Lorier Hyperion -The Black Bay GMT we have been waiting for? I VARIO

GMT watches or complications are one of the most useful features on a watch, yes with the pandemic at its peak we lost the ability to travel but that doesn’t mean the functionality won't be popular again, tracking a 2nd time zone at a glance despite of the 'true' GMT discussion its less gimmicky than a diver's bezel, that said it has to be done right, a bit too thick or a bit too big and people start losing their interest, at the end it's all about ergonomics and how a watch feels on your wrist. I have been on the hunt of a GMT longer than I can remember and when the Tudor Black Bay GMT hit the market people (me too) went crazy about it, despite that it was consider a bit too thick and there was problem with the movement ( the date change) we all loved it, and of course I did bought one. After a while wearing it is not like I felt out of love but it didn’t do it for me at the end, was it the size or was the fact that it lived under the Rolex shadow, whatever it was is now long gone and a void needed to be filled. Here is where I found the Lorier Hyperion, one of my friends send me the watch for review (shout out to #wrist.ed) and here are my impressions.

The specifications:

There is no denying that Lorier has been doing some great job with their releases, hitting that sweet spot between quality, nostalgia and price, the Hyperion is no different. The watch is 39mm and an under 9mm thick, making the watch feel perfect for my 6.25 inch wrist. The watch has a domed plexiglass to complete the vintage feeling and then there the sapphire bezel with 48 clicks which gives that bakelite vintage look. When you wear the watch it does feel like a Rolex 6542 but the beauty is that you are not wearing a fragile or extremely expensive watch. The Hyperion has endless details like gilt accents, a roulette date wheel and a long second red hand for the GMT function. Under the hood we have a Soprod C125 automatic movement which seems to be a great alternative to ETA.

On the wrist:

The watch is very thin as mentioned before but the lugs extend and wrap your wrist nicely. It is one of the most comfortable watches I wore so far. A big and unintrusive crown with no guards gives a bit of presence to an overall watch that feel very historical correct. Legibility is achieved with that glossy dial, minimal text and date at 6, all nicely done and a finishing that could be compared with watches costing easily 3 times the price. I wore the watch for a couple of days and it's so light that I forgot it was there but when I looked down to check out the time in Caracas which is where I am from, it just put a smile on my face.

The Vario strap:

Anyone who has been following Lorier knows that they have been making the best metal bracelets not only at their price point but they give the big brands a run for its money, the watch feels at home with the angular and flexible metal band, but to me the GMT looks perfect on a, it would look also great on a brown strap but my only complaint is that the holes are too far down leaving a gap between the case and the strap, so again the covers this small detail and that Vario Twill olive green strap completes the military tactical look, making it less jet set and more ''tooly'' (if that is even a word). Another reason why I chose a strap is because the watch is very very thin, so you won't even pass the 10mm height when the strap is on, which is very different with the Black Bay GMT because its thickness of the case starts at 14mm.

Conclusions:

The Hyperion is a great watch to own and wear on daily basis, is attractive, easy to pull and very different from some of the offerings out there, the watch also won't break the bank costing around 750 GBP with import taxes. This is the first time that Lorier offers a Swiss movement and I think they really made a jump in quality, yes is more expensive that the other current offers but you get more reliability and a better watch in my opinion. This watch is for who wants a piece of nostalgia but also wants to wear it, the plexiglass might scratch easily but there is no denying that sapphire cannot even begin to offer the warmth given by this dial. If you are unsure on the brand or the watch I can tell you that is worth every cent, it's a good solid piece and definitely will scratch that Pepsi/GMT craze that has been going over the years now, waiting list are not getting smaller at the Rolex boutiques and this is a perfect replacement.

Written by Robbie from Robbie & Watches

Any views or opinions represented in this blog are personal and belong solely to the author and do not represent those of people, institutions or organizations that the owner may or may not be associated with in professional or personal capacity, unless explicitly stated.

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