I won’t pretend I’m the poster child for an active, outdoorsy lifestyle. I’m definitely what some would call a “ball sport” person, and if there aren’t team colors and regional rivalries, I am unlikely to participate. My mom, though, is an avid paddleboarder and hiker, so when I am presented with watches like those from the new Praesidus Montar collection, I try to keep her and her fellow outdoorspeople in mind.
Founded in 2019 and inspired by veterans and service members, Praesidus (which means “protector” in Latin) have filled out their lineup with rugged styling and function-first practicality. The new Montar collection doesn’t deviate from that goal, but elevates the sport-factor to new levels by appealing to recreational outdoor enthusiasts rather than taking the more action-oriented military approach. Two models are available: the Ranger Ana-Digi and GMT.
The Ana-Digi takes a go at the ever-popular, eponymous format, combining a rotating compass bezel, digital time and date display, and standard 12-hour indices and hands to appeal to the outdoor crowd. The styling isn’t too far off from popular G-SHOCKs, though Praesidus adds their own spin with prominent bezel markings and indicators, which illuminate along with the hands. The stainless steel case and bezel are a matte black, with the watch measuring in at 44mm in diameter, making it by no means a dainty piece. Alarm and stopwatch functions are par for the course, and the sapphire-coated mineral glass adds a little bit of sophistication. 100 meters of water resistance are promised, with an etched case back denoting that water resistance rating, model number out of 200 (50 for each of the four colorways), and the Praesidus logo. Speaking of colorways, they don’t change much other than the strap color and texture, and whether the indices appear in beige or white, though the Cinder model also adds a green hue to the minute track around the outside of the dial. Flint, Graphite, and Canyon models round out the lineup.
The GMT takes a more traditional approach, with a date window at 3 o’clock and a 24-hour bezel with large numerals. The face is pure field watch-styling, with hour numerals and a minute track, keeping the GMT to a much cleaner and more aesthetically pleasing design. It’s housed in a 43mm polycarbonate case and features the same water resistance rating, caseback, design, and glass as its Ana-Digi brethren. Where it shines, though, is in the much bolder execution of the colorways. For starters, the black bezel has a slight rough texture to it, thanks to that polycarbonate construction, which makes it seem more rugged in my opinion—akin to a purpose-built EDC tool or knife handle. Each colorway changes both the color of the bezel and dial markers and indices, and the color of the dial and minute track, making for much more distinctive models. The Lichen model, for instance, has a muted dark green face and beige-yellow minute track and indices, which creates a high contrast look that’s topped off by a bright orange seconds hand and similarly orange-outlined arrow tip on the GMT hand. The Dune model—my favorite of the bunch—has a yellow face with black minute track and numerals/indices, while the bezel markers’ beige-yellow and the second hand’s gentler orange adds a little calmness to the bright color scheme. The Signal and Basalt editions opt for black faces and white numerals and markers, with a yellow hands and minute track for the former, and green for the latter. Only the Dune edition swaps out green for brown as the color of the included strap.
While it may seem that I am unfairly partial to the GMT model, it’s important to point out the use case here—I am not an avid outdoor exercise enthusiast, and those folks will surely appreciate the functionality of the Ana-Digi model more. That’s what’s neat about this dual release—it captures two sides of the “rugged and ready” coin. Both the Ana-Digi and GMT models retail for $275 USD, and are limited to 50 models in each colorway. Praesidus
