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As I sit here, putting the finishing touches on this hands-on, the watch at the center of this article officially launched. The brand chose an auspicious time – 2pm on 02/22/20 – to open sales. While clearly not arbitrary, the fates must have aligned as the watch, as is often the case, did see a couple of delays between first being shown at Windup Watch Fair NYC 2019 and release. The result? The first batch, which consisted of three versions and a few hundred units, sold out in 10 minutes. So, with the caveat that at the time of publishing this article, the watch is not immediately available, and already a success, I present to you, the Lorier Gemini. If you missed out, don’t be forlorn, they will return. And if you did happen to get one, here’s a little taste of what you’re in for.
With two divers and an all-purpose sports watch (the Falcon reviewed here) out of the way, Lorier was all teed up for a chronograph. Building off of the platform used in those previous watches, they took their long-lugged 39mm case, massive acrylic crystal, arrow handset, and best-in-class bracelet, added in the Seagull ST19 caliber and a clever bezel mechanism, creating what’s already proven to be another hit watch. The Gemini channels the zeitgeist for vintage-styled and sized chronographs, while still feeling like its own, distinctly “Lorier” design. And, in staying true with their philosophy of creating obtainable timepieces, the Gemini comes in at a remarkable $499.
