u/leicfox85

I recently posted the day my Lorier Neptune landed (4 days ago), where my expectations were completely exceeded.

A few days later, and I’m even more thrilled. This thing is just so frickin beautiful. I love it. Averaging +4spd, I’ve not been able to wear anything else in my collection, and that is a rarity as I rotate pretty much every day, even after picking up new pieces the most I’ve spent is a couple of days!

I’m thinking about trying it out some nice leathers soon, but for now the bracelet is comfy, no hair pulling (and I have lots) and it fits the style of the watch superbly.

I love the hands and markers, they look so different in varying conditions, hopefully you can see this in the pictures.

Yes, you can get more for your money, and I have lots of great microbrands, swiss and Chinese, but when a watch looks this damn good I couldn’t give a shit. That’s the price we pay sometimes.

I recently posted the day my Lorier Neptune landed (4 days ago), where my expectations were completely exceeded.

A few days later, and I’m even more thrilled. This thing is just so frickin beautiful. I love it. Averaging +4spd, I’ve not been able to wear anything else in my collection, and that is a rarity as I rotate pretty much every day, even after picking up new pieces the most I’ve spent is a couple of days!

I’m thinking about trying it out some nice leathers soon, but for now the bracelet is comfy, no hair pulling (and I have lots) and it fits the style of the watch superbly.

I love the hands and markers, they look so different in varying conditions, hopefully you can see this in the pictures.

Yes, you can get more for your money, and I have lots of great microbrands, swiss and Chinese, but when a watch looks this damn good I couldn’t give a shit. That’s the price we pay sometimes.

So my second Lorier arrived today, 1 day ahead of schedule 😊 NYC to UK in just under 48 hours.

I was extremely pleased with Ilya from Lorier, after receiving the update last week re the delayed shipment, I emailed to advise I might need them to hold my order as I was travelling abroad during the expected window.

She emailed me back over the weekend to advise they had some come through, and that they could ship mine this week!

So now, I’m the proud owner of the Olympia 2 (new since Feb) and this beautiful Neptune. When I heard about the updates to the collection, I was initially disappointed, as I love my Olympia (first hesalite). I took the gamble when they announced there was some stock not sold at the launch. However after seeing some insta shots of the Neptune, I began to get quietly excited, the promo shots did this watch injustice.

As I wear this now, I’m so thrilled. Early impressions:

The AR is fabulous on the sapphire crystal.

The hands are extremely well finished and give the watch a really premium look.

The polished chamfers are broader than on my Olympia.

The bracelet itself has more lustre than my Olympia bracelet (I don’t know if it’s finer brushing or what)

The bracelet has the same weight to it as my Olympia, no sharp edges anywhere.

The sapphire crystal is executed very well, and as mentioned, the AR has been applied very generously it seems.

The bezel action is very good, very tactile, doesn’t sound tinny, and everything clicks into place as expected with no backplay.

Since setting the time to atomic clock at 1130, there has been no deviation (3.5hrs)

The end link finishing (underside as reported by a certain watch reviewer recently) could be better but it’s not as bad as the sample in that review. I also compared my Olympia (never noticed it on that before, and it’s similar).

Overall I’m incredibly happy with this purchase. Yes, you can get more spec for your money here (UK £665) but the look and feel of this watch is what drew me to it in the first place. When I compare this with the Tusenö Shellback v2.1 with SW200-2 for £750 all in, it’s much less spec. But I’m okay with that.

I look forward to seeing all your incoming Loriers!

TLDR: Lorier Neptune, it’s a looker and feels great on wrist.

So my second Lorier arrived today, 1 day ahead of schedule 😊 NYC to UK in just under 48 hours.

I was extremely pleased with Ilya from Lorier, after receiving the update last week re the delayed shipment, I emailed to advise I might need them to hold my order as I was travelling abroad during the expected window.

She emailed me back over the weekend to advise they had some come through, and that they could ship mine this week!

