction refinements. The screwed bezel and caseback add structural integrity, and both the dial-side and caseback sapphire crystals receive anti-reflective treatment. The onion crown, likewise sandblasted, sustains the matte language across every surface the eye touches. A suede leather strap with a matte sandblasted pin buckle closes the loop.
20 Pieces, One Clear Intention
The KUDOKE 3 Nocturne does not try to reinvent the wheel, it perfects the mood of one specific wheel. Stefan Kudoke consciously referenced the KUDOKE 2 Nocturne from 2020 when naming this edition, and that continuity matters. The watch carries a retail price of €12,574 excl. VAT, which, when you consider that every single component, dial, movement bridge, balance cock, hands, passes through the hands of Kudoke’s seven-person team in Weifa, begins to feel remarkably reasonable for the level of craft involved. If you have been watching the independent watchmaking world, you already know that access to one of these 20 pieces requires more than a credit card. It requires timing, and perhaps a little patience, the very thing the watch itself asks of you every time you read the hour.
