what is a winter watch? I had to think about it for a minute… i came up with some possible scenarios to answer this question. for each scenario I chose a couple of watches, a more affordable piece and a higher end one for good measure.
I’ll kick this off with the first thing that comes to mind when I think about a winter watch for me.
in the winter I wear long sleeves all day long and I don’t like to see a bulky lump under my cuff, and I don’t like the cuff getting stuck in the watch and not coming fully down either, so thin is the name of the game here. also I feel a little more formal in the winter and prefer a slightly less sporty piece.
the maen manhattan is very thin at 6.9mm and has that integrated look that has been trending for the last couple of years, nice finishing and a swiss eta movement to seal the deal.
the cartier tank is pure class and in this europe only limited edition platinum case that art deco blue dial brings me some winter vibes, and at 6.6mm it’s even thinner than the maen.
maen manhattan 39 + cartier tank louis
if you like a themed watch where the dial is the star of the show and you can behold winter itself depicted, seiko is your brand, with lovely textured dials, in a very japanese way of looking at watchmaking, you can feel the winter while warming yourself up by the fire over a glass of wine…
the SPB333 is a 110th anniversary limited edition. it as a cushion-shaped case and a 4 o’clock winding crown. also known as the slim turtle, it brings the iconic turtle dive watch case style in a smaller package, and with its textured dial it brings the ice age glaciers into your wrist.
the grand seiko sbga415 sports, a beautifully finished 62gs case that is a modern re-interpretation of the first grand seiko automatic watches.
the light gray, textured dial is inspired by the deep winter snows that cover the mountains in taisetsu, the twenty-first of japan’s twenty-four sekki or seasons.
seiko prospex glacier + grand seiko heritage 4 seasons winter sbga415
if you want a rugged piece for outside activities like throwing snowballs or building the snowman with the kids, these are some nice and stylish, highly legible watches. water resistance and general ruggedness are the important things here, and I went for white dials just because: winter.
the marathon gsar (government search and rescue) was built with military search and rescue teams in mind, so it’s tough as nails, and with its tritium tubes, the lume isn’t fading any time soon, so you know you’ll be able to read the time in the dark, always.
the explorer II needs no introduction, made for cave exploration and with rolex reliability, it’s just a great allrounder with the added practicality of an extra 24hour hand, to know night from day, or to track another time zone… 
marathon 41mm arctic edition + explorer II polar dial
if you’re of the hardcore adventurous type and like to go hiking out of the tourist trails, or skiing off piste until you get lost in the mountains, these are the perfect choices for you. they are a couple of big boys, but in freezing environments you’ll probably rock them over your jacket sleeve…
packed with features like altimeter, barometer and gps tracking, resistant to shock, water, mud and almost everything else you can throw at hit, this new casio g-shock rangeman is as multifaceted as a swiss army knife and a great choice for any adventure.
this breitling is a proper tough watch on its own and has a special feature that will come in really handy if you get yourself in an emergency situation. it has a rescue beacon at the lower half of the case that can be unscrewed and pulled for a distress signal to be pulsed to the nearest air and rescue forces to come and get you. according to breitling, the original emergency has saved the lives of more than 20 people.
joão vicente is our in-house photographer. born in ‘83, studied architecture in the early 2000’s in universidade of coimbra and in the early 2010’s moved to lisbon to study photography in ipf. loves fighting sports, cars, bikes and watches. works for cinco since the early days of the brand. still loving it.
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