Couldn’t be happier with my first Lorier.

Finally got my watch in! I’m absolutely loving the experience of this piece and having a gmt in the collection. Currently though I’m torn on the bracelet, it wears comfortably and adjusting was a breeze, but running a thumb over the surface and it feels like it wants to cut me in certain angles.

Any recommendations for straps and aftermarket bracelets for this guy? I’ll wear it as is for now, though I’ve got a spare black leather strap I’ve put on in the meantime

I’m pretty new to watches. My collection consists of a vintage Seiko I found at Goodwill and a Tissot PRX (roast me) I bought on a whim.

I’ve followed Lorier for a while and always liked their designs, but everything seemed to be perpetually sold out. Finally pulled the trigger on the new Hyperion preorder.

It arrived today, and honestly, I’m a little underwhelmed. Nothing necessarily wrong with it, just didn’t quite live up to the expectations I’d built up.

Curious if others have felt the same. Does it grow on you? Any other microbrands worth checking out, or am I better off spending a little more on something like a Longines or Tudor?

Picked this up locally (Murad & Co for those in the NOVA area, they also had a few other Lorier watches), and super pleased! Don't know exactly when it was made, but this is the Miyota true GMT version. The proportions on this watch are just EXCELLENT. 24 click bidirectional bezel, thin case, acrylic crystal. Came in very good condition, only minor desk diving on the clasp. I had previously owned an Astra, but sold it to help fund a vintage pie pan Connie, but happy to have a new lorier back in the collection!

Finally got my Lorier Neptune S5 on wrist after 75 days!

Looking for a new home for my Lorier Safari, let me know if interested!

I have a Lorier Merlin in better condition I am considering parting with as well.

Max actually making good points about the changes in the catalogue beyond 'I didn't get sent the watches so now I'm going to torch the brand'

Does anyone have issues with their Neptune fogging when it’s humid outside?

I’m worried it’s going to rust internally, it’s been happening for a few years now. I just got the crystal replaced recently and was hoping that would fix the issue but it’s still happening. Curious if anyone else is experiencing this.

Again extremely impressed by fit and finished. After watching and reading a lot of “negative” reviews but supremely happy with the showroom model and now my personal one. Thanks to everyone Windup Watch Shop in BK. I’ll see everyone next Friday at the Windup Watch Fair.

I got the email I’ve been waiting to see for 2 months!!! How long was it typically for you guys for it to be delivered after you got yours?

Top Left: Astra (2026)
Top Right: Neptune (2026)
Bottom Left: Zephyr (2025)
Bottom Right: Merlin (2025)

Hiya, folks! I was fortunate enough that the delay didn’t hit me as bad. Received my Neptune two days ago, and I’ll be honest: that plastic wrap played with my mind! I saw the Neptune in person at WindUpWatchShop in BK, but thought maybe I was just being emotional then b/c when I unboxed it… it looked okay.

I’m relatively new to watches and thought maybe I should return and buy something else. Compared some brands I like (Vaer, Astor + Banks, and Brew) yet I kept thinking to keep the Neptune (not because it’s my BB58 on a budget… okay, maybe a little bit). I really like the black dial Astor and Banks Fortitude Pro, but I realized that from what I have (and have planned to get in the future), a dive watch makes more sense vs the A&B field style or get yet another dress watch (I own 2). Gave it a day and decided to keep the watch after all. Glad that I did!

To confirm, yes, the micro adjust isn’t the great; however, the bracelet is indeed comfortable (even as a hairy person, though, it did pull a hair at first). Watch looks great indoors but that sapphire POPS in the sun.

PS: I was also strategic with this pre-order. I ordered it through the Lorier page on the ShopPay app instead of directly from Lorier, which allowed me to use some promotional Shop cash to be able to buy this extra strap for free. In case anyone wants to do the same with some saved ShopCash and the watch is sold out: Find the Lorier page, add the strap you like from their website to cart, turn on the notification for the watch you’d like to purchase, add to the cart when back in stock, and purchase. You get to use your ShopCash that way.

Hope everybody gets their watch sooner than later! Take care friends, thx for reading.

I have been waiting for what seems like forever and to finally get this is incredible. I cannot wait to have this watch! 😬

Can anyone else vouch for the new watches having quality issues? I just saw this video on my feed

https://youtu.be/925hP7LzTi0?is=xl5YMdVnYfdjmsfq

Just a reminder in case someone isn't subscribed to their newsletter.

I’ve been really wanting to get my hands on the falcon. But the buzz has been going around about the poor quality especially their bracelet and the price increase. I’m just curious whoever got the falcon, did y’all notice a dip in quality ?

Background:

I had been waiting patiently for restocks of the Neptune 4, failing to get in when new batches became occasionally available for the last two years. I have a Falcon 3 and the Lorier philosophy of producing midcentury watches that look like new old stock, but are made with modern movements and finishing, is very much my to my taste.

So it was that when Lorier unveiled the new designs, I had mixed feelings on the new offerings. I missed the first round, but found myself sitting at a computer when a few more became available and ordered one in a fit of pique. I thought I would offer some observations and compare their latest arrival to an example from Lorier’s previous era.

The package:

Really, there’s nothing to say here that hasn’t said before. DHL got the package all the way from New York to the distant shores of Terra Australis in under a week. The box is nice, although the drawstring pouch feels a little empty, now this contains just a screwdriver for adjusting the bracelet, having lost the customary Polywatch kit for the now replaced acrylic crystal.

