King Seiko 52KS

The 52KS asks for a close look. These small Daini automatics can feel forceful and intricate at the same time: broad bezels above compact cases, fine hands over linen or sunburst dials, and tiny changes of plane that take a photograph several attempts to explain.

The rounded 6000 and slender 6010 make a particularly persuasive pair. The grey 7000 and blue 6060 initially look like a colour choice, until their bezel and dial proportions begin to diverge. The 5010 takes the same family into a grooved, television-like face; the later 5256 gives it a quieter, more sharply drawn expression.

Handling them is part of the pleasure. So is finding how much variety survives within widths of roughly 35 millimetres. Their small size makes the arrangement of the metal around the dial unusually consequential.