The Seiko Credor Eichi replica watches are, in many respects, unique among high-end timepieces. They show only the hours, minutes, and seconds, and when the first version was released, in 2008, it was already a fake watch that was all about essentials; it was from outset powered by Seiko's Spring Drive technology (in the very first version, this was Spring Drive caliber 7R08). The original Eichi has a Noritake porcelain dial, a platinum case, and heat blued hands; it also includes an indication for the power reserve, with the pivot anchored at the outer end of the 10:00 hour marker. The dial markers and logo are a very deep blue and applied by hand, which seems very hard to believe at first ?they're extremely finely done ?until you look very closely and see the almost invisible, virtually microscopic variations in line width and edge consistency that testify to manual application.
I think it is very Japanese to associate quiet movement with the way things move in nature.
?Yoshifusa Nakazawa, Master Watchmaker, micro Artist studio, shiojiriFor many connoisseurs the original Eichi was a revelation, in a number of respects. First, it showcased the ability of the Spring Drive movement to create certain kinds of visual effects and emotional responses not easily duplicated by any other type of existing wristwatch technology. Second, it proved that the degree of sophistication in movement finishing mastered by the craftsman in Morioka was at least the equal of any to be found anywhere else in the world ?and in some respects, arguably superior to much of what is being produced in countries more readily associated with fine watchmaking, and fine fake watch finishing.
The original Credor Eichi, with "secret" Arabics at 2, 4, and 7 o'clock.
But perhaps most importantly, the first Eichi demonstrated Seiko's ability to produce a product that was, and is, distinctively and indisputably Japanese, while at the same time offering such clarity in design and inspiration as to have a truly universal appeal. During our trip to Japan last year to document the production of Spring Drive replica watches at the Micro Artist Studio in Shiojirii, Seiko's Yoshifusa Nakazawa (who personally assembles the Eichi II watches) remarked, "I think it is very Japanese to associate quiet movement with the way things move in nature." The observation is completely apt, and yet it's exactly the very specifically Japanese characteristics of the Eichi replica watches that makes them so attractive to keen-eyed connoisseurs around the world, and they can now be found on a very small number of wrists (annual production is very low) from Manhattan to Silicon Valley to Singapore and beyond.
The original Eichi caliber 7R08A.
The next version of the Eichi, the Eichi II, was first released in 2014, and in terms of minimalism it went the original Eichi one better, in reducing the presentation of time to its essentials.
The Seiko Credor Eichi II, in platinum.
Spring Drive caliber 7R14, with power reserve on the back of the movement.
In the Eichi II, the power reserve hand has been relocated, to the back of the movement, and the Credor logo has been significantly simplified. Also gone are the "secret" Arabic numbers found on the dial of the original Eichi. The result is an extremely spare fake watch in which every element seems indispensable to the overall effect ?there is nothing extraneous for any element of the fake watch to hide behind and as a result, the degree of almost supernatural fineness in every element is even more in the foreground.
The rose gold version of the fake watch shares the same overall limpid simplicity of the platinum Eichi II, as well as the almost forbiddingly uniform excellence of fit and finish in every detail. I handle hundreds of replica watches over the course of a year and I don't know how many thousands ?probably tens of thousands ?I've examined closely over the last twenty years, and I can think of very, very few that can withstand the sort of very close scrutiny through which the Eichi replica watches pass with flying colors ?there is simply no part of the fake watch that doesn't just withstand, but also richly reward, very close examination.
The general lines of the two replica watches are essentially identical; in addition to the rose gold case, the most noticeable difference is the color of the dial markers. In the platinum version they're a very deep, rich blue; in the rose gold version, they're a very dark charcoal ?almost straight black, but with an almost subliminal hint of warmth that echoes the embers-warm hue of the case.
In the platinum version, the blued steel hands have rather a wintry feel ?beauty is there, but it's the beauty of flowing water beneath a layer of ice on a winter's day, surrounded by trackless snow. The blued steel takes on a rather different character in conjunction with rose gold, however ?think cornflowers in the glow of an afternoon summer sun. In certain respects the use of gold makes this a somewhat more conventionally luxurious fake watch than the platinum model, which has a kind of austerity ?almost severity ?that I think expresses the philosophy of Eichi extremely well; in rose gold some of that cool reserve is lost, but the upside is a somewhat more immediately approachable watch.
ADVERTISEMENTThe movement continues to be one of the most beautifully conceived and executed in the world. Spring Drive as a foundation for a very high-end luxury wristwatch is a very interesting and even provocative choice and of course, it's essential to the character of Eichi as well, in which the smooth, silent, gliding motion of the seconds hand (tipped with a crescent moon, virtually the only overtly decorative flourish on the dial side of the watch) is a visual expression of the continuous flow of time. It's worth remembering that Spring Drive is significantly different from both standard quartz and conventional mechanical replica watches ?a point easy to forget but central to understanding the appeal of Eichi. To review just a few essentials, the fake watch is powered by a mainspring ?there is no battery nor system for storing electricity ?and has a standard gear train right up to where the escape wheel, lever, and balance would be in a conventional watch. Instead of these components, you'll find the "glide wheel" which rotates inside an electromagnet. The glide wheel acts as the rotor of an electrical generator and the energy provided is used to control the power of the electromagnet, acting as a braking force on the glide wheel; regulation is via a quartz oscillator.
The Eichi watches, along with the Credor chiming timepieces, are along with the Grand Seiko Spring Drive 8-Day watches, among just a tiny handful of replica watches using hand-wound Spring Drive movements, and provide a very intimate relationship with the mechanism. The movement is, as close as anything produced by human hands could be, flawless, and while some of even the most expensive luxury replica watches from even some of the most historically exalted houses can be disappointing nowadays, especially under a loupe, the Eichi Spring Drive calibers are inexhaustibly delightful to examine under any magnification you like. There are few products from any individual or company that can approach the level of quality found in Eichi watches, and thanks to Spring Drive, none that offer its unique combination of mechanical solutions and sheer physical beauty.
On the wrist, the Eichi II in rose gold is a study in the harmonious reconciliation of contrasts ?the obsessive dedication to quality as an end in itself with great physical beauty; the combination of what is for watchmaking, a most exotic technology with a highly traditional approach to realizing a wristwatch design; the inevitable sense of urgency about the passage of time which travels along with any wristwatch, mingled with the serenity of the visible motion.
The original Eichi was a breathtaking debut of a kind of watchmaking never before seen, and seemed impossible to improve on but I feel taking everything into account, that the Eichi II models manage to take what was already an exceedingly refined wristwatch and make it something that transcends its own refinement. At its price point ?$42,000 in rose gold ?it is in the interesting position of having both a great deal of competition, and no competition at all. The world of luxury replica watches offers much nowadays that represents compromise, and especially in the context of just how little value you can get for a five figure fake watch these days, $42,000 for the Eichi II seems a bargain.
For a closer look at Spring Drive technology, check out our in-depth coverage of the Credor Eichi II in platinum from 2017.
The Seiko Credor Eichi II: case, rose gold, 39.5mm x 10.3mm. Water resistance 3 bar, antimagnetic to 4,800 A/m (amperes per meter) or about 60 gauss. Movement, Spring Drive caliber 7R14, hand wound; accuracy +/- 15 sec/month. 60-hour power reserve, running in 41 jewels; fitted with "torque recovery system." Price, $42,000. Available in the USA and elsewhere on special order through Seiko boutiques.
Seiko Spring-drive Seiko-credor