Seiko "Samurai" Diver's Watch

Seiko model SBDA003 "Samurai"
- Movement: Seiko 7S25
  - 21 jewels
  - Hours, minutes, date
  - Automatic
- Case: Titanium
  - 42mm diameter
- Bracelet: solid titanium
- Mineral Crystal
- Water resistant 200m

Why I bought this watch: I've wanted one since they first came out, and I finally made enough selling stuff on Ebay to afford it.

Overall impression: This is a great watch! I love the looks of it. The angular case and finely knurled crown and bezel make for a real stunner. Although I wasn't sure I'd like the light weight of the titanium, I love it! The light weight and the way the case and bracelet fit perfectly to my wrist make it one of my most comfortable watches. I also absolutely love the color of the titanium. It can range from a very light color to deep, depending on the lighting and angle. If you've hesitated to buy one because of the titanium I recommend you try it - although light in weight, it's still a big and satisfying watch. It's one of my favorites already.

The brushed titanium case with polished accents is breathtaking. Seiko continues to impress me with their quality and finish. This level of finish would be at place in watch that cost 3 times as much. The knurled crown is very tough looking, and screws down smoothly and securely. The polished round "rivets" on the side of the case are small details, but they really add a level of sophistication and break up the big flat areas.

The blue dial is very deep and subtle. In some light conditions it looks almost black. The texture is very fine and satin-like. I can't really describe it, and it's difficult to take pictures of. The applied silver markers with luminous fill are very simple and bold., and stand out against the dial at any angle. The same goes for the hands. I especially like second hand with the big 2-part meatball at the end. It's very cool, and remonds me of some of the old Seiko 70s diver. All in all it's a superbly legible dial, like my other Seiko divers. The lume is good, as is the case with all my Seikos, but it isn't quite as bright and long-lasting as the Monster lume.

The bezel rotates very smoothly, with 120 stops, and the triangle lines up with the 12:00 marker perfectly. I've used it to time several things since I got the watch. The knurling is very tool-like, and I really like the way it looks, It gives the bezel a very rounded look. The markings on the bezel are easily readable, with the markings from 0 to 15 being black, and the rest dark blue. The luminous dot glows very brightly.

The bracelet is excellent quality. It's made of solid titanium links with solid end links. The finish is mostly brushed, with a small polished accents in the middle of each. It closes securely with a double push-button and flip lock. It also has a built in diver's extension. It's the equivalent of the Monster bracelet in titanium. It also uses the same link and sleeve method to attach the links to each other, so Reto's Monster bracelet adjustment instructions would apply here also.

The 7S25 movement is a variation of the venerable 7S26 workhorse. Its keeping time as well as any of my 7S26 watches, having gained a little over a minute in the last 8 days.

Thanks for reading the review!