Pedro Mendes
Toronto podcast producer and writer Pedro Mendes approaches wristwatches the same way he does clothing. “It’s about having a variety of watches that fit into different aspects of my life—that’s how I look at them and define them,” he explains. “I absolutely do see them as engineered objects, but I also see them as part of my wardrobe.”
As the author of the upcoming book Ten Garments Every Man Should Own, Mendes naturally applies the principles of classic menswear to his watch collecting. What’s key to both, he says, is honing your personal style. His own “dress watch” is a gold 1938 Elgin Tank sourced on eBay. “The movement is pristine—it looks new,” he notes. More outdoorsy attire might mean slipping on his Seiko Alpinist SARB017 mountaineering watch. Mendes prizes the piece for its history and its eye-catching green dial, both of which make it a cult favourite in the collecting world.
“The process of self-discovery is important—understanding what appeals to you and why,” adds Mendes. He’ll admit, for example, that he initially focused on vintage Seiko because the prices were accessible, but as he dove deeper into the company’s design lore, he realized that the choice wasn’t a coincidence. His past interests, which include Japanese anime and cosplay, meant that the work of Taro Tanaka—Seiko’s lead designer in the 1960s and ’70s—subconsciously resonated. Thus, for everyday wear, Mendes gravitates toward the understated elegance of the 1976 Seiko Lord Matic, which embodies the brand’s Japanese-rooted design ethos.