So now, I’m the proud owner of the Olympia 2 (new since Feb) and this beautiful Neptune. When I heard about the updates to the collection, I was initially disappointed, as I love my Olympia (first hesalite). I took the gamble when they announced there was some stock not sold at the launch. However after seeing some insta shots of the Neptune, I began to get quietly excited, the promo shots did this watch injustice.

As I wear this now, I’m so thrilled. Early impressions:

The AR is fabulous on the sapphire crystal.

The hands are extremely well finished and give the watch a really premium look.

The polished chamfers are broader than on my Olympia.

The bracelet itself has more lustre than my Olympia bracelet (I don’t know if it’s finer brushing or what)

The bracelet has the same weight to it as my Olympia, no sharp edges anywhere.

The sapphire crystal is executed very well, and as mentioned, the AR has been applied very generously it seems.

The bezel action is very good, very tactile, doesn’t sound tinny, and everything clicks into place as expected with no backplay.

Since setting the time to atomic clock at 1130, there has been no deviation (3.5hrs)

The end link finishing (underside as reported by a certain watch reviewer recently) could be better but it’s not as bad as the sample in that review. I also compared my Olympia (never noticed it on that before, and it’s similar).

Overall I’m incredibly happy with this purchase. Yes, you can get more spec for your money here (UK £665) but the look and feel of this watch is what drew me to it in the first place. When I compare this with the Tusenö Shellback v2.1 with SW200-2 for £750 all in, it’s much less spec. But I’m okay with that.

I look forward to seeing all your incoming Loriers!

TLDR: Lorier Neptune, it’s a looker and feels great on wrist.

This beauty has dominated my wrist time over the last 30 days. I’ve got a mix of Swiss, Micros and Chinese in a collection of about 24 (Revelot Maya and Lorier Neptune on pre order too 😍), yet this beauty continues to dominate.

The stopwatch is handy to measure my lap times when I’m on my morning power walks too 😆🚶🏽‍♂️

What’s your selection today?

I took delivery of this delight last week, my only purchase from the back to school sale. This watch wasn’t even on my radar until I came across u/TheYKcid comprehensive post detailing the most recent iterative changes that Baltany have made to this line.

I agree with everything you said!

The only reason I picked this up, was to see how it would wear on my 7/7.25 inch wrist - I planned on going after the next Smiths Everest drop later this month. However, I’m now thinking twice about that, as pound for pound, this is a knockout.

You get the quality finishing and build from Baltany, including their most impressive crystal selection. The new ST2130 movement allows the case to be a bit thinner than the NH version and the OTF clasp is fantastic!

The aforementioned post, included images of the chamfered milled clasp which really took me by surprise. Also the gap when the clasp is shut is absolutely minimal, I’ve not seen gaps so small on these sort of clasps. That level of detail, I’ve not come across any of the big hitters from this part of the world.

I decided on the brown/tropical dial, as I already have the Thorn T023 vintage sub, and the Farasute Trackmaster in brown, so thought why not complete the set 🤣

The bracelet is excellent value, considering I picked this up for £137 (not including the £46 cashback coming way), though the brushing isn’t as fine as San Martin or IXDAO. However, end link fitment and the clasp proportions are excellent. Also, to add there is a nice sheen off the brushing which complements the watch head.

The movement is running about 6s fast per day, which is perfectly reasonable. The crown action is good, with no issues screwing it back down etc. The lume is very good considering the printed markers.

Overall, I’m very pleased with how the watch wears, and the quality/price ratio is incredible. And thank you once again to u/TheYKcid for his detailed post a few months back - very helpful.

Loving this 36mm pie pan. Had it since June, and immediately switched it up to a gorgeous Maikes Croc (subtle) style strap that I bought especially for this watch.

The dial is difficult to capture in most settings but hopefully these pictures help to highlight how beautiful this has been executed, with limited impact on legibility.

I had the larger version in white before, but on my 7/7.25 inch wrist it wore like a dinner plate. This one is perfect. I was initially not a fan of the gap at the 3, but in reality the gap is barely noticeable due to the fantastic crystal and the distortions created around the perimeter.

