Seiko SNM017K1 Samurai "The Ninja" - Limited Edition 021/500 (2006)
There is also a limited black dialed series SNM015K1 of 500 pieces

Limited Thai 2006 Edition 021/500

Thanks to a slumping economy, this one was not so hard to get. Maybe I was lucky that I went to the Central World Watch Fair (the competing Siam Paragon World Watch Fair had just closed the doors about 2 weeks before) on August 30th 2006. At 10:50 they were still feverishly putting the last fixes to some of the exhibition booths and so I decided to have lunch before entering the "construction site" ;)
It was a good idea to go on the first day of the opening (the official opening ceremony with the usual "see and be seen traram" took place the evening before) because there were not too many people strolling the "Event Hall" of Central Chidlom. Thus one had time to discuss features of watches with sales people, some of them really knowledgeable.
When arriving at the SEIKO booth, I had a look at the GALANTE Spring Drive and was amazed by its wild design yet beautiful dial and hands. And also surprised that the watch sat so well on my wrist. Since I did not have half a Million of Japanese Yen, I was forced to luck further and suddenly discovered this interesting looking Samurai on the top shelf of a vitrine in the back. A limited Thai edition just 2 years after the "Yellow Monster" was launched. Just last week, Eric O. posted on the PMWF.com that he saw an ad for a "Yellow Monster" for USD 1'400. Pretty crazy in my eyes. However if we were normal people, we would not collect so many "thingies" of the same kind.

There are many Reviews
of the Samurais already. I am planning to add yet another one. Hate or love that edgy case would be mine in a nutshell. I love it. The stepped hour chapter ring is probably the only really different feature. And that ring costs you about USD 200. Compared to the closed unlimited version which is here and which I find very cool too!. Pretty stiff for gray plastic ring and a bigger watch box. Ah yes, there is the additional Vanilla flavored rubber band too plus two spring bars.
 To me it was not so much the fact that this limited series might increase in value, it was rather my incapability of doing decent online shopping (import taxes on watches are still high in Thailand) that led me to the semi-impulsive draw of my card. Numbers available were 021, 042, 046, 113 and 118 on August 30th and I was immediately thinking that a real Black Jack pro would want the 21. I had forgotten that my "Yellow Monster" was 046, maybe I should have gotten number 46. I am not really a cabbalist so it does not matter that much. And 21 is a nice number, especially if you repeatedly hit it at a Las Vegas table. I also figured that the black and red bezel reminded a bit of the rouge et noir of a roulette table and so choosing number 021 seemed like consistent "gamble".