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.

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 watch has a 39mm case size, which makes this a perfect dress watch for special occasions.

The watch features a spring drive movement, which is a feast for the eyes with blue screws and plenty of jewels. The jewel holes and bridge parts are polished by hand, which shows a typically Japanese obsession with perfection in the details.

Known as Ruri in Japan and elsewhere as lapis lazuli, this deep blue color has entranced makers of jewellery 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.

This handmade masterpiece comes at a steep price of course, which is 59,000 euros. Ouch. That is Patek money and frankly, very few people will see the long term investment value in this Credor Eichi.