Seiko Samurai Prospex SRPB55 Review & Complete Guide
Seiko is one of the most well-respected manufacturers of affordable dive watches in the world.
Why?
Because they offer exceptional value for money. Whilst Seiko’s dive watches are for the most part rather affordable in price, they punch well above their own weight and offer the same or better performance and specifications as other much more expensive alternatives.
With that said, it is easy to understand why Seiko’s dive watches have become so immensely popular.
If you want a good, robust, and reliable dive watch at an affordable price, there are not many better alternatives than Seiko on the market.
Because Seiko has become so popular within this space, the company has released countless different models.
One of those models is the Seiko Samurai Prospex SRPB55.
Seiko Samurai Prospex SRPB55 Review
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The Seiko Samurai Prospex SRPB55 is a sporty and durable dive watch that is built to last. Its value proposition becomes particularly evident when you look at all of its specifications and details, which are just as good as many much more expensive alternatives.
The SRPB55 is not for everyone as it is both large and has a sporty appeal to it. But if you like large and sporty dive watches with a presence on the wrist, this could definitely be a watch worth considering.
This watch is both a ”Samurai” and ”Prospex”. Are these words just nonsense or do they actually have any substance? Well actually, they do. Samurai refers to the case shape of this watch (more on this later), and ”Prospex” stands for ”Professional specifications”. This means the watch is built according to professional specifications – the wants, needs, and requirements of professional divers.
To help you make a decision in Seiko’s wide model lineup of dive watches, we are in this article looking closer and reviewing the Seiko Samurai Prospex SRPB55.
Seiko Samurai Prospex SRPB55 case
As the name suggests, the SRPB55 is presented with the iconic ”Samurai” case. Seiko’s Samurai case was originally presented in 2004 and manufactured up to 2008. It was never called Samurai by Seiko, but instead, this was something that enthusiasts nicknamed it. The name derives from the hands used in the first Samurai watch, but since then, the name has come to refer to the case instead.
What distinguishes the Samurai case is its aggressive and sharp lines, with its angular lugs. The sharp and distinct lines certainly add sportiness to its appearance.
The stainless steel case has a diameter of 43.8mm, a thickness of 13.5mm, and a lug width of 22mm. It has a lug-to-lug measurement of 48mm.
With that said, it is quite a big watch and not for those with small wrists. Mostly, this watch is suitable for men with medium to large wrists. After all, it is a sporty dive watch and it should have some presence on the wrist. What you will also notice about the case has a black ion finish (Gun Metal Ion Plated).
This makes this sporty watch even sportier and gives it more of a tool-like and rugged appeal. As if it wasn’t sporty enough, Seiko made it even sportier by making it all-black. Yes, it’s not for everyone, but it does give the watch a special look and effect.
A serious dive watch needs serious water resistance, and of course, this one has it. The SRPB55 offers a water resistance of 200-meters and meets the standard for ISO divers. To give it greater resistance against water, it has a solid screw-down case back, as opposed to a see-through case back, which some of Seiko’s other watches do.
Sitting on top of the case is Seiko’s proprietary Hardly crystal. This doesn’t really come as a surprise seeing that Seiko uses Hardlex for the majority of its watches in this price range.
To ensure its water resistance, the watch of course has a screw-down crown. The crown sits protected between two pointy crown guards. Unlike many other watches, the crown guards do not slowly but surely extend from the case, but rather point out directly from its side.
And of course, every dive watch needs a unidirectional rotating bezel, and this one has it too. The unidirectional rotating bezel has slightly knurled edges for better grip and easier operation. It also has a black aluminum insert on which the markers and Arabic numerals are printed in gold. Not everyone is a fan of gold, but it looks quite sleek and toned down when you have an all-black case.
Seiko Samurai Prospex SRPB55 dial
The Samurai SRPB55 is presented with a slightly matt black dial with a ”waffle” style pattern. This definitely gives the dial more life and makes it much more vibrant and interesting. The waffle pattern gives it depth and makes it reflect the light in an interesting way.
The single most important part about a dive watch is legibility, and this is something that the SRPB55 doesn’t lack. It has large applied hour markers which create an exceptional contrast against the black dial. The applied hour markers have polished metal frames around them and have a gold color. This gives warmth to the dial and matches the gold details on the bezel, too.
At 3 o’clock, we have a date window with a white background and the date printed in black. The date is quite discreetly integrated and therefore, does not disturb the overall look of the dial too much. It’s also very practical, considering the fact that most people will use this as an everyday watch, anyways.
The hands follow the same theme as the hour markers and thus have polished metal frames around them which are made in gold color. For optimum legibility, the hands are large. The minutes hand is sword-shaped, the hour hand is short and has an arrow tip, and the seconds hand is long and looks like an arrow.
Thanks to the generous amount of Lumibrite applied on both the hands and hour markers, the watch has great luminescence that glows long and bright in low-lit conditions.
Seiko Samurai Prospex SRPB55 movement
Inside the Seiko Samurai Prospex SRPB55 ticks the in-house Seiko caliber 4R35.
This movement beats with a frequency of 21600 BPH, has 23 jewels, and is built to last. A serious diver needs a functional and robust movement, and that is exactly what the 4R35 is. It is sturdy, can take a beating, and has proven to be a reliable workhorse that can continue to tick for years and years without needing much or any maintenance.
The movement is automatic but has a manual-winding function and hacking seconds. These two functions are not found in Seiko’s most affordable automatic watches. The movement offers a power reserve of 41 hours.
Seiko Samurai Prospex SRPB55 strap
The watch is presented on a black Seiko rubber dive strap that has a buckle closure. The strap is, just like the lug width: 22mm. Rubber straps go very well together with dive watches, and it matches the SRPB55 particularly well due to the black color of the strap together with the black color of the case. A rubber strap also wears comfortably and handles water without any issues.
Specifications
- Accuracy: +45 to -35 seconds per day
- Movement: Seiko in-house caliber 4R35
- Lug width: 22mm
- Diameter: 43.8 millimeters
- Thickness/height: 13.5 millimeters
- Water resistance: 200m/660 feet
- Jewels: 23
- Power reserve: 41 hours
- Crystal: Hardlex
- Lug-to-lug: 48mm
Conclusion
All in all, if you are looking for a serious dive watch at an affordable price, you should look at Seiko.
If you are looking for a serious automatic dive watch with a bold and sporty appeal to it, and at an affordable price, you should look at the Seiko Samurai Prospex SRPB55.
It’s evident how great value this watch really is if you look at its specifications and performance, and compare that with competitors in a similar price range. You really get a lot of bang for your buck, but most importantly, you get a solid and long-lasting timepiece that will continue to tick for years and be a trusted partner on your wrist. It also happens to look quite good too.
The bottom line is, if you like the sporty design of this watch, you won’t be disappointed.
The Seiko Samurai Prospex SRPB55 is available to order on Amazon.
Main Photo: Strapcode
