Credor To Join New Exhibitors At Watches & Wonders 2026, And We Have Questions
Once an insider’s insider brand, Credor looks poised to debut internationally.
Watches & Wonders gets bigger every year, and for 2026, there will be 11 new brands (so far). According to the FHH, these include Audemars Piguet, L’Epée 1839, and Behrens, Bianchet, B.R.M Chronographes, Charles Girardier, Corum, Favre Leuba, March LA.B and Sinn Spezialuhren. The list of new exhibitors also includes Credor, which has for the most part, since the brand was launched in 1974, been available only in the Japan domestic market, although a few Credor watches have been shown in international markets over the years, including the Eichi I and Eichi II, Credor Sonnerie (an unusual hour striker which strikes the hours en passant in sonnerie mode, but which can also be set to strike three times once every three hours) and Credor Minute Repeater (a rare example of a decimal repeater).
Via the press release, Seiko’s Shinji Hattori, CEO, CCO, and Chairman of Seiko Watch Corporation, said, “To showcase Credor on a global stage at Watches and Wonders Geneva has been a long-held aspiration of mine. I am confident that visitors will recognize and appreciate the charm of Credor, which, until now, has remained a hidden gem known only to a discerning few outside Japan.”
When Credor was first launched, it was under the name “Crêt d’Or” or “crest of gold” and the watches did not carry what we now know as the Credor logo, nor did they carry the Credor name; the name appeared first as a section in the Seiko Japan domestic market catalog (which is the only place the name could have appeared, since the watches were not sold outside of Japan) and referred to gold versions of steel models as well as gold watches designed specifically for that segment of the catalog.
The name, “Crêt d’Or” became “Credor” in 1975, and the distinctive Credor logo, which, according to Japanese watch enthusiast site Plus 9 Time, is adopted from the simplified character for “mountain,” (山) came into use in 1980 and represents three mountain peaks meeting three stars.
Currently, the Credor online catalog shows three collections: Masterpiece, which consists of three Eichi II models; Goldfeather, which features extra flat and skeletonized extra flat watches, as well as a tourbillon; and Locomotive, which is a single model (so far) collection, consisting of the steel Locomotive watch originally designed by Gerald Genta, and which was relaunched in 2024.
The Japanese language version of the Credor site shows several additional collections not shown on the English version, including the integrated bracelet, Kuon models, which appear to be powered by Spring Drive 7R31A movements; these may remain JDM only if there is concern about cannibalizing Grand Seiko Spring Drive watches. A Kuon on a bracelet in steel is listed at 1,430,000 JP¥, which at the current rate of exchange is about 9700 USD … I’m curious to see what if anything new from the Japanese language online catalog, will be introduced internationally at Watches & Wonders. It will also be interesting to see if this generates any greater interest outside Japan for collecting both neo-vintage and vintage Credor, which would be a challenge as despite the fact that there are dozens upon dozens of models to choose from, the fact that they are overwhelmngly JDM only would make them difficult to impossible to find outside the home market. We’ll be watching closely as we get nearer to the show.