The Seiko 5 Sport is a fantastic watch. I don’t just mean for the money, though in that regard it’s all but unassailable. Back in the 60s when it was first introduced, it was one of the coolest, most colourful timepieces around and, now that retro is in style, the Japanese watchmaker is releasing a shiny new collection of 27 Seiko 5 Sport pieces.

That sounds like a lot of new watches and it is. The near-legendary has always had many faces. All however are linked by the five horological tenets that give the line its name: an automatic movement, a day-date display, water resistance, a recessed crown and a durable case. It’s a checklist any sports watch should run down really, but one the Seiko 5 Sports really embraces.

Because of that magic number – and this being five decades since the original watch was introduced – there are five different themes to the collection, meant to appeal to very different styles. There’s the nicely chunky, relatively simple Sports; the slightly more classical Suits with its Milanese bracelet; the leather and gold fashionista must-have Specialist; the sleek, monochromatic Street and finally the Sense, with its intriguing textured dial.

All are incredibly distinct from one another which, given that they all share the same architecture, movements and 5 core tenets, is an impressive feat. It gets even more impressive when you see the number of different colour variations of each. If you can’t find a Seiko 5 Sports that suits you then there really is no hope.

So what’s a seriously cool sports watch, equipped with a decent Seiko calibre 4R36 movement going to cost you? £250. Even if you were underestimating, I’m going to guess that you landed on a number more than that. Forget finding the right one; at that price you can grab yourself the full set.

Sports

Suits

Sense

Street

Specialist

Price & Specs:

Model Name: Seiko 5 Sports

Case/Dial: 42.5mm in diameter x 13.5mm thickness, stainless steel

Water Resistance: 100m (10 bar)

Movement: Seiko Calibre 4R36, automatic, manual winding

Power Reserve: 41h

Frequency: 21,600 vph (3 Hz)

Strap: Bracelet with three-fold clasp with secure lock & push button (SRPD51K1), bracelet with sliding clasp (SRPD73K1), silicone/calf hybrid strap (SRPD76K1), nylon strap (SRPD77K1, 79K1)

Price: From 280 to 340 Euros

More details at seikowatches.com