Louis Erard continues their ongoing series of collaborations with important independent watchmakers via their Le Regulateur collection with a new group of limited editions made in collaboration with Stefan Kudoke. Kudoke is a German watchmaker who has gained a great deal of acclaim in recent years for his beautifully simple timepieces that tend to feature simple dials with subtle textures and elaborately engraved movements. The Kudoke 1 and Kudoke 2 references are seen by many connoisseurs as modern classics, and like all of Stefan’s watches they have immediately recognizable motifs that make them distinctly “Kudoke.” These Louis Erard limited editions borrow just the right amount of these design elements to make them easily identifiable as being made in partnership with Kudoke, but probably only to the most serious watch nerds. Compared to previous limited editions with watchmakers like Konstantin Chaykin and Alain Silberstein, the Kudoke watches feel considerably more under the radar and less flashy, which is fitting given the general aesthetic Kudoke is known for.
The Le Regulateur concept feels like a natural for a collaboration with Kudoke because so much of his work is based in a certain kind of precision that is part and parcel with traditional German watchmaking. For example, Kudoke’s watches tend to feature meticulously finished nameplates, chapter rings, which are represented on these watches in the dual signatures on each dial, as well as the railway track chapter ring and counter rings. The hands have also been rendered in blued steel, and we get the traditional Kudoke “infinity” hour hand. Hours are indicated by Roman numerals and dots, another Kudoke hallmark.
The most notable connection to Kudoke’s work though is likely the colorways that have been chosen for these editions. To varying degrees, each is synonymous with Kudoke in one way or another. A total of four watches make up this series, with dials in purple, forest green, light blue, and white mother of pearl. All but the mother of pearl feature a beautiful grained finish. The colored dials are very nice, but my personal favorite is the mother of pearl reference, which is quite dynamic, as you’d expect, revealing a multitude of colors in various light conditions. The best mother of pearl dials, in my opinion, achieve a swirling storm of color in the right light, and this one certainly does that, perhaps to a greater degree than most white mother of pearl dials.
Each of the watches in this collection uses a 42mm stainless steel case that the majority of the Le Regulateur collaborations have featured. While Louis Erard has a 39mm case in the same shape that they sometimes deploy for limited editions such as this, I think a larger, statement making case is appropriate here. In any event, the case wears well and is nicely finished, even if it’s not the centerpiece of this release or the reason, necessarily, that most will be drawn to it.
The light blue and forest green editions are each limited to 100 pieces, while the mother of pearl and purple variants are limited to just 78 pieces each. Each watch is mounted on a grained calf leather strap in a complementary color, run on the same Sellita SW266-1 movement common to virtually all of Louis Erard’s Le Regulateur releases. The retail price for the green, purple, and light blue watches comes in at CHF 4,000, while the mother of pearl edition is priced at CHF 4,500. Louis Erard