What’s your choice for today?

Super glad for this smaller pie pan. So much better than the first version that I had. Wears beautifully on my 7/7.25inch wrist.

Had my Olympia since Feb, just before they sold out. It’s been one of my favourite pick ups ever and is my most worn watch this year, in a rotation of about 20 pieces.

The white of the panda dial looks crisp in shaded light, and I just love everything about this watch, sitting nicely on wrist, the refined case helps to keep the profile visually thinner than the spec.

I’ve had it on leathers for a few months, but after getting lucky and ordering the Neptune yesterday with the additional stock release, I decided to put it back on the bracelet. It just looks great on everything!

Seeing the videos of the Neptune on insta, persuaded me to pull the trigger, I had no intention of ordering anything from the drop, even though I was online when the drop happened just to see how quickly the updated models would sell. I think the Neptune is the one piece that retains most of what any of the previous iterations had from the line up.

Be interesting to see what happens with the Olympia line, this was my first hesalite crystal, and I’ve been so impressed with it.

I don’t often get the opportunity to wear this dressy little number. However, this is one of the 6 watches I’ve bought with me for our family holiday.

So, a rooftop Italian dining experience watching the sun go down, I felt, was the perfect opportunity to dress up a little 💃

Although it’s a cheap movement, it more than justifies the price at retail. However, I was fortunate enough to pick this up almost new pre-owned at a bargain price.

The finishing on the hands, arabics, and case is sublime. The white enamel dial is beautiful, and the recessed the seconds dial looks gorgeous when you catch it right.

The stock strap is an alligator one but I don’t like how thin it is, so I bought a few from WatchGecko which I think elevate the watch further.

A bonus here is that the seconds hand lands on each marker, and it’s so small you can barely notice it’s a ticking quartz.

Sunset in Kusadasi, Turkey.

I picked up this latest version of the PH4B back in April specifically to be my holiday beater, and I’m pleased to say it’s passed the water test - I’ve never worn any of my Chinese watches in the water, so I’m happy with this!

Paired with a CTS FKM and an OTF clasp, this is the perfect watch for my hols. Although I’ve brought 6 pieces with me, this is for the water only 😂

Absolutely love my engineers, this one is my fav for sure.

Absolutely mental this one, one of the best for sure. Looks great on both the supplied bracelet and straps, personally think the watch head pops even better on a strap. For those interested, this is a Maikes “Rolex” strap with curved ends, croc style. Maikes produce quality leather straps, at an affordable price.

This landed this morning - having owned the larger version (silver dial/case) I knew this one would be a hit. 36mm, titanium nitrate gold PVD hardened, giving it a slightly duller gold look to fit the vintage vibe. I must emphasise this is extremely well done.

Stock strap isn’t that great but I always planned on putting aftermarket on - so bought a few 18mm straps at the same time, this being the pick of the bunch.

It was a really tough choice to pick which dial to go for, I knew I preferred the arrowhead indices over the thinner baton style on the S4107 as I had the larger version before. Really pleased with my choice of Gold, I felt the gold complemented the style of watch the most out of all the options.

The dial is now completely brushed with a sunray effect, and actually it’s more champagne gold than I thought it would be which is a very welcome bonus.

Really tough to get pictures of the dial as it just washes everything out unfortunately and I’m not a pro photographer 😆

The crystal is what you expect from Baltany absolutely phenomenal, proper clear with a lovely box dome enhancing the vibe further. Same quality as the previous version.

I thought the gap at 3 where the date is would bug me but actually it doesn’t at all, not noticeable when looking down on wrist and I know one of the OG refs had this exact layout too.

All in all an absolute steal especially when I get my cashback from TCB!

That’s me done now. With the Erebus Ascent HAQ and Ginault Expeditioner landing in the last two weeks, my collection is complete (25 in total)!

Last new arrival until next year!

I swear.

Got my Ascent HAQ pre order from Dec last year delivered earlier this week. One word - Amazed.

This has everything I love in a watch with the added bonus of it being a HAQ in a collection of more than 20 mechanicals.

