As a lover of the best watches on the market, I know just how daunting buying one can be. Whether you're a seasoned collector agonising over the right addition to your box like a football manager in the transfer market, or someone who just wants a stylish way to tell the time, there are a myriad of options.
Every now and then, though, a watch comes along which is a total no-brainer – so cheap you could impulse purchase it, so well designed it will go with any outfit, and from a solid brand to boot.
That's exactly what this Seiko 5 offers. For starters, it costs just £99 right now at First Class Watches. That's an insane price – it's less than the cost of the strap, or even the box, on some high end watches.
Usually buying watches in the sub-£100 realm means you'll have to make do with a quartz movement. That's not the case here, though, with Seiko's tried and true 7S26 movement inside.
That's really the biggest caveat here – the movement used is an older one, so you aren't getting the most modern tech. It's not like watch movements have come on leaps and bound in the last few years, but this one doesn't feature hacking or hand-winding, for example.
If that's not a deal-breaker for you, then buckle up, because everything else about this watch is pretty magnificent. You'll find a stainless steel case and bracelet combination, which lends a sturdy and elegant feel to the piece.
The 36mm case diameter is definitely on the smaller side, but still looks great on a wide variety of wrists. Smaller dials are also massively in fashion right now, so you'll be bang on trend.
The silver dial is a relatively basic affair, but that's not a bad thing for a watch like this. Matched with gold-toned indices and hands, there's a simple, easy-reading nature here, which keeps its elegant edge thanks to a well-chosen colour palette.
Seiko is a really trusted brand in the watch world, and it isn't hard to see why. It has stood the test of time by producing solid, reliable watches that just work. And for under £100, there's really no excuse not to.
