Well. This is embarrassing. You see, I was drooling over a certain limited edition of the Lorier Gemini. A Gemini that, like Voldemort, shall not be named. I was poised for acquisition: finger on my mouse, credit card ready. Click. Type. Click. Sold out. Shit.
Cue the search on the secondary market. Cue gasping at people selling them immediately upon receipt, at huge markups. Scoundrels. Cue scouring: WUS, IG, Reddit…eBay. Wait. There it is! On Reddit. Yes. At a reasonable price, too. What luck! Alright. Sending message. Sent. Response received… watch purchased.
Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. It’s arrived! Wait. Oh no. It seems in my haste I purchased a standard blue Gemini. Cue momentary shame, self-pity, feelings of stupidity, sharing of story with friends for a good laugh. Moment over.
Cue admiring the deep blue dial. The matching blue bezel. The recessed radial subdials. The case. The bracelet. Glance back at photos of the Gemini That Shall Not Be Named. Could it be? Could it be that I like the standard edition better? Let’s explore those feelings together.
On the Wrist
The Lorier Gemini is one of the thinnest (or at least thinnest-wearing) Seagull-equipped chronographs I’ve had the pleasure to wear. Owing to those modest dimensions, the Gemini lays easily on just about any wrist. The longer lugs and female endlinks allow the case and bracelet to more comfortably wrap around various wrist topographies.
The trademark Lorier flat-link bracelet is top notch, and its thinner profile furthers the watch’s comfort. I did find some wrist shift when wearing it on some straps; this is a common issue on most watches, but would be mitigated by a more precipitous lug drop.
The Gemini is exceptionally legible thanks to the sharp contrast of the hands against the blue dial. If you’re so inclined, tracking seconds and using the chronograph are also a breeze, given the black on white design. That said, as is always the case with big, domed plexi crystals, there is some peripheral distortion when viewed at an angle.
Dial Details
The blue and white dial of the Lorier Gemini is an all star. The deep blue dial has a very slight sheen to it that occasionally catches the light, especially on the edge of the subdials. It’s ringed by a white chapter ring, which matches both the white lume application and the white of the subdials.
The Lorier Gemini features a classic chronograph layout, with sunken subdials at 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock, the former showing the running seconds and the latter displaying the chronograph minutes. The subs have a radial pattern with second or minute hashes around the edge. I love the added texture that the radial dials bring to the already-sunken dials.
The applied hour markers–especially the double ones at 12 o’clock–echo the Lorier arrow logo, which is a great touch. Their polished finish is matched by the hands, which feature Super-LumiNova BGW9 lume, including the entirety of the broad arrow hour hand. While the hands shine brightly enough, they could be brighter and the miniscule lume plots that mark the hours are pitiful. It’s either their size or uneven lume application, but if the plots are going to be that small and dim, it’d be better to just skip them altogether.
Case and Bracelet Details
While I love the dial, when it comes to the Lorier Gemini, I think I like the case even more. The case itself is reminiscent of vintage Carrera chronographs, with long lugs that flow from the curve of the case, accentuated by a midsized polished chamfer running the length of the midcase. That curve is a perfect gradual arc from lug to lug.
The rest of the case is brushed, aside from the pump-style pushers and the ridged crown (which features the Lorier arrow logo). I found no operational issues with those, but the bezel, while gorgeously matched to the dial, is too hard to grip. It’s a 12-hour, 24-click bezel so you don’t need to move it around as much. But a bezel should be easy to turn while still being hard to shift with a nudge. I also don’t much care for the plexi crystal–my wrists are too out-of-control and scuffs abound. I’d rather have domed sapphire.
The lugs are a perfectly reasonable 20mm, and the watch comes stock with a fantastic bracelet, which many people would argue steals the show (they’re wrong, it’s the rest of the case). But the flat-link bracelet–apparently inspired by a classic Omega design–is a real treat. It has an aggressive taper from 20mm to 16mm that helps it have a barely-there quality. Strap swaps are a snap with the drilled lugs, and I took full advantage.
Flipping the case over, you’ll find a screw-down caseback with–and I am truly so happy with this–absolutely nothing on it. How often are we plagued by mediocre caseback art? How often does the caseback contain a novel’s worth of text, like the watch’s 50m of water resistance? How many times have you flipped a watch over to find a sapphire caseback showing off an undecorated movement (though the Seagull ST19 movement in this watch is quite pretty)? I say good riddance and thank goodness. No such nuisances here!
Final Thoughts
Turns out Voldemort was a bad guy, and I didn’t want to hang out with him anyway. I can’t think of an accurate Harry Potter analog to the watch I did get–this watch. May this watch is Harry? I don’t know. But I do know that I’m damn happy with it. The blue dial with the sunken subdials, the amazing case with that loooooong chamfer, the bracelet. And it’s an unexpected strap monster!
At $499 retail, this watch is a great buy. It has classic vintage vibes with great finishing. The only shortfalls are the lume and the bezel. The bezel is an issue, but for me, I’m not going to be travelling enough to use it (especially these days), and so it’s an issue I rarely have to deal with. If you hop from timezone to timezone and want a quick and facile bezel, maybe look elsewhere. Otherwise, you’ll be quite pleased with the Lorier Gemini.
Check out more Lorier reviews at The Watch Clicker
Check out the Lorier website
Lorier Gemini Specs | |
Case Width | Thickness |
Lug-to-Lug | Lug Width |
Crystal | Strap |
Water Resistance | Lume |
Movement | Price $499 |
