Credor is Seiko's highest-positioned fine watchmaking house — established in 1974 and named for the French 'Crête d'Or', meaning Golden Peak, it has operated at a remove from the broader Seiko catalogue since its inception, producing watches defined by rare materials, refined Japanese craftsmanship, and a visual sensibility that has always owed more to the jewellery tradition than the watchmaking one. Where the Swiss maisons built their high jewellery credentials over centuries, Credor arrived fully formed with a specific and confident aesthetic: precious metals, exceptional stones, and a commitment to dial construction that places the material itself as the primary object of attention.

The lapis lazuli checkerboard dial is the defining detail of this watch. The construction process requires the brand to select lapis lazuli from the same mineral vein — ensuring tonal coherence across the dial. The result is each tile simultaneously relating to and distinct from its neighbours: deep midnight blues against lighter, more saturated azure tones, the natural veining and mineral variation of lapis lazuli producing a surface that shifts perceptibly in different light conditions and that no two examples replicate in exactly the same way.

This Ref. 2F70-6220 — the larger of the case designs of the time — dates to 1991 and is presented in excellent condition throughout. The 18k white gold case and integrated woven bracelet carry only minor hairline scratches consistent with careful handling. The diamond-set bezel frames the lapis dial with a coolness and precision entirely appropriate to the material it surrounds. The 2F70 quartz movement is running well, stable and accurate — a thin calibre chosen for this reference precisely because it allows the case proportions to remain as considered as the dial deserves.