The lore surrounding Seiko's Micro Artist Studio is well known to many who appreciate watches. It's where the company's most exacting finishing and handwork are practiced by a small number of Seiko artisans who are among the best in the world at what they do. I myself remember visiting the Studio in 2007 – still an infant in the world of watches, though around just long enough to have heard the name Philippe Dufour. I vaguely recall seeing his picture in the small Studio and learning of his interest in its activities, a discovery that I remember charmed me and caused me to ponder the cross-cultural possibilities of a craft which to that point I'd considered solely Swiss. Really, solely French-
Swiss Replica Watches.
The best-known range to hail from the Micro Artist Studio is that of Credor's Eichi watches, simple-enough-looking designs with indication for the power reserve (on the dial in the case of Eichi, on the movement in the case of the Eichi II), produced in extremely small quantities, which evince a character of simple perfection that I've come to expect from Seiko's higher-end products. This includes Grand Seiko, of course, as we've seen in another recent release here on the site. Still, Credor is, in my mind, the highest expression of what Seiko can do in the world of watches, and the Eichi II, which is now being presented with a stunning blue dial, is the apotheosis of Credor. At present, only select Grand Seiko and Credor watches are made in the Micro Artist Studio.
We've already covered the Eichi II at length. It came out 2014, following on the original Eichi watch of 2008. The original Eichi II was designed to invite repeated close looks and stand up to examination under a loupe. Pre-COVID, there was a day when we happened to have an Eichi II in the office for photography, and Jack was editing some photos on his large desktop monitor. As he zoomed further and further in, the Eichi II's perfect mainplate simply wouldn't quit, nor would its crisp blue writing, beveled edges, or jewel sinks. It was a revelatory moment for me in terms of understanding what high-end finishing can mean in watches. The Eichi II's Spring Drive cal. 7R14 is one of the few watches in the world that can be shot in extremely high resolution with a good camera without revealing any discernible flaws.
We've already covered the Eichi II in its original white-dial versions in depth, of course. What distinguishes the new version you see here, created to mark the 140th anniversary of Seiko's founding by Kintaro Hattori, taking place in 2021, is its hand-painted blue porcelain dial. It's been rendered in a color that Seiko and Credor are calling Ruri, the Japanese word for lapis lazuli. You'll find the familiar Credor "C" seconds hand and finely executed hour and minute hands, as well as hand-painting for the hour markers and for the Credor name.
The Eichi II ref. GBLT997 is presented in a 950 platinum case that, like the original Eichi II, measures a wearable 39mm across and 10.3mm tall. Seiko says that Eichi means wisdom. I spoke to someone who is fluent in Japanese, and they told me that eichi is a beautiful, poetic word that denotes deep knowledge. Interestingly, there are three ways to write eichi in Japanese kanji characters, they told me. While all three mean "wisdom" or "knowledge," the kanji that Seiko uses on its Japanese-language website is associated with wisdom so great as to be compared with that of the divine.
Viewed from the other side, you'll find the equally stunning Spring Drive cal. 7R14. Just as with the original Eichi II, the beveled edges, mirror-polished ruby sinks, and heat-blued screws offer a compelling visual argument for what Seiko can do in the arena of finishing. The 7R14 as seen in the Eichi II eschews the boisterously baroque decoration one might find in watches made elsewhere; its relative simplicity of layout provides no hiding places for mistakes.
One of the hallmark characteristics of this movement is its torque return system. Because Spring Drive uses mechanical power from an unfurling mainspring, it operates with more torque than needed at the height of its power reserve. And it's not an insignificant amount: about 30%. The 7R14 reclaims this energy and uses it to rewind the mainspring, resulting in a more efficient movement and a power reserve of 60 hours. The mainspring is contained within a stylized, openworked Bellflower, a motif that will be familiar from both the original version of the Eichi II and, in a slightly different form, in the 9R02 movement, a similar Spring Drive caliber (but with a much longer eight-day power reserve) used in the highest-end Grand Seiko Spring Drive watches.
On a purely aesthetic level, I think this watch sings. There is something about an incredibly deep blue dial matched to the relative austerity of a white metal case that tends to get me. And this pairing really gets me.
