Seiko Just Improved Its Forgotten 1970s Royal Oak Alternative

In 2024, Credor celebrated its 50th anniversary by resurrecting a design by the horological guru Gérald Genta from the 1970s. It was dubbed the Locomotive and became an instant grail.

Even if you could afford the $12,000 price tag, the 300-piece limited edition run made getting your hands on one nearly impossible. Fortunately, the Seiko sub-brand is putting the Locomotive into regular production, but with a brilliant new dial.

Credor

Credor is confidently stepping into the modern sports watch ring with an asset few outside competitors have: a Genta. The artist’s designs, like the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, Patek Philippe Nautilus and IWC Ingenieur, dominate the field. However, the Locomotive’s hexagonal motif is distinct enough from the competition to disrupt Swiss dominance.

High performance art

Genta’s unmistakable signature combines industrial elements with polished surfaces and sharp lines. Many of his popular features are present in the Locomotive, like a porthole-inspired window, boldly exposed screws and narrow curved hands.

Credor

This work differs in the hexagonal shape of the case and center bracelet links, as well as the semi-integrated bracelet. None of Genta’s other famous designs have that slight gap at the edges where the bracelet meets the case. This element rubbed some critics the wrong way when the 2024 model was introduced, but it is a distinctive feature that fits into the angular motif. There is no confusing this watch for any other Genta.

Credor

All of the impressive specs from the 2024 limited edition Locomotive remain intact. The case and bracelet are high-intensity titanium, an alloy Credor claims to be 30 percent lighter and stronger than stainless steel. A screw-down crown ensures 100 meters of water resistance, and an underside reflective coating keeps the sapphire crystal glare-free.

Credor

Credor operates independently, but Seiko still owns it. As a family member, the luxury sub-brand receives exclusive Seiko-produced movements, much like Grand Seiko. The Locomotive runs on the automatic CR01 movement, which debuted with the 2024 limited edition model. It has 26 jewels, a 45-hour power reserve and +15/-10 daily accuracy.

A mosaic of green

When Credor set out to resurrect its Genta sports watch, it adhered as closely as possible to the designer’s original sketch, even using an imaging program to capture and reproduce the minute details of the dial. The black-and-white sketch turned into an impressive, intricately carved black dial that blended in a bit too much with the titanium case and bracelet.

It sounds ridiculous to say that anyone improved upon a Genta design, but that is exactly what Credor’s design team did here. They created a mosaic of small hexagonal tiles for the dial. Two different shades of green run horizontally in alternating lines.

Credor

Minute diagonal lines, placed at a 45-degree angle from the dial’s center, adorn each tile. These lines alternate direction, with the darker green tiles running from two o’clock to eight o’clock, and the lighter green tiles running from ten o’clock to seven o’clock. Each layer of texture on the dial reacts to light differently, creating a spectrum of visual effects.

Availability and pricing

The Credor Locomotive GCCR997 will be available in May 2025 for $15,000, which is three grand more than the 2024 model. It can be purchased from Credor and all authorized retailers.

While it will be easier to acquire than the previous limited edition model, it could gain some hype and become harder to land. If you have the budget, you should act fast on this one.

Credor

Credor Locomotive Green

Specs

Case Size	39mm
Movement	Credor Cal. CR01 automatic
Water Resistance	100m

• $15,000 at Credor

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