Lorier is a young micro-brand started by husband and wife, Lorenzo and Lauren Ortega in 2018. I had the opportunity to meet Lorenzo and Lauren at the Wind-Up watch fair in New York in 2019. Our chat was brief but what struck me most was their sincerity and humility. It was clear to me that these guys were not marketers just trying to hit quarterly targets — but rather passionate watch enthusiasts who were doing this for the love of watches and the watch community. The watches themselves seem to reflect that very same sentiment; humble, but made with sincerity for the passionate watch enthusiast. This is beautifully represented in the Lorier Falcon V1.

As far as watches go, these are pretty economical — making use of workhorse NH35A, Miyota, and Seagull movements while keeping prices to under $500 USD for all models. But when you look at the details (the plexi-dome, the waffle dial, the polished bevels, the knurling of the oversized crown), you get a sense that these watches were created out of a deep, personal appreciation for vintage watches. The level at which Lorier cares about doing justice to those details is not something you’ll likely find elsewhere at this price point.

In regards to this Falcon V1, Lorier certainly made a bold choice going with gold. Well, it’s not a gold watch per se. Rather, it is stainless steel, PVD coated in Titanium Nitride — an extremely hard ceramic material that happens to be metallic gold in appearance and is typically used to lend durability and extended life to cutting edges, industrial tooling, and firearms. Quite frankly, it doesn’t look half bad on a watch either. The watch looks and feels more substantial than its 39mm case would suggest. While this may compromise the vintage aesthetic on some smaller wrists (mine are of the chicken persuasion), this is somewhat offset by the warm plexi-dome and vintage-inspired waffle dial. Adding to the wrist presence is the incredibly comfortable and solid bracelet that is also finished in brushed gold titanium nitride — a definite highlight of the package.

Lorier is no doubt continuing to refine its neo-vintage recipe and has since come out with a second iteration of the Falcon that seems to be truer to vintage proportions at 36mm. While it’s no longer available in gold, these are definitely still worth serious consideration for those in search of a very well-built, well-designed, affordable vintage-inspired watch. You will be hard-pressed to find anyone else doing it nearly as well for the money.