Product Review: Lorier Zephyr Watch
Today, I am delighted to present a review of my first new watch in over five years: the Lorier Zephyr.
I did not get paid to write this. This is a real, honest-to-goodness review.
This watch was a joint anniversary/Valentine’s Day gift from my wife and made an appearance in my list of best, reasonably priced, dress watches.
Lorier is a small, relatively new, NYC-based watch company. They mainly offer steel, tool watches, like divers and GMTs. Their focus is providing robust, everyday watches with a classic, somewhat-vintage feel, all for a reasonable price.
The Zephyr is their dressiest offering, and, in my opinion, they have done a fantastic job of it.
The first thing one notices about the Zephyr is its shape and size.
The design influences are pretty obvious here. Any rectangular-shaped watch is going to draw comparisons to the JLC Reverso…
the Longines Evidenza…
and, of course, the Cartier Tank.
Lorier doesn’t shy away from these comparisons, however. They are up-front about which watches from the past influenced their current designs. Even the name “Lorier” is quite similar, especially when printed in tiny letters on a watch face, to “Cartier”. Additionally, the Zephyr sports blue hands and a railroad track around the perimeter of the dial, which, again, are obvious Cartier references.
With all these similarities, one might assume that the Zephyr is trying to be a cheap Tank. That is misguided. While the similarities exist if you look for them, they aren’t obvious enough to make that assumption. This isn’t like Seiko’s sub-$200 quartz “Tank” with its yellow-gold toned case and fake jewel in the crown.
No, the Zephyr is definitely its own thing. And the design elements lifted from its more famous, and expensive, watch brethren each serve specific purposes beyond mere tips-of-the-hat: the dark blue hands provide legibility against the white dial and the railroad track enables one to time minute-by-minute without the use of a seconds hand.
The rectangular case is technically “tonneau”-shaped, which just means the sides of the case are slightly rounded. The width of the case is 31mm. The length of the case is not provided on the Lorier website, but, without measuring, I would estimate it to be about 37mm. The thickness of the case is a svelte 8mm due in large part to the absence of a seconds hand and no complications, such as a date function.
The watch comes in three colorways: the white dial you see here, a black dial, and a burgundy dial. Each version comes with two quick-release, leather straps. You can choose either regular-length straps or slightly shorter straps, if you have a smaller wrist circumference. I have the regular-length straps and I buckle the watch on the third-tightest hole on my seven-inch wrist.
The straps that were included with my white-dial version are tan and black.
I’ve been wearing this watch almost exclusively for about a month. Here are my thoughts…
The watch came already on the tan strap. I initially thought I would prefer the black strap, but the tan strap has definitely grown on me. I don’t own any tan leather (belts, shoes) so the color is a new addition to my wardrobe.
The exact color of the strap cannot be adequately described as simply “tan”, however. It’s more of a “reddish tan”, which I like. The photography on the Lorier website of the strap is actually a very accurate representation of the color.
When I first put the watch on, I was shocked at how light it was. Almost disconcertingly so, simply because I was used to wearing heavier watches. That lightness, though, has proven to be one of the best features of the Zephyr since it’s so comfortable to wear for extended periods of time.
Lorier’s website states that they don’t shoot for a “luxury” feel to their watches. And I agree with that. The Zephyr doesn’t feel like it’s trying to be a Tank or a Reverso. At the same time, this watch does not feel cheap or chintzy in the slightest. Quite the contrary! Everything about this watch has been well-executed and feels robust. For example, the crown does not screw-down (the watch has 3 bar of water-resistance, which is plenty for a dressier watch), but pops back into place, after the time has been set, with a satisfying “snap”. In other words, the case feels solidly constructed. Additionally, the straps are easy to swap out and when in place, feel very secure.
Lorier tries to make hardy watches that can accompany men on the adventures of life, and that is exactly what they have accomplished with the Zephyr. After wearing this watch for a month or so, I feel confident that it can handle the bumps and shocks of a life well-lived.
