Lorier hydra siii - a review
Read Time: 7 Minutes
Admittedly and somewhat shamefully, my adventure inspired watches see far more office buildings and concrete jungles than fluorescent coral reefs and mountain peaks.
In a perfect world I’d be living a life that fulfils the purposes of these watches - diving wrecks off tropical islands, hiking to those peaks where the air is fresh and thin and flying high between time zones where yesterday becomes today and today becomes yester… okay you get the idea, I’d like to travel more.
However, the moment I put on the Lorier Hydra SIII I feel the pull of escapism - a sense of what could be. Even if my next stop is the local groccer.
Everything about this watch begs for adventure, I mean it has a dive bezel AND a GMT function, is that not enough to convince you that this watch was made to see the world?!
In all seriousness, Lorier have done an incredible job of packing so much function and character into a stainless steel casing. So let’s jump in and see what’s so hot about this time piece in a review of the Lorier Hydra SIII.
Lorier as a brand
Okay, I lied, we’re not going into the review just yet. I thought that before diving in on all the things this watch has to offer, let’s get some context around the brand itself (if you already know about Lorier, scroll down a little further).
The New York based watch company is run by husband and wife duo, Lorenzo and Lauren Ortega, who kicked things off in 2017 with R&D and then officially launched their first run of watches in 2018.
The first collection comprised of the Neptune - their diver, the Falcon - their field watch and the Gemini - their chronograph, all of which have a “by gone era” feel (I mean that in a sincere way) which speaks to their philosophy of vintage inspiration and purpose driven design.
From here they took off and have since built a name for themselves as a brand of quality and detail which has been supported by notable collaborations with brands such as Worn & Wound on their Gemini Chronograph partnership.
The Hydra SIII - The Review
This watch is an absolute all rounder. It looks great, wears great, has all the functions you’d ever need and it’ll make you just stop and stare for a while because the dial is just so damn interesting.
To break this review down some more, I have split the rest up into the following:
Case & Build Quality
Dial & Bezel
The Movement
Critiques
Final Thoughts
Case and build quality
Coming in at 41mm case size, a 46mm lug to lug and height if 12.2mm + 2.4mm crystal you would imagine it wearing rather large. However, even with having a slimmer wrist of 6 inches diameter it wears fantastically. I’d argue it wears somewhat closer to a 39mm.
The 316L marine grade stainless steel fits the purpose of the watch perfectly due to its corrosion resistance and durability.
It’s also nice to see Lorier have gone the extra yards to balance a mix of brushed as well as polished accents on the case which you don’t always see in watches at this price point.
Moving to the crystal, the use of hesalite has been a conscious choice by Lorier to fit in line with their vintage aesthetics and appeal. It’s something that creates a beautiful distortion on the dial - which is understandably a subjective preference and not for everyone.
Flipping over, the case back is screwed down with the additional option at checkout to include an engraving - if adding a personal touch is your thing.
Sticking on brand with the watch being a diver they’ve opted for a screw down crown to give you that peace of mind if you are jumping in the water - however, I don’t see any of us diving as deep as the watches 200m depth capacity (and if anyone has, please reach out here, I’d love to hear your story).
Finally, the bracelet on this watch feels sturdy for the price point and tapers smoothly from 20mm at the lug to 16mm at the clasp.
Dial and bezel
The reason most people are attracted to a watch in the first place is rarely anything more than the dial. You might find out it has the most intricate movement or have hands made from precious metals extracted from a fallen mediorite, but if you’re just not attracting people to the watch then you’re going to find yourself with an uphill battle.
For Lorier they’ve done an awesome job at standing out from the crowd and nailed a design that feels refined in its familiar circle hour markers, steel hands and deep blue dial while striking an interesting contrast with its pale blue/white GMT outer dial.
Not to leave out the bezel, at 120 clicks it is sturdy, smooth and although thin, is absolutely legible, even at lowlight thanks to its strong lume from the Superluminova BGW9 which the inner dial, hour, minute and second hand have also been coated in.
I should also note that the outer dial and GMT hand have C1 Superluminova on them which creates a solid contrast between the time and GMT at lowlight.
The Movement
The powerhouse that makes the Hydra SIII tick is the Miyota 9075. Beating at 28,800 BPH, the second hand glides smoothly, adding a touch of sophistication to its rugged exterior.
Punching well above its weight this movement is highly significant as it’s blown the doors wide open when it comes to the affordable GMT market. The automatic movement is also a “True GMT” meaning you can adjust the hour hand independently. This function has coined the term “flyer GMT” since it’s highly beneficial for frequent travellers as you can simply jump the hour hand to local time without needing to stop the movement.
This type of GMT has traditionally only been seen in the more expensive movements such as the calibre 3285 found in the Rolex GMT-Master II.
Accuracy-wise, I’ve found it runs a little fast—gaining about 10 seconds per day—but it’s nothing that detracts from everyday usability. It also boasts a 42-hour power reserve, so it won’t die on you if you skip a day of wear.
When it comes to setting the time and GMT functions, it feels smooth and precise, adding to the overall experience. However, adjusting the date is a little more unordinary as being a “true GMT” you’ll need to wind the hour hand around the dial clocking past midnight each time to adjust the date.
Image via the Miyota website
Critiques
Pretty quick here, my only critiques come down to 2 things:
1. Time keeping: although the movement is groundbreaking for the “affordable” GMT market, I have found the watch to run a bit quick and after a few days to a week I’m needing to adjust the time back again by a few minutes.
2. The crystal: I understand that it is a conscious choice to be on par with the authenticity of what watches were like back in the day, however it would be nice to see a sapphire crystal.*
*side note. I do need to mention that Lorier are kind enough to put a tube of poly watch in every order so my critique above isn’t overly justifiable. The sapphire is much more a “nice to have” rather than a “need”.
Final Thoughts
After a little over two months the Lorier Hydra SIII has become a near permanent fixture on my wrist. It’s been just about impossible to take off - even the pictures prove it with the wear and tear.
For $599 USD I think my opinion on the minor inconveniences mentioned above can kindly close the door on their way out, because for everything else you get, this watch ROCKS.
I’ve receive numerous compliments and people coming up to me intrigued as to what I’m wearing and every time I’ve proudly said “It’s the Lorier Hydra SIII” followed with a long winded - definitely one sided - conversation about watches (apologies to those that have experienced this).
I’d happily recommend this watch to someone who’s looking for their first GMT or for someone who might have a bit more cash than your “average Joe” it would make one hell of beater.
I’ve left a link down below that will take you to Lorier’s website if you feel like you want to check out this watch some more. If not, no hard feelings.
Cheers,
Will
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The Spec Sheet
Case size: 41mm
Case Height: 12.2mm + 2.4mm crystal
Lug to lug: 46mm
Lug Width: 20mm
Case Material: 316L Marine Grade Stainless Steel
Movement: Miyota 9075 Automatic GMT
Crystal: Domed Hesalite
Functions: GMT (flyer), date, 120 click uni-directional dive bezel, hacking
Power Reserve: 42 hours
Water Resistance: 200 meters / 660ft
Price: $599 USD / $950 AUD ~
SHOP LORIER HYDRA SIII HERE
*All images of the watch are shot on a wrist that is 6 inches / 15.2cm.
This review is fully independent, it has been in no way endorsed by Lorier and the timepiece has been purchased by myself.