The Seiko Samuray
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One of my very first investments after starting semi-serious watch collecting was the Samurai. I reviewed it here. I so liked the case design and I had every intention to keep it. In the end, I needed to consolidate my collection slightly and I actually managed to turn a small profit on it. However, I really missed it and had every intention to re-purchase one day.
I kept an eye on the various Samurais, stock standard black or blue here in Australia usually, and of course the lovely JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) green variants. But there was no rush and also nothing really grabbed me. Or rather, a hundred other watches wanted my attention. To add to the story, I thought the silicon strap was very comfortable on my original, but the addition of the wave patterns that would absolutely make sense over a wetsuit, never looked great to me in daily wear. |
I looked longingly at the limited edition SPB149 with its blue dial and really nice looking silicon straps, I even gently nagged a friend to sell me his but in the end, a 2K investment in a Seiko with fairly modest specs stopped me. Or rather, actually wouldn’t have stopped me if it wasn’t for a new release…
Enter a Save the Ocean ‘special edition’ Samurai. Uh-oh, credit card cowers in fear. It was once again time to slap a Samurai to my wrist and this one has manta rays on it! I had the privilege of snorkelling with Manta Rays and Whale Sharks in Exmouth, Western Australia and it leaves quite a mark on your heart doing this. The very fact that a proportion of the Save the Ocean collection sales is donated to ocean conservation was yet another plus. Let’s make the Seiko King Samurai SRPF79K feel welcome. |
My impressions after some time with the watch
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This is a large watch, it has heft and it feels like the far more dainty and delicate SPB149’s older wrestling brother. You know, the one you’d brag about in school that would beat anyone up that dared bully you.
When said brother arrived, broad shouldered and outspoken, it would definitely make an impression. So does this watch. If this is a Samurai, it’d be a video game boss samurai. It’s lucky I have the wrist for such brutes. So, it’s large and broad shouldered. What does many large and scary looking people sometimes have in common? They are often calm and kind-hearted, and this is the case here also. |
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Behind the aggressive indices with the usual stand out Seiko lumi-bright, we find the greyish blue surface of the ocean.
Seiko, well known for creating some of, if not the best dials in the business with their Grand Seiko range, have once again created a mesmerizing dial. It really does look like the surface of a calm ocean at dusk or dawn. That is, if you have some light available. In the dark or low light condition, it’s just a blue dial. Since you’re here, you may know that the party trick here is the silhouettes of Manta Ray just underneath the surface of the dark blue ocean. It’s incredibly subtle, don’t expect anybody to see these without having them pointed out. Much like manta ray, or even small sting rays in real life, they don’t exactly advertise their presence, but rather gently glides near the bottom of the ocean and a silhouette may be all you ever see. It’s a beautiful touch and it’s the reason I bought the watch. |
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This particular model has a few upgraded features, over my previous Samurai. We have a shiny ceramic rotating bezel in black and we have a sapphire crystal covering the dial rather than the usual Seiko affair of mineral glass.
These features will make the watch more physically durable than the usual budget Seiko specs. Something that is out of the ordinary is the cyclops magnifying glass over the date complication. This is an acquired taste. I certainly think it’s much better than the day/date cyclops over its turtle sibling, but it is one of those things that you may love or hate. The reality is that my eyes are not as sharp as they once were, and this is one date window that I can actually see properly so I think it’s a useful feature. I’m led to believe that it is a hardlex piece that you could potentially remove if you hate it – so there are options. Before we move on from the dial, does the dreaded Seiko spectre of non-aligning elements raise its ugly head here? Yep. This is very annoying but it’s just the way it is with Seiko. It’s hard to imagine how this is acceptable to a Japanese company. Japan is a country where passengers get compensated if the trains are 3 minutes late and the very culture is about precision and rituals. I’d like to imagine that the Seiko factory is a place where you can take a break from such stringent restrictions, have a saké with breakfast and a couple of Asahi’s in the afternoon. Sadly, that’s likely the case with my assembly. The lume pip in bezel is not centred, nor is the minute markers that surround the dial. They are not incredibly obvious but they are not acceptable, that’s for sure. |
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Moving on to the case and the bezel feel. The bezel is quite tight and reluctantly glides over its 120 clicks in one direction. It’s not the most pleasant, or most grippy bezel but it does at least line up at 12 (despite the angle of the photo here) which I’m grateful for. I can deal with other alignment issues but that would have been an immediate return.
The case is so cool with its bold angles, vertically brushed and polished surfaces and drilled lugs. To me, there’s absolutely resemblances to Samurai helmets all over it. It’s definitely a love it or hate it case and I love it. On the back, we find the usual text with the inclusion of ‘Special edition’ and the Seiko tsunami logo. I’ve always found that interesting, take the single most devastating natural force, earthquakes and tsunamis, that’s lashed Japan countless times and make it your logo? Was that another saké breakfast decision? It looks cool but that’s one time I’d not go diving or snorkeling. |
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The greyish blue silicon strap is brilliant. Soft and pliable and very comfortable. Unlike the crown on any Seikos under $2000, you do get signed everything on their straps which is a nice touch. We even have a devastatingly cool (geddit) embossed tsunami to feast our eyes on.
The holes are square to fit the pin perfectly and this is one strap that you do not have to immediately replace with something better, unlike some of Seiko’s bracelets. I really like the strap and it was one of the reasons I bought, but if I was to nitpick, it’s in a shade of blue that’s nowhere to be found on the dial, at least when the light is on. It totally works but it’s worth noting. |
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Movement
Strap & Bracelet
Case
miscellaneous
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Final Words
19 cm wrist
I think this is lovely looking watch and the colour scheme scratches my SPB149 itch. I love the little features of the dial, the subtle manta rays and the greyish blue colour choices of the strap. I’m also fully onboard with the Samurai case design and this is a must if you want to buy one. If you’re not, look for the turtle version of this design but be warned about its comedy cyclops.
Over the course of my watch collecting, it’s the unusual pieces that I have come to appreciate the most and keep. This is not a limited edition, there will be plenty made this year and it won’t be hard to source one ever, but I like the Save the Ocean ethos, the special takes on the Samurai design and the other little features that speak just to me and really chapter markers, schmapter markers...
Over the course of my watch collecting, it’s the unusual pieces that I have come to appreciate the most and keep. This is not a limited edition, there will be plenty made this year and it won’t be hard to source one ever, but I like the Save the Ocean ethos, the special takes on the Samurai design and the other little features that speak just to me and really chapter markers, schmapter markers...
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This is travelling with me to Western Australia in the near future (I live in hope) to meet some real life manta rays. If you can’t do that, then buy one knowing you’re doing something small to support these magnificent creatures and you’ll also be able to tell anyone that’s interested that you have a King Samurai on your wrist (but tone it down a bit if you see large men approaching with a straight jacket).
Cheers, Esbjorn |
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