A blue edition of Credor Eichi II begins a year of celebration.
Since the first Credor Eichi was created in 2008, the combination of its beautifully simple design and the exquisite hand craftsmanship of its manufacture has made a lasting mark on the world horological stage. To begin a year of celebration of the 140th anniversary of the establishment by Kintaro Hattori of the company known today as Seiko Watch Corporation, a new edition of Credor Eichi II has been created with a Platinum 950 case and, for the first time, a blue dial.
Handcrafted and with a hand
painted porcelain dial
Eichi
II is the work of the elite team of watchmakers at the Micro Artist Studio in
Shiojiri. It is made, assembled and finished by hand and, remarkably, each of
the 12 indexes and the letters of the name Credor are hand-painted on to the
porcelain dial by one of studio’s own craftsmen. Now in its 20th year, the
Micro Artist Studio created not only Eichi (2008) and Eichi II (2014) but also
many others including the Credor Spring Drive Sonnerie (2006) and the Credor
Spring Drive Minute Repeater (2011).
The mysterious, deep blue of Ruri
Known
as Ruri in Japan and elsewhere as lapis lazuli, this deep blue color has
entranced makers of jewelry and other objets d’art for centuries because of its
intensity and its richness. It perfectly suits the simple, clean layout of the
Eichi II dial and provides the ideal contrast to the white indexes and hands.
It took over two years to develop this particular shade of Ruri blue and to
achieve it requires each dial to be fired repeatedly, a process that takes
place at the Micro Artist Studio under the close supervision of the studio’s
own craftsmen. Thanks to the Spring Drive movement, the white seconds hand
moves in perfect glide motion across the Ruri dial, creating a powerful
experience of the true, continuous flow of time.
The dial has a gentle curve thanks to the careful application of the porcelain
glaze which creates a surface tension, giving it a slightly domed shape. The
very nature of porcelain leads to the glaze being slightly thinner at the edge
and center of the dial so that, as light plays across each dial, it reveals its
own particular shades and tones.
Powered by Spring Drive. Finished
to perfection.
The
Spring Drive 7R14 movement is a joy to behold. It has a two-piece bridge for
strength and stability and the eye is caught by its perfectly beveled edges.
The rims of the bridges, the holes for rubies and the screws are all expertly
hand polished to a perfect mirror finish and the tempered blue screws stand out
in contrast to the hairline finish of the bridges to heighten the perception of
the perfection of the engineering. The barrel has the shape of the bell flower
that is the symbol of the city of Shiojiri and a slender, tempered blue hand
indicates precisely the power held in reserve. The Spring Drive movement is
manual-winding and features the unique Torque Return System* which delivers a
power reserve of 60 hours.
*Torque Return System: When the mainspring has been fully wound
and the torque output is at its highest, approximately 30% of the available
power is not needed to maintain the precision of the watch, and is in effect
wasted in a normal movement. The Torque Return System uses this energy to
rewind the mainspring, resulting in an increase in the power reserve.
The
bridge rims are polished by hand with a special wooden tool.
This
Eichi II watch will be available in January 2021, and its release marks the
beginning of a year of celebration of the company’s 140th anniversary.
About Credor
Created
in 1974, Credor is a luxury dress watch collection that uses the very finest
materials in the creation of timepieces that showcase Japanese aesthetics and
engineering excellence. Each Credor watch is produced by master watchmakers,
ensuring the enduring beauty and quality of every watch.
* This article was originally published here
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