Inside the design of our core collection

Moving the entire collection from acrylic to sapphire was not a decision we made lightly. Acrylic had been part of Lorier from the very beginning, and we remain fond of it. Ultimately, however, the change opened the door to improvements across every watch in the line. In the video above, I walk through each model in detail. For those who prefer to read, what follows is a summary.

NOW WITH sapphire

We never wanted a Lorier to be treated like a trophy. Our aim has always been to make the watch you choose to wear every day, and we originally chose acrylic for exactly that reason: it let a watch be worn without being precious about it. Many of you, however, told us you wished our watches had sapphire so you could worry less about them. If sapphire is what lets people strap on a Lorier every day and take it on adventures, then sapphire it is.

There was also a practical reason. Acrylic crystals require a tension ring to mount, and the fit between ring, crystal and case was never fully consistent. As a result, production ran in fits and starts, which made it difficult to keep watches in regular stock. Sapphire should allow for more regular production runs, and in turn, make a Lorier easier to get.

The change had one more consequence. Sapphire is optically different from acrylic, and whatever sits beneath it needs high contrast for the dial to come alive. Thus, every watch in the collection now has applied indices and beveled hands.

Neptune

The Neptune is a diver made to go with any kind of suit: business suit, bathing suit, wetsuit or tuxedo. It draws on the mid-century divers that excelled in that role, and for this version we wanted something more understated and refined.

The most significant change is the bezel. Last year, I earned my dive certification wearing the previous Neptune, and quickly found its bezel numerals small and hard to read underwater. The new bezel's numerals are considerably more legible. We also added minute marks through the first 15 minutes, a detail I came to appreciate during safety stops. On land, they're just as useful for timing anything short.

The dial remains a deep, glossy black, now with applied gilt indices and polished, beveled hands, all in service of a high-contrast look. In short, the Neptune is a dive watch, but first class.

Hyperion

Speaking of first class, the Hyperion is our GMT, designed to recall a time when people dressed up to fly. Of all the watches in the collection, it has changed the most, and nearly every change serves one goal: legibility at a glance. With the previous Hyperion, we found that reading the GMT function while traveling took a second or two longer than it should.

The solution was to differentiate every hand. Dolphin hands allowed for a larger GMT hand, which makes it easier to see which bezel numeral it points to. A lollipop seconds hand improves visibility at night and makes it easy to confirm the watch is running. Additionally, the odd hours on the bezel are now marked with lines rather than dots, which separates them visually from the circular indices on the dial. The result is a watch where it's immediately clear which track of time you're reading.

Finally, the bezel is rendered in Air Force blue and burgundy. In our view, it's a more mature take on the classic GMT colors, and one that brings out the Hyperion's mid-century character.

Astra

Everyday watches tend to be plain. With the Astra, we set out to make a watch that is subdued at a glance, yet reveals more the closer one looks.

Its defining feature is the silver ring on the dial. The keyword throughout its design was "orbit": the idea was to create a tiny universe beneath the sapphire dome, built in layers. My favorite of these layers is the minute track, which is engraved rather than printed, so light and shadow do the work of making it visible. Beneath it all, the white base dial has a subtle sheen that reflects ambient light quite nicely.

The result is a watch that can be worn anywhere, with anything, with small details that reward a closer look.

Falcon

The Falcon is the watch you take on a hike Sunday and keep on your wrist for the big meeting Monday morning.

As with the Hyperion, legibility at a glance was the priority. The clarity of sapphire means the dial almost has to shine for the design to work, so the Falcon has a glossy dial, polished applied indices and polished, beveled hands. The layout takes its cues from 1960s skin divers, whose elongated indices draw the eye toward the center of the dial. It's a highly legible design, and one we think is ideal for a dressy field watch.

Overall

We're very happy with how the collection has come together. Each watch retains the vintage cues that make a Lorier a Lorier, while the move to sapphire has pushed every design toward greater clarity and contrast. As always, these are watches made to be worn anywhere, with anything, and to reward a closer look.