Credor are one of those secrets that’s so well-kept as to be almost mythical. So few of them are made each year that you’re unlikely ever to see one in the flesh and even the company itself doesn’t exactly fly their flag. Which is a surprise, given it’s the Japanese watchmaking kaiju that is Seiko.
Yep, that’s right: Seiko of ‘best under £500’ fame; of Grand Seiko fame too. Credor however is to Grand Seiko what Grand Seiko is to the Seiko 5. That is to say, less of a different league, more of a different sport entirely.
Spring Drive Minute Repeater
Even then there are two very different sides to Credor. One as you’d kind of expect is all about Japanese artisans creating extraordinary images on the watch face. Traditional techniques, little old men in bamboo huts, the whole wonderful thing. It’s great, really it is. That’s not what interests us though.
Spring Drive Sonnerie
We prefer the other side of Credor – the one on which both their Spring Drive Minute Repeater and Sonnerie sit. These are two of the most extreme complications in the world, taking not just watchmaking mechanics into account but the mechanics of sound.
Credor’s versions aren’t just taken from a blueprint like some of the larger brands do. They’re not even outsourced to Agenhor, Renaud & Papi or the like. They’re built in-house and they’re entirely unique, right down to the way they chime. Rather than a steel prong or something similar, both these watches use a ring around the edge inspired by glass Japanese wind chimes. The sound they make is crystal-clear and surprisingly loud.
Fugaku Tourbillon (¥50,000,000 / £341,900)
Then of course you have just how extraordinary the pair of them look. Openworked dials aren’t what we’ve come to expect from Seiko or Grand Seiko, but I guess when you’ve put that much effort into something you want to show it off. Thank god they did.
There’s plenty more to Credor than just these two pieces; they have far simpler ones like the porcelain-dialled Eichi II (above) and artfully-painted watches a la the Fugaku Tourbillon. But for us, there’s not much that comes close to this haute horological pair.
More at: www.seiko.co.uk; www.credor.com
