I bought the Men's Seiko 5 Automatic Watch SNXS79 for my father's 80th birthday and he is absolutely delighted with it.

The Seiko 5 range comes with a selection of face colours, including blue, white and black. (I believe I also saw a green or gold face, but please check this on the websites if you intent to purchase, as I was rather 'watched out' after surfing so many watches prior to purchase!)

I deliberated between the white and black, eventually choosing the black which seemed easier for older eyes to read the hands. When it arrived, I was delighted with the actual colour - which instead of being a dense black, was a very tasteful charcoal grey/black and very slightly pearlised which against the stainless steel bracelet looked very classy.

I also chose an automatic - this requires no battery or winding up, as it is charged by movement. Power is stored in a spring in the movement of the watch and will easily last overnight if taken off. I had been warned that an automatic doesn't keep quite as good time as other operating systems, but this has kept perfect time so far (and my father's previous Seiko automatic also kept good time).

The movement can be seen through the clear panel in the back - which my father found fascinating.
The watch came beautifully presented on a black velvet cushion in a black velvet interior, in a box within a box. (Usually, I am totally against unnecessary packaging, but on this occasion I didn't mind because it was special present.)

The case width is 37mm and case depth 12mm - which seems to be a medium thickness - although it looks lovely and slim on my father's wrist. The strap is stainless steel and the online company I bought it from (watchshop.com) will alter the strap size free of charge if required. (My father altered it himself.)

It is water resistant to 30 metres. Whilst it is not supposed to be submerged, from my own experience and from research I did online, it seems that a quick recreational swim is fine. Be warned, however, if you do decide to chance it, this is not covered in the two year manufacturer guarantee.

Would I buy another Seiko? Definitely!