Seiko SARB033 vs Lorier Falcon III

el_duderino said:

Not the Lorier.

And not the Seiko - which looks nice from a distance, but boy are the hands and indices awful at closer inspection. Some sort of cheaply chromed plastic, brass or whatever. A major turn off.

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el_duderino said:

In the <500 price range? If you want a great watch (as a timekeeping instrument) I’d recommend looking at G-Shock. Otherwise some Chinese brands like San Martin offer by far (!) the best fit and finish at that price point.

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blackcutlass said:

I have both and love both. All other things being equal (discounting the fact the SARB is used), I would go SARB if it were me. It fits me perfect—even the stock bracelet, which some people have trouble finding a good fit. It has an absolutely classic design that will never go out of style, and it looks good in pretty much all lighting. The trade off is it can be boring.

While the Falcon implements classic design language as well, it does so by harmonizing Omega and Rolex. So it has less identity in that respect, and sometimes feels less cohesive compared to the SARB. But it wears very well, and can blend in to any situation. The dial plays well with the light. Catch it at the right angle and it looks upscale:
(Will add pics later—I’ll getting server errors)
At other angles, the puffy indices exude the vintage character:


I otherwise prefer new watches and so would go with the Lorir unless the SARB you’re looking at is immaculate. Both movements perform similarly for me. The SARB is a modern classic whereas the the Falcon has a better size IMO.

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Aldus Pagemaker said:

One thing I forgot to mention in my earlier reply:

If it does not have to be one of the watches in question, I would take a serious look at Orient Star watches. They are usually offered below list price, so with your budget you could get a magnificient Orient Star.

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kipLightning said:

It is too bafd you don't have a little more to spend the new The Twelve from CW is top of the line in this stype IMHO.

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MrDisco99 said:

Yeah… I would not pay anywhere near $500 for that.

But of course I already have mine, which affects my perspective.

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Earthjade said:

Truth.
My SARB033 lasted a whole 4 months before I sold it.

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Oakenfield said:

By the way, I'd go Lorier, either Falcon or Astra. Way better movement, nice designs and I have a soft spot for acrylic. If they made the Astra with a tuxedo dial in black and white/silver, I'd probably get it to replace my Alpinist. And again, not because I hate Seiko, but 19mm lug width, 13mm thickness and the erratic 6R are starting to bug me. Too bad because I absolutely love the dial and hands. I'm even considering going the Seikomod route and swap the case.

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Half Dozen said:

They are different dimensions, the Lorier should wear a bit smaller, and significantly thinner. This may or may not be a good thing from your point of view. Yes, the SARB is iconic and it is objectively a nice watch, but that was always relative to the value proposition when the prices were 30% lower. Its still a fine watch, especially if you like to tinker and switch up bracelets, etc, but be mindful of the hype. Having owned a SARB033 and SARB035, I would take a hard look at the Lorier first.

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92gli said:

Had both. The flat mineral glass crystal on the seiko is absolutely horrible. Aftermarket upgrades are available though. Bracelet is junk too. The case is the best part of the watch.

The lorier was too small for me after having it for a little while, but overall it's a far nicer watch than a sarb.

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PsycProfPlum said:

Every watch disagreement I've ever read on the internet comes down to different aspects of watches being differentially important to different people, so the decision depends on what's important to you and how much you value the differences between the two watches. For instance, some people care about having an established brand whereas others don't. Some care enormously about specs whereas others don't care about that. An in-house movement is essential for some people but not others. Some demand accuracy whereas others wearing in rotation don't really care about that. Some people crave originality in design, etc. Etc etc. on and on it goes not to mention the complete subjectivity of what designs people like.

In this case, the biggest differences I see between these two are brand history and design. I don't know enough about build quality to know if they differ (though I do own the SARB033 and it's build quality is excellent). As to design, the SARB033 is slightly more formal than the Lorier, the latter of which clearly takes inspiration from the original Rolex Explorer which was a field/adventure watch. The SARB would dress up slightly better and the Lorier dress down slightly better. Both look really versatile though.

For me, I wouldn't worry much about the original price of the SARB033. It's value is defined by the market and it's clearly well above it's original street price. If that watch came out today at a cost of $500 or even $700, very few people argue it is worth less.

Of the two, I prefer the look of the Lorier and would probably go with it, but then again I've had several years with the SARB and my motives are mostly driven by the desire for novelty. I'm also a sucker for the 3-6-9 design.

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DaveMac said:

The SARB is more likely to hold its value as an iconic, collectible watch. As nicely designed and spec'd as microbrands are, they tend to lose their value over time if you ever want to sell it. Because you seem to want to own one given its "legendary" status, I'd go with the SARB (if you can get a good one) while you still can. Once you have it, then take a chance on a micro. A lot of commenters who sold their SARBs have regrets.

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Stelwick said:

He's asking what you think of the Lorier Astra, not the Seiko Astron.

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