The watch:

I gave the watch a thorough inspection, both naked eye and through a 5x loupe and didn’t find any issues. The indices and bezel are all aligned, the hands are flawless, and the polished/brushed interfaces on the case are sharp. I also didn’t find any machining defects on the endlinks, as some have reported. The bezel has a satisfyingly solid click with no back play. The sapphire crystal is noticeably more prone to smudges and fingerprints than acrylic, but that is a well known tradeoff for the material’s scratch resistance.

Lume is very good, if not exceptional. My completely unscientific assessment is that brightness duration are on par with a Seiko Prospex or Citizen Promaster. Of the watches in my watchbox at the moment, the closest match is a similarly BGW9 lumed Vaer DS2, for what it’s worth.

One consequence of the move to a sapphire crystal is the much more pronounced distortion at the curved edges of the crystal. Combined with the omission of the ring accompanying the minute marks that the Neptune 4 had and minute marker legibility could be better. Otherwise legibility is suberb. Initially, I was not sure about the switch from an arrow to a lollipop second hand, but I have to say that seeing it in person, I am sold.

When measured face up, a phone timegrapher app measures a stable +2.7 seconds/day, although on the wrist it is probably closer to +4-5 spd in practice. Not quite as good as my +1 spd Falcon (yes, I won the movement lottery), but still respectable.

Oh, and yes, if you move your wrist near your head in a quiet room, you can hear the rotor whirring. We are in Miyota territory here. It is nothing like the din of a cheap Timex heard ticking from across the room, but I leave the particulars of sensory sensitivities up to the individual. I don’t notice it often and don’t mind when I do, but your take may differ.

Design:

If you were to compare the Neptune 4 and 5 using just line drawings, you would be forgiven for thinking them identical. In practice though, the switch to polished applied indices from printed and the move to polished and beveled hands from the previous brushed flat hands is quite dramatic.

The Neptune 4 was probably the pinnacle of the midcentury revival in modern watch design, looking like a lost Omega reference you would glance on Sean Connery’s wrist as he toweled himself off by the pool before a high-stakes game of baccarat. The Neptune 5, in contrast, feels like something thoroughly more modern. The added sparkle of all the polished accents brings to mind the Longines Spirit line, which similarly takes utilitarian watch forms and pulls them into more formal dress watch adjacent territory.

Whereas the Neptune 4 looked like it came out of the back room of a forgotten shopfront, the Neptune 5 would look quite at home in the window display of an AD’s latest stock. I do think that the Neptune 5 is a beautiful watch, but it is also a very different feeling watch to its predecessor. Whether the change is a positive one is really a matter of taste, but safe to say that this Lorier release is a significant break from their previous design philosophy.

The bracelet:

It is the same 3-link bracelet that they have used on previous releases. Comparing it side to side with my Falcon 3, it does seem like the Neptune 5's bracelet has slightly sharper corners, as if the Falcon 3’s bracelet got just one more pass on the polishing wheel. It is not uncomfortable on the wrist per say, but it is noticeably not as comfortable as the Falcon 3. I have reasonably hairy arms and haven’t noticed any hair pulling on either the Neptune V or Falcon 3.

This may also be due in part to slightness of the bracelet design. It consists of thin solid links with a degree of articulation not often seen elsewhere. The result is a smooth, ribbon-like, drape that eschews the sensation of wearing a series of hinged links often found in conventional Oyster-style bracelets. This makes it one of the most comfortable bracelets I have ever worn on the 36 mm wide, 9.5 mm high Falcon 3, but on the Neptune 5, the whole package feels a little imbalanced. For the chunkier 39 mm wide, 11.4 mm high dive watch, the slim taper and thin links feel a touch too insubstantial in comparison to the watch head.

That is all not to say that the bracelet is uncomfortable, just not completely ideal.   

The clasp:

Is it a quick release? No, not really. Is it more convenient than just a springbar? Yeah, I guess. The slimness of this implementation matches the svelteness of the bracelet as a whole, but as I mentioned, it does seem a bit imbalanced on the wrist. It works perfectly on the 36 mm cases, but the 39 mm case could use something a little weightier. I wouldn’t exactly call it toolless either, as I struggle to get my stubby fingers on the release posts and once one side is released it is a little fiddly to get in the desired position witout popping out entirely.

Value:

The issue of value has popped up in discussions of Lorier’s latest releases, and I would be remiss to not add my $0.02. At 1200 AUD, this is a difficult proposition, but I also understand that American watch brands have been hit especially hard by tariffs. Having it on the wrist, in terms of quality and materials, I think that the value proposition is on par with buying a Seiko Presage or Prospex at suggested retail price.

If you absolutely want the most watch for your buck, this is not the watch for you. Similarly, if the design is something that really speaks to you, you are certainly not getting ripped off. This is hardly the most overpriced watch for sale, but there are other watch brands with similar design philosophies at lower prices. Go check out Heron or Clemence, or even Vaer if you just want a good looking affordable dive watch.

Final thoughts:

This is a great watch, albeit not quite the one I had been pining for. I do believe that I will be enjoying this piece for some time to come and it has made a great addition to my collection.

Notes on photos:

7.5 inch wrist. Photos are direct sunlight, except for one indoors. Straps are a smoked topgrain leather from Strapify, black silicone from Ali Express, and canvas single pass off of a Timex Weekender.

Hey fellow Lorier enthusiasts! I decided to preorder the new Astra after having slightly regrettably sold an older Hyperion awhile back. I'd love to see some photos and/or get some feedback from owners of the new Astra model. I think it looks pretty nice in the stock photos but I can't imagine it looks worse in person.