Born in 1974, Credor celebrates its 50th birthday this year, and the brand has developed a special edition watch to mark the milestone: the limited-edition Credor 50th Anniversary Eichi II watch, a blue and gold variant of the much-loved time-only classic dress timepiece. While at first glance, the commemorative Credor timepiece is deceivingly simple in style, creating it required painstaking hand-crafting by the artisans who work at Seiko’s lauded Micro Artist Studio in Shiojiri, Japan.
Credor launched the original Eichi watch in 2008 and followed it up with the even more refined Eichi II in 2014, removing any superfluous details it could while fine-tuning what was left. The 50th anniversary Credor Eichi II watch retains that singular focus on minimalism mastery, donning an 18k yellow-gold case that measures 39mm in diameter and 10.3mm thick. This is the first time Credor has made an Eichi case in yellow gold. While the case is, no doubt, elegant, the star of the (subtle) show here is the blue porcelain dial.
The deep blue shade of the gently curved dial is called ruri, Japanese for lapis lazuli. The slightly domed shape of the dial is the result of several layers of porcelain glaze, which also adds depth and richness and allows the color to vary depending on how the light hits it. As is customary for Credor dials, the logo and hour markers are handpainted; yet, this is the first time that the craftspeople at the Micro Artist Studio have used yellow gold on an Eichi II watch dial. Once the dials have been fired, gold is applied on top of the handpainted details; this stems from the Ruri-Kinsai technique that became popular during the Edo period whereby gold is overglazed on a ruri-colored item such as porcelain. As you can imagine, successfully applying small and precise gold accents onto a porcelain dial requires immense skill. The choice of yellow gold adds even more meaning to the brand’s name; Credor is borrowed from crete d’or, French for crest of gold.
The back of the case offers a view of the manual-winding Spring Drive Caliber 7R14 that powers the Credor 50th Anniversary Eichi II timepiece. This is the same movement that all Eichi II watches have relied on since the model’s inception in 2014, promising an accuracy rating within ±15 seconds per month. Take a closer look at the movement’s barrel and you’ll see that it was fashioned after the bellflower, the symbolic bloom of the city of Shiojiri. The pair of hand-finished bridges glisten with high-polished edges, while the hand-tempered screws shine in vivid blue. Thanks to the movement’s Torque Return System, it supplies the watch with about 60 hours of power reserve. According to Credor, when a mainspring is fully wound, around 30% of the available power is not needed to maintain precision; therefore, the Torque Return System uses what would otherwise be a wasted energy source to rewind the mainspring, thereby increasing the power reserve.
Limited to only 30 examples and priced at €48,000 Euros, the Credor 50th Anniversary Eichi II ref. GBLT996 watch will be available starting in June 2024. For more information, please visit the brand’s website.
