There was a stretch where I was covering quite a few of the watches coming from Borealis.  And then, for some reason, they sort of fell off of my radar.  The popped to mind recently, so I went to peruse their site.  And wow, am I glad I did.  I discovered quite a tasty little treat in their newest model, the Borealis Porto Santo.

The Borealis Porto Santo is another watch that proves out that I am a bit of a sucker for squared, or squarish, cases.  This has been evidenced mostly by the cushion-case watches I have been drawn to.  The Borealis Porto Santo has that general profile, but the angles on the 44mm steel case are a bit crisper here than you might otherwise expect.  Following those angles a bit, and you pick up the wire lugs.

Unlike some other watches, the Borealis Porto Santo seems to be true wire lugs (i.e., no spring bars) while still allowing for strap changes.  I say this due to the fasteners that are at the corners of the case – my assumption being that unscrewing those will allow the 24mm lug to pop out.  The case also features an alternating brushed and polished finish, something that I think is a great look, particularly on a sportier watch.

And make no mistake, the Borealis Porto Santo is indeed a sport watch, with it’s steel case, sapphire crystal, and 300m WR rating.  The tamer version of the watch probably wouldn’t make a good diver with it’s darker handset.  However, there is a brighter model, with an orange hour hand, and bright yellow sub-dial.  No replacement for a dive computer, I imagine, but a bit more practical for going under water.

Then again, I am not a diver.  I do rather like the looks of the brighter version of the Borealis Porto Santo, particularly with the large, off-center (in terms of the seconds hand) subdial in a bright yellow and orange.  It’s a blast of color on an otherwise dark dial that does not overpower the design.  Speaking of bright, we were not provided with any lume shots, but one presumes that the SuperLuminova will get the job done.

Borealis does a good job creating affordable sport watches, and the Borealis Porto Santo – powered by a Miyota 8218 – follows in that same mold.  The watch is currently up for pre-order, with the brand asking you to put down $149.50 now, with another $149.50 to be paid when deliveries start up in June of 2017.  borealiswatch.com

Watch Overview
  • Brand & Model:  Borealis Porto Santo
  • Price: $299 ($149.50 is your 50% pre-order deposit)
  • Who we think it might be for: You are looking for a mix of vintage and sport
  • Would I buy one for myself based on what I’ve seen? It is definitely tempting, that is for sure
  • If I could make one design suggestion, it would be: It’s a minor thing, but the arrow head at 12 o’clock could be larger
  • What spoke to me the most about this watch: Case aside, it’s the blast of bright colors used
Tech Specs from Borealis
  • Case Size: 44.00mm x 53.00mm
  • Screwed down crown
  • Sapphire Crystal with A/R coating inside
  • Miyota 8218 Automatic Movement
  • 316L Stainless Steel Case
  • Lug Width: 24.00 mm
  • Water Resistance: 300 meters
  • Case height: 14.40 mm
  • Premium Leather strap
  • Swiss Made C3 or Superluminous BGW9 Superluminova applied to dial, watch hands
  • Screwed Case Back with engraved mermaid
  • 12 months warranty

Categorized in:

Automatic, Borealis, Diver, Featured, Pre-Orders, Under $500, Vintage,

Last Update: February 7, 2017