While they might be most notable for creating sturdy, budget-friendly watches, Seiko has two sibling brands that exist only to punch up. The better-known Grand Seiko and the lesser-known Credor, whose tiny output allows them to create some of the finest watches on the market today in competition with brands like Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin and so forth. Introduced in 1974 as a collection of precious metal models, Credor began its life rather differently from how we know it today. Branded as "Crêt D'Or", meaning "Golden Crest" in French, it wasn't until 1978 that the brand was spun off into its own collection of watches and renamed "Credor" - as we know it today. However, before the brand went toe-to-toe with haute horology giants, Credor spent its early days creating intensely stylish quartz timepieces like what we have here, the ref. 9661-5001 “Nautellipse.” Allegedly designed by legendary watch designer Gerald Genta (who we know did do some work for Credor during the period), the ref. 9661-5001 is named the “Nautellipse” due to its aesthetic leanings on Genta’s two best-known watches, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, and the Patek Philippe Nautilus. Featuring a 14kt yellow gold bezel with screw-like details, an elongated 32mm-wide oval-shaped case and an integrated bracelet with H-shaped links, this quartz-powered timepiece is an exploration of iconic 1970s horological design. With a two-tone grey dial boasting rich golden accents, this timepiece harkens back to a time when design was above all else in watchmaking, during the peak of the Quartz Crisis.

The watch is in overall very good condition. The stainless steel case has some scratches and a couple of nicks on the front edge. The case back shows some pitting and a couple of deeper scratches, but the engravings remain well-defined. The yellow gold bezel retains good definition with a few light nicks. The two-tone dial is in excellent condition. The hands are mainly clean, with some oxidation visible on the seconds hand. The integrated stainless steel bracelet has light play between the links.

A quirky oddity from Credor's interesting past before Seiko decided to use the brand as their extremely high-end watchmaking arm, the ref. 9661-5001 makes use of a stylish design that offers a Royal Oak-like aesthetic that is full of personality at a fraction of the cost.