Top rated

His favourite watch ever: a mesmerising Zaratsu case and Hi-Beat sweep, Seiko magic incarnate, but it scratches if you look at it and has no bracelet.

His grail Marinemaster and favourite of the lot: he prefers it to the newer generation and to the SLA047.

Seiko's pinnacle in Gethin's eyes: flawless titanium finishing, a sublime bezel and a fantastic bracelet, all of it unreal.

Gethin's grail: the original Marinemaster 300, which he would take over the SLA023 'all day long'.

One of the best Seikos ever made. Gethin would pick it over the HBF1.

An excellent, wearable white-dial field GMT that made him 'feel like a king'; only quibbles are a busy dial, weak lume and a thick glass back.

His pick as the best Seiko 5 currently available: tiny, light, beautifully finished, with a standout black dial and a bracelet well above Seiko 5 norms.

His favourite of all the SSK GMTs: a handsome silvery-sunburst piece he is 'confirming is good'.

A mid-tier Seiko 'paradise': a luxury-feeling case at a mid-tier price, with great bezel action. Gethin loves the Sumos.

A huge, goofy and gorgeous Sumo: casework that beats Rolex and Omega, great comfort, only for big wrists. A real favourite.

A remarkable-looking, very comfortable and beautifully finished three-hander that Gethin would seriously consider buying, despite disliking the Alpinist.

An awesome, eye-catching big plastic quartz statement clock that Gethin absolutely loves, pricey for what it is but nothing else like it.

The faithful original: top finishing and the best bezel feel of the pair, but the X on the dial and the metal strap keeper annoy him.

A brutal, ingenious, £100-ish Russian diver that Gethin thinks everyone should buy immediately.

The best Seiko he has ever worn: a glimmering anthracite sunburst dial, a Zaratsu skin-diver case and insane comfort, let down by a rubbish bracelet and a limited-edition premium.

A love-it-or-hate-it 1980s brute and Gethin's favourite: best bezel of his Doxas, great lume, a bracelet with incredible drape, but a disgrace of a clasp and a tall case.

His first mechanical watch and his favourite: bulletproof, never serviced in nearly ten years, never for sale.

One of his favourites: banana case, lacquer bezel with sublime action, slim and comfortable, and a bargain at £500 used.

A cheap, well-made little Seiko alarm with Olympic sounds that Gethin absolutely loves and can't recommend enough.

The most legible watch he's ever seen: invisible crystal, Lego hands and near-unscratchable submarine steel. Bezel and clasp grated at first, but it went on to become his favourite watch, level with his SLA023.

A sublime, glamorous reinterpretation of the Willard: papery charcoal dial, silky ceramic bezel and the same top-tier finishing as the SLA033 for much less.

His favourite watch case ever on a British-racing-green dial, with buttery bezel action, his favourite handset and mental lume. He can't choose between it and his SLA023, and only the painted triangle worries him.

His grail and favourite Marinemaster: an unmatched Zaratsu case, the best bezel action and handset he's ever known and Christmas-tree lume. The Prospex X, the painted triangle and the unregulated movement are the only things stopping it being perfect.

£12.50 FKM Tropic-style straps that he rates as good as straps costing about £100: very soft, supple and comfortable, and great for holidays.

Gethin never liked the Tuna until they wore one: a huge watch that wears like a 42, with lume brighter than a Marinemaster and a quartz movement that's 'far from cheap'. The bezel is mushy and there's no bracelet.

The Gen 2 Blumo with the fat boy font: a banana-case masterpiece that gives you four fifths of a Marinemaster for £500. Bin the bracelet and keep it forever.

Doxa's biggest, heaviest brute and the one Gethin would keep: one of the best bezels at any price, a sublime bracelet and a smooth movement, let down by weight, crap lume, screwed 21 mm lugs and a pip that's always slightly off.

An almost perfect watch and one of Seiko's finest masterpieces; not worth £1,100 new, but a steal used at £750-850.

Orient's best ever watch, a bargain and a beast, but only for big wrists.