Other than the solid construction, part of why I feel so comfortable wearing this “dress watch” just about anywhere is that the price of this watch didn’t break the bank.
The watch is about $500. That’s exactly where I think this watch, and many other microbrands, should be, price-wise. These watches are geared towards regular guys who just want a nicer-looking watch to wear day-to-day. They don’t want to wear their workout G-Shocks everywhere, but they also don’t want to shell out thousands of dollars for entry-level luxury pieces like Tudor, Oris, or Longines. They like watches, but not THAT much!
Presumably, that’s where companies like Tissot and Hamilton are supposed to come in. But I don’t know too many guys who would spend close to $1,000 for an elegant, automatic watch from those companies. A few hundred bucks for a watch is about the upper limit for a regular guy with a regular income. Beyond that, it just doesn’t seem reasonable for most men. Lorier seems to understand their market better than most watch companies in the non-luxury space.
Even though the price of the watch is $500, which is a hefty chunk of change, the Zephyr actually feels and looks MORE expensive than it actually is!
As I mentioned earlier, the watch is very thin, due to the fact that it only has two hands. I know it’s a cliché, but the watch really does “disappear” on the wrist to the point where, in the first few days of wear, I forgot I was even wearing it. You know that feeling when you think you lost your wallet, but you just forgot that you put it in a different pocket? Wearing the Zephyr felt like that, at first, since it felt like I wasn’t wearing a watch at all. My 38mm, quartz Timex feels positively beefy on my wrist now!
The white dial is, in my opinion, the best looking of the three choices, mainly because of legibility. Even in low-light the Zephyr is quite easy to read due to the dark blue hands contrasting against the white dial. The dial itself is stamped with a guilloche-style pattern (little ripples) that give the watch some visual interest. When the light hits it, the dial gives off a lovely sunburst effect.
As far as only being a two-handed watch, I was a little unsure at first about how I would like not having a seconds hand. Honestly, I don’t miss it at all! Like I said before, the railroad track around the perimeter of the face allows me to time increments of roughly thirty seconds if I absolutely need to. Beyond that, I don’t really need that level of precision. I actually find myself staring at the watch because, without the constantly moving seconds hand, it’s so CALMING.
They should really call this watch the Lorier Tranquility. There is no sweeping or ticking seconds hand. There is no open window or clear caseback showing the whirling rotor. There is a stillness about this watch that is very relaxing. The small case dimensions enhance that.
As I said, I’ve been wearing the watch mostly on the tan strap, which, for the sartorially-minded, makes it very easy to combine with everything from casual wear all the way up to business-casual and more relaxed tailoring. Yes, I wear this watch with jeans and flannel shirts. I also wear it with tweed jackets and chinos. I wouldn’t think twice about wearing it with a navy blazer and grey, flannel trousers. If I were wearing more sober suits, like a dark navy or charcoal, I would pop the black strap onto the watch to transform it into a true “dress” watch.
Honestly, the Zephyr on a black strap is a perfect “black-tie” watch, too. Yeah, yeah, “you should never wear a watch to a black-tie event”. Whatever. I wear a watch everywhere I go, including black-tie events. No one cares or even notices. Those are silly rules that people on the internet pass around that were never really followed by anyone anyway.
So, in the Zephyr, you have a handsome, robust watch that can be styled with everything from jeans to a tuxedo. All for $500. That’s some pretty solid value.
Want to know why I really love this watch, though? My wife had the back of the case engraved with a message of love (for which Lorier charges around $35). This watch was a sentimental gift, given with love, from my beautiful wife. It means way more to me than if I had simply purchased it myself. It will be the watch that’s on my wrist for years to come and in multitudes of pictures of holidays and special occasions. Whenever I look at it, I smile. Sure, it’s a lovely watch, but that’s not why it makes me so happy. It’s a constant reminder of the love that’s present in my life. What a wonderful thing! The watch reminds me every day of how lucky I am.
That’s priceless.
