Five Fabulous Watches for Spring 2023

After putting on some brave faces as we staved off the last weeks of bitter, arctic cold, gusty winds, and snow, spring has finally sprung! So, to celebrate (and help us completely thaw out), we’re looking at five fantastic watches perfect for springtime.

From grass greens to sky blues, floral pinks, yellows, and even the colors of the rainbow, top watchmakers have something for everyone – no matter your gender – to warm up wrists come this winter’s end.

As spring gets underway, the sky seems to be brighter and bluer as the remembrances of innumerable overcast winter days begin to fade away. And Oris has the perfect watch to help dispel even the most stubborn memories: the Big Crown Pointer Date with the hand-wound Caliber 473, featuring the brand’s tenth manufacture-made movement to date and its first hand-wound calibre in decades.
 

The Big Crown watch, a fan favorite thanks to its aviation roots that date back to 1938, is the perfect watch to house the new movement, which offers five days (120 hours) of power reserve and increased anti-magnetism. Moreover, the 38mm stainless steel case features an arresting blue dial that emulates the skies and showcases the hours, minutes, and seconds while boasting a pointer date hand with a bright red arrow.
 

Another plus to the Oris Big Crown Calibre 473 ($4,400) is the fact that the strap is made of deer leather that has been sustainably sourced from Oris’ Swiss partner Cervo Volante.
 

The Chronomat Automatic GMT 40mm watches from Breitling, released in October 2022 with an array of different dial colors, are all about travel and adventure, making them the perfect companion for spring hikes or trips around the world. And I think the iteration most suited for spring is the model featuring a verdant forest green dial with a red arrow pointer hand for the second time zone indication.
 

Water resistant to 200 meters, this 40mm stainless steel watch boasts the beloved Chronomat feature known as the “onion” crown. Plus, its outer flange with the 24-hour scale is done in a matching green, making one feel as though they could step right down onto the grass.
 

Finally, the Breitling Chronomat Automatic GMT 40 ($5,600), sold on a stainless steel bracelet, is powered by a self-winding mechanical movement with 42 hours of power reserve.

Perfect for women or men who love being decked out in gemstones, Hublot’s newest Big Bang Rainbow watches go full ROY G. BIV. And with two versions released at LVMH Watch Week 2023 – the Big Bang Integrated King Gold Rainbow chronograph and the Big Bang Integrated Time Only King Gold Rainbow – each dazzles with nearly 1,000 pavé-set stones from case to bezel and even bracelet.
 

Both, as their names suggest, are crafted in Hublot’s proprietary King Gold, which boasts a warmer tone than 5N rose gold thanks to its platinum content. Yet this warmth is further enhanced by the in-set gems, among which are ruby, amethyst, blue topaz, tsavorite, and sapphires in a range of colors, including red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet, and every shade in between.
 

The time-only version ($158,000) boasts a 40mm case (the first time the Big Bang comes in this size), while the chronograph ($169,000) sports the more common 42mm case.
 

The newest renditions of the DEFY Skyline watches from Zenith recently debuted in a versatile 36mm size and new dial colors that rock spring, including this flower-pink version, with ocean blue, ice blue, and mint green versions rounding out the other colorways for spring and summer.
 

The metallic base of the pink dial is polished and then satin-brushed so that sunrays emanate from it, which flaunts a repetitive four-pointed star motif that recalls the brand’s double “Z” logo from the 1960s. The dial is complemented by the sloped chapter ring in the same 12-sided shape as the bezel. Even the date wheel is in a soft petal pink reminiscent of a peony or rose to match the dial.
 

The watch is highly functional with a screw-down crown ensuring water resistance to 100 meters and a strap featuring a quick-change, tool-free interchangeable mechanism to switch between the patterned rubber strap and a steel bracelet. Powered by the brand’s Elite 670 automatic movement, the Zenith DEFY Skyline 36 ($8,500) has a weekend-proof 50 hours of power reserve.