The context
Known for its dedication to craft and timeless elegance, Credor represents some of the finest artisanal watchmaking Japan has to offer. The brand has its origins in 1974, with the name Credor a corruption of the French word "crête d’or", or "crest of gold". This is mirrored in the brand’s three peaks logo, a stylised version of the Japanese word for mountain (山).
First seen in 2014, the Credor Eichi II is crafted at the Seiko group’s Micro Artist Studio in Shiojiri. The studio, that produces just a handful of watches annually, was set up in consultation with Philippe Dufour with the watchmaker instructing on the practices and techniques that are today employed to create pieces that bear the Credor name. Legend has it that in the early days, to closely replicate his techniques and results, the watchmakers at the studio used the same wood that Dufour employs to bevel his bridges. They are said to have collected the wood on a visit to Switzerland.
The Credor Eichi II was the second vision for the watch – the first was released in 2008 with the name Eichi, Japanese for wisdom, reflecting the generations of watchmaking culture that informed it. It was exceedingly classical – a 35mm platinum case with a Noritake porcelain dial with oversized enamel numerals at 2, 4 and 7 o’clock, that appeared only at certain angles and hand painted indices.
The Eichi II refined this formula, while placing it in a more modern context.
The Design
The platinum case is perhaps the biggest point of distinction from the previous iteration of the Eichi. It measures 39mm across, with a wide, cambered bezel meeting the slim midcase in a flat facet. The rim of the display caseback, slightly wider than the dial-side bezel, also meets the midcase in a similar flat facet. All parts are mirror polished. The midcase is home to the knurled crown with the Credor mark set against a media blasted base. The lugs are short and flat and curve down. This clever play of proportions is the reason for the watch’s compact 45mm lug-to-lug distance.
The 19mm distance between the lugs is furnished with a large grained, black leather strap secured by a signed platinum deployant clasp.
The porcelain dial, made by a specialist concern in the Nagano Prefecture, is refined. It does away with the power reserve on the dial side as well as the brand logo. There are no hidden gimmicks either, like on the original Eichi. The pure white porcelain dial is faultlessly even, meeting at the dimpled centre through which the cannon pinion passes. The method employed to create the dial, while similar to enamelling, is considerably more difficult owing to the delicate nature of porcelain.
The indices and the simple brand mark are hand painted by a single artist at the Micro Artist Studio who spent a whole year perfecting the craft. They are luscious and three-dimensional and perfectly match the shade of the heat blued, fine-tipped hands. The smooth glide of the seconds indicator over the porcelain dial is lent drama by the crescent counterweight.
The movement
Visible through the display caseback is the manually wound calibre 7R14, a Spring Drive movement that is a Seiko innovation. While the mainspring directly drives the hands, between the spring and hands lies a governing wheel suspended in a magnetic field. This creates an electrical current that activates the quartz oscillator. The Electro-magnetic force from the oscillator acts as a braking force on the governing wheel and is key to stable timekeeping. In fact, the set up makes the calibre accurate to 15 seconds a month. The movement also features a form of torque recovery which aids the 60 hours of power reserve.
In terms of decoration the watch differs significantly from the first Eichi. The brass bridges are horizontally satinated and coated in rhodium (while in the Eichi I they were crafted from untreated German silver). The rhodium-plating ties the movement side and the dial aesthetic together more convincingly.
The mainspring barrel is skeletonised in the form of a bellflower, a species native to Shiojiri. The inner edges of the flower are bevelled and mirror polished. The motif is also engraved again on the bridge that houses the power reserve. The edges of the two bridges feature much wider bridges than on the calibre in the original Eichi. They have been finished to perfection and give the calibre a gleaming appearance. The countersinks for the jewels and screws visible on these bridges have also been mirror polished.
This Eichi II comes with an outer and inner box, a certificate of warranty as well as origin bill of sale from 2015.
The rarity of the Eichi II goes beyond mere scarcity. It is an instance of a modern watch that is traditionally made by hand, future-proof yet containing an incredibly delicate craft.
If sold within the United Kingdom, this Credor Eichi II will be subject to 20% VAT
