Introducing: The Credor Eichi II 50th Anniversary Special Edition
Seiko has possibly the widest range of entirely in-house-manufactured watches in today’s market. Everything from Spartan Seiko 5 watches to highly complicated Grand Seikos will be found. Since 1974, the company has even had a Haute Horlogerie branch in the form of Credor. And for those who are quick at arithmetic, that is precisely 50 years this year. That’s a cause for celebration!
Credor introduces a special edition of its Eichi II watch to mark the occasion, limited to 30 pieces. Let’s have a closer look at this latest creation.
The Credor Eichi II
Credor introduced the original Eichi in 2008. It was a 35mm dress watch with a power reserve indicator at 10 o’clock. The 2014 Eichi II saw that indicator move to the back of the watch, cleaning up the dial. The case grew from 35mm wide to a crowd-pleasing 39mm across by 10.3mm thick.
The Eichi II is powered by the hand-winding Spring Drive caliber 7R14. With its hand-beveled plates and bellflower mainspring barrel, this caliber is not only pretty but also technically impressive. Of course, Spring Drive is a fascinating bit of tech in itself, but it is the power recovery that impresses most. When fully wound, the mainspring delivers about 30% more torque than necessary. Rather than letting this energy go to waste, the Eichi II recovers it and uses the energy to rewind the mainspring. This results in a 60-hour power reserve. Granted, that isn’t an earth-shattering number today, but sometimes the charm is in the how, not the what.
The Eichi II is characterized by its kiln-fired porcelain dials with hand-painted markers. Produced in the Credor Micro Artist Studio, they require a steady hand from a master craftsperson.
The 50th-anniversary Credor Eichi II
Onto today’s release. This special celebratory Credor Echi II comes in an 18K yellow gold case, finished to the extreme standards of the house. It is befitting of the brand since the Credor name is derived from the French Crête d’Or, meaning “crest of gold.”
The dial is executed in very dark blue porcelain called ruri (瑠璃), Japanese for “lapis lazuli.” It is deceptively simple but worth a closer look. The dial is domed, and the blue porcelain is uniquely dynamic in its light play. You would almost expect a reversed vignette dial from the pictures, but that is not what it is. What you are seeing are changes in hue and darkness caused by different light angles. This should make for a spectacular sight on the wrist.
In typical Credor style, the markers are manually painted onto the dial before firing. After firing, they are then topped with another hand-painted application of gold. The same technique is applied to the Credor crest at 12 o’clock, another new element for the commemorative edition.
Initial impressions
Credor watches have to be seen and handled to be fully appreciated. The beauty is in the refinement with which they are executed. Simple press images like those here typically don’t do them justice. They are, unfortunately, all I have to go by at the moment, so I will be conservative in my judgment until I see one.
We can tell from the pictures that Credor remained faithful to its philosophy. The limited-edition 50th Anniversary Eichi II is still an oasis of minimalism and peaceful design in an ocean of embellished and over-designed watches.
I am most looking forward to seeing this dial in person. Judging from how intense the color-shifting properties of the dial look in these renders, it must be quite the thing to behold in real life. We will happily report once we have had the chance to handle the watches.
The new Eichi II will be available from June 2024, is limited to 30 pieces, and is priced at €48,000.
What do you think of the new Credor Eichi II 50th Anniversary limited edition? Let us know in the comments below.
