KEKS Announces New Leica Rapid Advance

Several days ago, KEKS—a company you most likely know from their line of hot-shoe mounted light meters—announced their release of the new KEKS Rapid-Winder for classic Leica bodies. Designed to fit the M1, M2, M3, and classic MP, this accessory is a recreation of the original Leicavit MP and is designed around the same internal structure and materials.

I freely admit I’m a Leica nerd. Over the years, I’ve built up a small but functional collection of cameras and lenses (my newest acquisition is an MP, which has rapidly become not only one of my favorite bodies but also my everyday carry camera), so any time news like this comes out, I get a little excited.

Using a spring-loaded trigger on the bottom plate, these winders make it easier to advance film with a single-stroke mechanism, which can be vitally important in high-speed scenes. For photojournalists and street shooters, this can make shooting a far more organic and spontaneous experience.

So what makes this such an interesting announcement? To my mind, KEKS is pushing the envelope and dipping their toes into relatively untouched waters. There are a number of companies attempting to recreate or otherwise replicate Leica designs, but KEKS has mostly been known for smaller accessories. The KEKS Winder feels like the nexus between nostalgia and practicality, but moreover, this feels like quite the leap forward. It’s affordable. At roughly between six hundred and seven hundred dollars, it’s far less than an original Leicavit or Abrahamsson winder. The winder will come in silver or black and requires a special spool and adapter for the M3. Sadly, it will not work with the M3 Double Stroke.

Per KEKS:

The Rapid-Winder is the first product of our "Reimagined series." We aimed to bring some of the most iconic and sought-after film camera accessories back to life in retro form.

Unlike our previous project with the light meter, the Rapid-Winder is entirely mechanical, which brought its own set of challenges. Thankfully, we’ve teamed up with some incredibly talented engineers to bring this product back to life. We took an original Leicavit and stripped it down to really understand how it works. The biggest challenges we faced were choosing the right materials and getting the color to match the camera body.

To achieve the same smooth winding feel, the Rapid-Winder consists of many different parts that need to fit with absolute precision. Most of the parts are made of steel and brass materials, while the winding mechanism is chain-driven, providing the same durability and quality as the original.