Having spent what is for me, a lot of money on a watch, I thought I’d write a small review of my experience with it so far to provide some reference material for potential owners.
I’m talking about the Seiko SRBP51 Samurai.
Dial – waffle pattern is subtle, some days I don’t even notice it. It does give a nice texture to it though. The font is printed cleanly and crisply.
Hands – I love them! I particularly like the minute hand as it’s a different shape to I’ve had before.
Indices – Love ‘em! Again, different to I’ve had before. They’re applied and lume filled and look fantastic from acute angles.
Lume – nuclear. Even on a dull day it glows all night until morning.
Bezel insert – combination of black, grey and white is a bit different and I like it a lot.
Bezel action – 120 form clicks with very little horizontal play and no vertical play. Outside edge is nobbled to improve grip.
Chapter ring and bezel alignment – perfect! I bought this from an AD so had the chance to thoroughly inspect it before deciding to buy it. Why can’t Seiko get them all like this?
Case shape – turtle-like yet angular but with quite unusual bumpers on the non-crown side. I could live without them but they don’t bother me. The crown guards are excellent, perfect shape and size for me. The case also has short lugs which really helps with the overall size on the wrist.
Crown shape and action – utilitarian. Nobbly. Quite long. Easy to use with a good winding action and lock position.
Timekeeping – excellent. Within five seconds per day. It hacks and hand-winds which is always a bonus of this movement.
Wearability – bracelet is quality if a little heavy. It’s also more unusual than the stock oyster which is a nice change. For being a larger watch (44mm) it doesn’t wear big at all on my 6.75 inch wrist.
What I really love is the way it looks fantastic on a range of rubbers and natos and I’ve included a few pics.
Summary – for a larger dive watch it doesn’t wear big or heavy but it does have the wrist presence that I wanted. It’s a Seiko diver but with enough diversity to make a nice change from those I’ve owned before.
Would I change anything? I’d definitely remove the Prospex logo from the dial but it doesn’t bother me enough to spoil my enjoyment. I’d possibly lose the bumpers by smoothing the case but only possibly as it does help create its identity and the more I look at them the more I like them.
I hope this info helps.
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