UK-based independent watch specialist The Limited Edition (TLE) was founded in 2015 to offer the emerging indie collector community high-quality, small-run independent watches. Under the watchful eye of industry veteran and GPHG Academy member Pietro Tomajer, TLE curates a selection of watches from established independent brands, as well as championing new and emerging talent in partnership with the AHCI. TLE has now launched a collaboration with German brand Kudoke, with a limited edition of the Kudoke 2 inspired by the work of legendary English watchmaker Thomas Mudge.

To understand the context of this watch, we should rewind 270 years, back to the 1750s when Mudge invented the detached lever escapement that he applied to clocks and, later, pocket watches. This enduring innovation is as relevant today as it was back then, and he is still renowned for his chronometer work that reigned supreme and was unbeaten for over a century. The Kudoke 2 British Heritage is a celebration of Mudge and features period finishing techniques and hands in the Mudge style.

The 39mm steel case houses a golden-beige dial with grenage finish that sits beneath a domed sapphire crystal. The grenage effect is a modern interpretation of the frosting technique used by British watchmakers in the mid-1700s. However, the star of the show, literally, is a day/night indicator in the upper half of the dial that is hand engraved and galvanized in black and white rhodium. This indicator rotates every 24 hours and features a subtle golden star — The Limited Edition’s motif, no less — that indicates the time of day.

The movement is a manual-winding caliber devised in collaboration with Austrian independent watchmaker Habring². The Kaliber 1-24H is entirely hand decorated and finished in-house and can be admired through the sapphire caseback. The movement is, according to The Limited Edition, “inspired by the architecture of historical English pocket watches, which featured a center balance cock instead of the more commonly found lateral style of Saxon watches, with this edition the British influence is stressed even more.”

Only 30 numbered examples of this very special edition will be manufactured, making it a truly exclusive hand-manufactured wristwatch from a young contemporary watchmaker, dedicated to perpetuating the skills and techniques of the past.