Credor releases a 50th anniversary homage to Gérald Genta’s original vision -

The new Locomotive from Credor, recreated from the original designs and pieces of Gérald Genta for the 50th Anniversary

The romance of travel and technology as inspiration

It’s nice to see Credor getting a bit more attention. And on it’s 50th anniversary Seiko has chosen to commemorate and release a very interesting design from 5 decades ago by the renowned designer, Gérald Genta. It’s called the Locomotive. Which may be a bit unusual in todays world but remember that there has always been a great reverence held for the mechanical wizardry that was beginning to see use in more everyday watches. There was also the romance of travel.

This watch is interesting and it’s different. It’s very clearly different from the other Seiko and Credor stuff. But it also had the level of detail for the dial that we’ve come to expect.

The bracelet maintains the taper and the hexagonal intermediary links as the original

On the Gérald Genta side, it’s got his kind of iconic combination of shapes and the use of a bracelet. But what you see though is a bit of a difference in softness of the shapes and how they work with each other.

The caseback shows the limited edition number, but beneath it is a new mechanical CR01 movement. The original was a quartz.

This is one of only a limited number of 300 pieces that will be coming out.

Gérald Genta’s original sketch. Note the two indices at 12 o’clock, then look at the produced piece below.

The Locomotive produced before had a single index at 12 o’clock, which deviated from the original sketch. The dual index returns in the new watch.

It’s interesting because we can see from early on his hand drawn sketches and the original locomotive in imagery from the company. Credor says that the origin watch and design were re-examined and the the new run reproduced working from the initial sketches forward. More modern techniques, processes and indeed demands have come in to improve things.

“His love for Japanese culture in particular came from the desire to achieve excellence, the attention to detail and the great value placed upon craftsmanship.” Said Mrs. Evelyn’s Genta, widow and business partner of the late Gérald Genta.

Look at the dual index at 12 o’clock. It is from the original sketch.

The best example here is that the six screws on the hexagonal bezel are still there, but they are now functional rather than merely aesthetic. There are also new finishes to the different surfaces of the bezel and the sides. Additionally, the case and bracelet are now titanium.

The 1600 radial lines are an example of the attention to detail and craftsmanship that Genta loved and saw in Japanese culture. Credit had to create a new process to accurately recreate the pattern of the original.

The dial design is supposed to have taken inspiration from the steam engine, so it really was a ”romance of travel” thing. But they had to work a little differently. The designers and dial makers had to digitally render around 1600 lines from the original dial, then they had to create a special process to ensure that everything could be faithfully engraved onto the creating both texture and shine.