Credor GCLH979 Review
Great everyday office watch.
Sizing and Wearability:
Spring drive watches are too thick I hear? This is a manual winding spring drive watch is at 9.5mm. Comes on a bracelet unlike the offers from GS SBGY line. Case Diameter: 39.3mm, Lug to Lug: 46.8mm, (with male end-link, 50mm). My wrist is 7.5 inch, and it still has two extra bracelet links to spare. No micro adjust on the bracelet which is a bummer. But overall, I'm able to get a nice fit.
Movement:
The movement is one of the earliest spring drives, 7R88. Still just as accurate as modern day spring drives, but just lacking in power reserve. Date change takes about 30mins starting around 1130. Beautifully finished with Tokyo strips. Blued screws (but not sure if it is true tempered blued), I go into details in my YouTube review, link below.
Case and Dial:
Unique octagon case shape showing aspects of both sharpness and softness. It has one of the most minimal dial in terms of text. Just Credor, and that's all you really need. The hands are properly tempered blued treated and even the seconds hand is finished off with a beautifully polished cap on top. Both date window and power reserve has subtle circular pattern surrounding it
Interesting power reserve location which symbolizes the rising sun, which made me ponder about how sun rise actually work. I go into details on my YouTube review, see below.
Overall:
I'd recommend this watch for anyone wanting a thin spring drive watch who doesn't mind winding the watch every 2 days and is needing a bracelet for everyday use along with a date function.
YouTube:
Credor GCLH979 Review
Yes
No
- Spring Drive (that's actually thin)
- Unique design
- Manual winding with power reverse
- Beautiful movement finishing
- Tempered blued hands
- Date with quickset
- Clean dial with minimal text
- No quick adjust on bracelet
- Chemically blued screws ?
- High polish everywhere
- Only 48 hours of power reverse
- 30m splash / water resistance
Collecting shaped watches, anything but round
Looks like a beautiful watch, but I don’t live the power reserve location.
As a general thing, I’m confused as to what Seiko is doing. They sell Seikos, Credors, and Grand Seikos for about the same price. I don’t get why there’s so much overlap in price. I guess they feel there’s a difference in what the kinda of watches the three brands produce. To me it made more sense to have a vertical separation in pricing between the brands, not three different brands making high end watches.
Looks like a beautiful watch, but I don’t live the power reserve location.
As a general thing, I’m confused as to what Seiko is doing. They sell Seikos, Credors, and Grand Seikos for about the same price. I don’t get why there’s so much overlap in price. I guess they feel there’s a difference in what the kinda of watches the three brands produce. To me it made more sense to have a vertical separation in pricing between the brands, not three different brands making high end watches.
Thanks. Check out my video or google GCLW997, which is a leaked model of this watch with power reserve on the back.👍
Thanks for the great review, do you have any experience with the GCBE993? It has a lovely manually wound movement that's quite thin and very beautifully finished.
Thanks for the great review, do you have any experience with the GCBE993? It has a lovely manually wound movement that's quite thin and very beautifully finished.
Thanks. Not that specific model, but I have handled the Cal.68 in the past which is Seiko going all in with elegance and thinness but sacrificing accuracy. I think "The Knight’s Watch" on YouTube did a review of a very similar watch.
Thanks. Not that specific model, but I have handled the Cal.68 in the past which is Seiko going all in with elegance and thinness but sacrificing accuracy. I think "The Knight’s Watch" on YouTube did a review of a very similar watch.
The dial's not too shabby, either, but difficult to photograph
Thanks. Check out my video or google GCLW997, which is a leaked model of this watch with power reserve on the back.👍
I saw They were doing that with GS springdrives, and I think it’s a great idea. Power reserve is an interesting complication, but it rarely makes a dial look better. It’s not that it looks bad on your watch, I just think I’d like that dial with a simpler look.
Great review and thank you! I was on board until I saw high polish everywhere.
It is a handsome watch, thanks for the review. That manual wind spring drive movement is a nice addition for any Seiko collector. The small size could be an issue for me but the wall to wall dial and thinnish bezel do help.
Great review and thank you! I was on board until I saw high polish everywhere.
Haha yea... Credor kinda went nuts with Zaratsu, I don't even want to imagine the models in precious metals.
Looks like a beautiful watch, but I don’t live the power reserve location.
As a general thing, I’m confused as to what Seiko is doing. They sell Seikos, Credors, and Grand Seikos for about the same price. I don’t get why there’s so much overlap in price. I guess they feel there’s a difference in what the kinda of watches the three brands produce. To me it made more sense to have a vertical separation in pricing between the brands, not three different brands making high end watches.
High end Seiko is filling in the low end Grand Seiko space they are vacating. Just last summer, the price of the cheapest Spring Drive went from $3,800 to $4,800 overnight. I expect the cheapest GS quartz to dry up eventually too. What you see now is the middle of a repositioning. Credor is JDM only, so they are not meant to compete outside of Japan, and they are strictly dress watches, mostly in precious metal. Very different aesthetic from Grand Seiko.
I agree, the Grand Seiko position at 7:30 would be better. I like a power reserve, so I'm not one to grouse about it. Symmetry is overrated, and it fills some otherwise dead space.
High end Seiko is filling in the low end Grand Seiko space they are vacating. Just last summer, the price of the cheapest Spring Drive went from $3,800 to $4,800 overnight. I expect the cheapest GS quartz to dry up eventually too. What you see now is the middle of a repositioning. Credor is JDM only, so they are not meant to compete outside of Japan, and they are strictly dress watches, mostly in precious metal. Very different aesthetic from Grand Seiko.
I agree, the Grand Seiko position at 7:30 would be better. I like a power reserve, so I'm not one to grouse about it. Symmetry is overrated, and it fills some otherwise dead space.
Thanks for the info, that makes sense. Also, I need a GS ASAP before prices get any higher. Then again I say that about most brands.
Great looking watch. I love the dial. 😍
Beautiful
Just a gorgeous watch. It's subtly unique and classy and love the dial, the hands and the case shape. Hope to get my hands on one sometime!