Nice review - I've had my eyes on both these watches, so very timely. My two cents - the San Martin is a much better value. The Lorier is a very attractive vintage Omega homage, but the acrylic crystal and $499 price are deal breakers for me. And since the vintage Sub the San Martin homages is unobtainable for mere mortals, it represents an amazing value proposition at $234.
Absolutely agree! For the price the SM 6200 is an awesome watch!! Only thing I want to change on mine is the crown. Everything else I love about it. SM did a good job on adding their own flare such as ceramic bezel insert, dd crystal, and slightly larger then the original Rolex. Just stunning.
I have the Lorier V3 and it’s a great watch. Other things to consider that weren’t covered in this review - the caseback is easier to remove with the Lorier and doesn’t require a specific tool like the SM does; although the lume may not be as bright I can certainly vouch for the longevity of the BGW9; the screw pins on the Lorier and drilled lugs make strap changes and adjustments a breeze; and finally accuracy of the movement. I’ve found the Miyota to be much more accurate that most NH35 I’ve come across therefore you’re not having to adjust the time as often. Ultimately choose the watch that speaks to you, it’s not all about facts, figures, and specs.
The problem with the San Martin is that is totally un original. It's a direct design copy with modern materials. That's ok if you are ok with that fact. The Lorier pays honest homage to models of the era with its own personality and design. That's a 10 while the San Martin barely marks a 4.
Great comparison man! For me it’s Lorier all day…even given the cost and the acrylic…it’s the acrylic that makes it for me. The thing that loses me on the San Martin is the hands, I can’t hang with Mercedes hands. I’ve got the Neptune V2 100% because of your Lorier reviews, I’m lovin the watch man so thanks for the influence 👍🏼👍🏼
Thank you for the kind words! I’d still love to get a neptune gen 1. Love the gen 3 but there’s something about getting the watch that first introduced you to a brand.
Neptune for me. It pays homage to vintage designs while keeping it's individuality which to me is important. Also, the plexi dome is nice. Too many people are obsessed with sapphire. Sapphire this, sapphire that...yada yada yada. Plexi works great. On a stainless steel sportwatch, I'll take the plexi anyday. The fact that some would consider a watch not having sapphire as a deal breaker is crazy to me. Another annoying trope these days is a display caseback. The top of my wrist doesn't care about the movement. Lorier went after a vintage look and nailed it by not falling into those traps.
I have the San Martin, with a custom dial design. I love the watch, and it compares ridiculously well against my Rolex Explorer 214270 for quality. It has a few rough/sharp edges, especially on the bracelet rivet-style screw heads. Other than that, I have no complaints. I agree with your review comments, including the slightly undersized crown. The NH35A is running maybe 10s per day fast, but I can compensate for this by lying it face down overnight, and it brings it back to maybe 5s per day gain. Overall, I think it represents excellent value, and I appreciate that it is homaging a long-discontinued Submariner rather than the current models.
It would be nice is SM would put their new 'E' style dial in this case. Understand that they will offer a 36mm 'E' homage later this year but not with the rotating bezel.
I have the San Martin 6200 and I love it's my every day watch I just can't think of a better watch for the price, I got it for just $150 on back to school!
Excellent comparison, though that Lorier bracelet links looked a bit stiff as you moved it around, they didn't seem to flow very easily over your fingers. It looked like some links were stuck together.
I assure you it’s not the case. The bracelet flows amazingly well. I actually like playing with by passing my finger up and down letting the bracelet hug it perfectly. My only complaint about the bracelet is the link that fits into the end link is kind of flat so when it’s hanging there’s a noticeable gap. I’m not sure if they could actually fix that without compromising the flexibility of the bracelet and it certainly does not show when on wrist but I don’t like it when I’m just inspecting the watch
Great review/ comparison. I think both are excellent pieces. Personally I prefer the Lorier largely on the basis of movement and overall design. I happen to like the aluminum bezle insert and plexiglass crystal as I believe they completely compliment the vintage look. That said I would not want to pay $500 for the Lorier, I would try to purchase a used piece in excellent condition ... hard to do but possible if willing to wait.
