An addition concerning the Schmincke paints: it's not unwillingness on my part to use/try them. My tendency towards Winsor & Newton is just the coincidence that my local arts supplies stores stocks those and not the Schmincke line.
In a technical sense, I think the Schmincke watercolors can be an excellent choice. One of the main things I'm currently looking for is the availability of specific pigments, and Schmincke's lineup seems to be very nicely complete. For instance, the Winsor & Newton color set I posted above can be translated 1:1 to Schmincke products as well:
* Magenta: Winsor & Newton Quinacridone magenta (pigment PR122) --> Or Schmincke Purple Magenta (#216)
* Yellow: W&N Winsor Yellow (pigment PY154) --> Or Schmincke Pure Yellow (#216)
* Cyan: W&N Winsor Blue Green Shade (pigment PB15:3) --> Or Schmincke Helio Cerulean (#479)
There are likely small hue and chroma differences between the Winsor & Newton and Schmincke products, as well as pigment loading differences. I don't know if, how much and if they're a concern. The issue wouldn't bother me in the least, in any case. It's 'just' a matter of dialing in the process to the specific paints/pigments used. Once that's done, evidently a switch to a different paint or pigment will result in print differences, whether small (as a result of small hue differences) or big (for instance color shifts due to different pigment loadings).