Credor Phoenix GCB997 review

I took delivery of my Credor Phoenix GCB997 about 2 weeks ago and wanted to share my impressions. First of all I need to thank @errandboy since it was his post that turned me on to these, I had never heard nor seen one before that. For those that are interested in more detail Quill & Pad as well as Fratello did articles on these (see below):

https://quillandpad.com/2023/07/24/seiko-credor-kumakawa-worldtimer-a-genuine-rolex-beater-for-under-2000/

https://www.fratellowatches.com/best-kept-secrets-credor-phoenix/#gref

Basic facts:

• 40mm diameter

• 15mm thick

• 48mm lug to lug

• 20mm lug width

• Drilled lugs

• 6S78 caliber 34 jewels

• 50hr power reserve

• 100m water resistance

• Dates of production: 1999-2002 (JDM market only)

Right now in my horological journey, which only started last year, I’ve become drawn to chronographs, this being my 2nd after my Tag Heurer CBN2A10.BA0643. Also of note is that I’m a huge Seiko and Grand Seiko fan. I’ve got both a SARB033 and SAR035 as well as a Grand Seiko SLGH005. So once I learned about Credor, and found they had a stunning black dialed chronograph, this was an easy decision to make. They are relatively easy to find on the secondary market, but the problem is the bracelet sizing. I have a 7.25” wrist, and from what I’ve seen trying to find one, most of these were sized to smaller wrists (~6.5” ) and most don’t have extra links. And finding extra links seems almost impossible. So I waited to find one that seemed to have all the spare links. This one was sized to 7.5” and I had to remove 2 of the links to size for my wrist. Fits perfectly. The first thing I did was put in on the Timegrapher and it’s running ~+18/sd in 4 positions, amplitude in the 280 range in 4 positions and beat error 0.0 in all positions. So far I’m happy with this, but will eventually see if I can get the regulation down a little from +18/sd, but for me this is not really a priority.

The fit and finish of this particular watch is outstanding for a 24 year old watch (mine is dated as built in 2000). For those that have, and are familiar with the quality of finish Grand Seiko produces, this will be no surprise to you. It has a significant heft to it that I love. There are some minor scratches on the crystal, but I can only see those with a 6x loop. It is an extremely busy dial, but for a chronograph that isn’t unusual, it’s similar in that regard to my Tag Heuer. The lume is by far better than any other watch I currently own. Note that this model does NOT have a display case back, but the case back does have an engraved Phoenix on it. This is my first watch that has crown guards, so I’m still getting used to that. The crown is perfectly sized and easy to change date/time. The bracelet is extremely comfortable to wear, my only minor complaint is that it has the same clasp style as my Omega Aqua Terra (butterfly?), so it fastens down on both sides. I don’t prefer that style, but not an issue, just something to note.

The Credor Phoenix line had a number of similar models. For example there were a number of chronographs like this one, with different dial colors (blue, salmon, white) and one model that was not a chronograph that had a power reserve indicator at the 3 o’clock position. They all seemed to share the same case and bracelet. For those that are interested there is a good posting on WUS where you can see a lot of these

Overall this watch is amazing. For those that like chronographs, and are looking for something of this size, I can highly recommend it.