Seiko SRPC07 ‘Orange Samurai’ Quick Review

I wrote about the Seiko SRPB97 ‘Orange Samurai’ last October when it was an U.S. only Amazon exclusive preorder. Since then, the Orange Samurai has become available worldwide, usually sold as the Seiko SRPC07 (same watch as the SRPB97, just without an extra rubber strap by default).

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Back then I mentioned that I would love to try an orange diver at some point, because I liked the look but wasn’t sure I’d like wearing it around as a daily watch. Well, by accident actually, I’ve managed to get my hands on a Seiko SRPC07. This is going to be a pretty brief review, as this was actually a catch-and-release, unlike most of my watches which I wear for at least a few months before doing a review.

I had actually placed an order for the Seiko Samurai SRPB51, and was disappointed to end up getting the SRPC07 – mostly because I just wasn’t expecting an orange dive watch in the box. It’s still a beautiful watch, and is the first Samurai I’ve had my hands on so I thought I’d snap some quick pictures before I returned it.

Enough preamble, on to the review!

Seiko SRPC07 Review – The ‘Orange Samurai’

Unboxing

The Seiko SRPC07 Samurai comes in a pretty standard (for Seiko) and minimalist package. Seiko doesn’t go out of their way to impress you with the box – just enough here to protect the watch during storage.

Pulling off the outer sleeve reveals the inner box, which is in two parts:

The left part pulls off, revealing the Orange Samurai wrapped in plastic. Whoever packed this box up didn’t care much about the reveal, the watch was slid off the side of the white pillow. This would have been the specific reseller I bought from (that also shipped me the wrong watch in the first place).

The manual in many languages and a quick start sheet for setting the time and date are included.

The Watch

And finally, the Seiko SRPC07 Samurai itself. My first thought is that I like the angular case just as much as I thought I would.

Picking it up, I’m impressed by the weight. This is a much heavier watch than the other Seiko divers I’ve handled, such as the SKX007. The dial is extremely legible with the white on orange colors. The hands are large and packed with a lot of lume. The bezel turns easily with a satisfying soft clicking sound.

Looking at the back side of the Samurai you can tell this case is designed very differently from most of Seiko’s other divers. Instead of one solid shaped piece of metal, it seems to be a couple of pieces joined together. The case back is decorated with the Seiko diver wave and features information about the watch.

Looking at the side of the watch you can see my favorite thing about the mid-range divers from Seiko. They start featuring drilled lugs – making changing out straps and bracelets so much easier. The crown guards are as angular as the rest of the watch, two pyramids jutting out from the side. They look like they should do their job of protecting the crown pretty well.

On the other side you can see clearly the ‘two-piece’ design of the case I was talking about earlier. The angular lugs look like they’re attached to a cylindrical center section. The mirror polish in the middle accents this.

The bracelet seems solid and well put together. I didn’t get a chance to really wear it, so I’ll mostly just provide pictures here.

And finally, a wrist shot. I have pretty small wrists, at only 6.75″ diameter, so the Seiko SRPC07 is definitely a large watch for me. But it still sits very comfortably – the short lug to lug length makes sure that it doesn’t overhang the sides of my wrist.

Overall, the orange Seiko SRPC07 Samurai is a heavy duty diver with a good look. I would have liked to have worn it longer and taken it diving, but that will have to wait for another time.

If you’re looking to add something with a bit of color to your collection, and don’t have the money to spend on a DOXA, this should be on your short list.