How I Found a King Samurai for a Steal

Learn to shop the Macy's return bin.

A few months ago, I found myself in Cincinnati, Ohio. We were considering leaving Washington and moving here, early in the process.

On Cincinnati’s east side, the former Beechmont Mall is now the Anderson Town Center. The newer venue kept a Macy’s, and is home to one of the world’s largest Kroger grocery stores, but it’s now one of those open concept sort of strip mall joints. Doing some errands put me there, waiting on my better half getting her nails done, so I figured I would pop into Macy’s to see what their watch selection was like.

Their watch lead was a younger gentleman, recently married, and I noticed in the 50% off case a white Seiko Prospex King Samurai. Being a Seiko fan, I didn’t yet own a Prospex, and wasn’t eager to pay retail for one.

I pinched myself: Is this really half off? I asked. Yes, he told me, and it’s one of the prettier watches they have. He had just gotten his wedding Longines back from service due to a crown issue, and the King Samurai was one of his favorites in stock. He seemed disappointed I was taking it away from him. Perhaps he was a better salesman than I was when I worked retail.

How did it end up there? I asked. It turns out that when somebody returns a watch to Macy’s and the store doesn’t carry that model, it ends up in the discount case. The SRPE37, with its white subway tile dial, sapphire crystal and ceramic bezel, has an MSRP of $595, and here it was, within my grasp for under $300.

I was always more of a turtle fan, but the Samurai spoke to me that day, and at that price, I had to have it. It quickly became one of my favorite watches. The cyclops lens, of which I am typically not a huge fan, is amazingly well done.

The gold-tipped second hand was, initially, not my favorite, but once I appreciated its regal status, has become one of my favorite features. The reliable 4R35 movement has proven to be very accurate and reliable. I know some people think the Prospex series deserves a pricier movement, and I sympathize with that point of view, but don’t hold it enough not to get it.

The band? Love it.

The lume? Amazing.

While it is definitely one of the more expensive watches in my collection, I have worn it like it is meant to be worn, not pampering it or reserving it for special occasions. Though, I do bring it in my watch roll for special trips, like one to The Homestead for my wife’s 40th.

So if you’re ever stuck at a mall, pop into the nearest Macy’s to check out their watches, you never know if you’ll find a great deal like this one.

I wore the watch on our trip up to Cleveland the following month for the big solar eclipse, and what turned out to be the last time I would ever see my mother alive.

I snapped a photo during that strange lighting during the eclipse, and recall looking at it as we needed to be on schedule for our hospital visits. It sounds weird, but whenever I wear it, I do think about my mom and the concept of time.

While I rarely get rid of watches, this is one I’ll never part with.

—Casual Time #11 by Jim Swift

The watch: Seiko SRPE37. (Prices will likely drop as newer variants have recently entered the market.)

Have a story about a watch of yours? Share it with folks who want to hear about it.