The case design and finishing is superb. The broad mirror polished flanks combined with the female end links make the watch wear smaller than the 39 it measures. It’s just comfortable on the wrist.

The hands are frickin amazing considering the price. The j style bracelet is very comfy and in my opinion suits this watch style better than the O. It has a smaller OTF clasp which gives the best of both worlds too.

An added bonus is that the seconds hand hits each marker about 75% of the time, which I’m more than happy with.

The colour?! Impressed more than I hoped.. I love it. In lower lighting it’s not as potent, but it certainly achieves its hot pink look when the light increases. For ~ £300 I’m very impressed, and yes whilst it is made in China I don’t give a fuck. Happy to pay the extra to a “microbrand” than a factory brand (I have those too).

This was my first Erebus, and probably my only one as nothing else really interests me from their designs, but this one for sure is a keeper. Well done Jody and team.

As my Chinese collection has reduced significantly, since the start of the year, I’ve only got a handful to select from but they’re all belters. Two of which are banned from the group which is a shame. Having splurged on the Baltany pie pan yesterday, it got me in the mood for one of the best. So what’s on your wrist today?

I’ve swapped out the bracelet for two different styles of FKM (both orange) but I think this one with the curved strap just hits the mark better than anything else. Movement running well at +4spd, I filed the crown down gently so no more discomfort and this reduced case thickness is making it a joy to wear.

I saw Matt from Beaucroft wearing his sunset orange on a white FKM a few weeks back, so I decided to switch things up a bit myself.

Put my CW Aquaflex White strap on it, and I’m very impressed with the look!

Received my PH4B yesterday, placed order on 24th April, only after getting confirmation from their sales team that the clasp would be signed. My package was picked up on 13th May.

Many of you will have seen the updates from their rep over the last week or so, so I was hoping I would be one of the luckier few who received the upgraded bracelet as well as the signed clasp I was expecting as described.

I was fortunate..

Initial impressions are that it is well built and finished. The bracelet is smooth all over no sharp edges anywhere on the links (I know the previous version had sharp edges hence the upgrade). The screws were fine too, well machined, and the screw driver provided fitted my screws (although I used my own for comfort).

The watch sits low on the wrist which is both good and bad.. I’ll explain later. The thickness has of course been reduced, and the overall look is excellent. They’ve used a really nice double domed sapphire crystal which just adds to the retro vibes.

My bezel is pretty much perfectly aligned as far as I can tell, so I was pleased with that, the action is pretty good too, one of the better ones I’ve had from China. The clasp is well finished, signed, and each side is nicely bevelled with a polished chamfer. The movement is running well , after almost 24hrs it’s +4s. I’m happy with that.

Gripes:

The crown - Although mine is signed (lucked out again) it looks like they’ve not accounted for the reduced case thickness and how low this sits on the wrist. The crown has given me some discomfort, due to the grippy nature of it, and the finish. This morning I’ve used a nail file to soften the contact points. It feels better already, though I might have another go later. On my FKM strap the watch head doesn’t sit as close to the arm so it wasn’t as noticeable.

The end links - no idea what they’re doing but I know from seeing the NH versions the end links sat flush against the end of the lugs. On mine (and others with the ST movement but v1 bracelet) the end links protrude at an angle. It’s not a huge issue but it seems this and the crown is an oversight on Phorcydes part.

The lume - I knew everyone raved about the lume, but honestly, I’m a bit underwhelmed. Maybe my expectations were too high. I chose to go with the green lume as I felt the daylight tinge of green on the markers would add to the look of this retro styled diver.

The initial brightness intensity is awesome. No doubt. However, within 15 mins it dies down, making it not very noticeable in a dimly lit setting. I should caveat, in a dark room it’s still very much visible. If you’re looking for the potency, go for blue. My Englemaan Wraith UTC (sold) with printed markers had just as good lume using similar if not the same hyperglow tech, that was blue.

Overall for £150 it’s good value for sure, and I’ll be using this as my holiday beater 🏖️