I really like the San Martin crown and of course it it homages the the crown on the Rolex 6538. I totally agree though that San Martin missed a trick by not having drilled lugs. I still prefer my San Martin though especially with its custom dial. Thanks for the video.
The Neptune overall is almost perfect to me. Achilles heel is the lume longevity, agree with you. I would like to see a comparison against the San Martin "Black Bay 58". Personally not a fan of faux patina, needs to look distressed or it just looks weird 🤷🏻♂️. Great video as usual!
Very close my friend, you know I have the Neptune and I still love it after a long time owning it... for me the Lorier is the winner in my book... cheers... LeoV
Great video but I must disagree with your point about movements. The seiko movement is in my opinion the luck of the draw as accuracy goals I’ve heard them differ wildly from +2 to 3 seconds a day. Two minus or +35 seconds a day there’s no consistency out of the factory with these things. Miyota is in my opinion a much better movement. And you get better consistency for accuracy. And as far as being able to replace it easily. Who cares about 10 years from now. The world might have ended then in an apocalypse in 10 years. LOL. To be honest I think both movements can go longer than 10 years. I have a seiko in I Invicta pro driver that’s 12 years old and running at + five seconds a day. But the reason I give the movement to the Miyota it’s just because of the inconsistency of accuracy.. if sanMartin were to offer the pt5000 in this watch like they do other watches then it would be a win for San Martin but they don’t so right now I think it’s an easy win for the Lorier Buy a wider margin than you have. Keep the videos coming though I really enjoyed this one
I think you should have given the Lorier more points for the movement. I understand the logic behind your score but it’s like me saying the v6 mustang gets the same score as the v8 because it’s cheaper to service.
but thats part of it though...you have to consider maintenance, value, price, and longevity. Yes, the Mioyta is better, but is also cost more... 3x as much as an NH35. And then you consider the overall price of the pieces they are in...the Lorier cost 2X as much as the SM.
@@jaer.6540 I understand. And it’s a valid point, but to me the video was about which watch is better and therefore deciding whether the extra cost is worthwhile. At the end of the day, they’re both replaceable movements and 40 bucks or 100 bucks in 10 years, really makes no real difference in my mind. But again, I completely understand the logic behind it and it’s completely fair. I just would have scored it differently
For me the only way this logic makes any sense is if it's an expensive to repair movement with rare spare parts. As they're both essentially disposable movements, Miyota is a clear winner here by far.
I think San Martin are the best bang for your buck for homage watches. But, what do I know I’m still shopping for my 1st watch in over 20yrs… I stopped wearing them and with my new job I need a wrist watch with lume to last enough for just 3/hrs after sunset. Would like to be able to shower with it but _I won’t hold my breath_ and not willing to take the risk
If I was to pick one without looking at the price, I'd probably go for the neptune. With the acrylic crystal and aluminum insert, it definitely has a more vintage feel. But when price comes into factor, SM takes the win. To me, the lorier isn't twice the watch the SM is. Lorier is more special, SM is better value, but both watches are great! Either way can't go wrong!
SN blows it away;-) Ppl forget it's still just a Chinese-made watch just like the SM and it's called a single domed top hat sapphire crystal. Cheers mate
The sides of the San Martin are very sharp, especially at the lugs. It can damage your leather strap if u change it, and its very uncomfortable on the wrist. I don't know about lorier, but for me big no to San Martin
I have the SM and agree that the lug ends are very sharp. I have not found it uncomfortable on my wrist though, and I have worn it on the steel bracelet and a parachute strap. Not tried it on a leather strap though, will be interesting to see if it does cause any damage. I believe that SM have improved their finishing on other (admittedly more expensive) watches now, and addressed the sharp edge issue. Be good if they did this for the SN004G as well in future.
The San Martin got me interested, the lorier got me hooked, but I bought the Baltic aquascaphe for the sapphire crystal. I would’ve gone with Lorier otherwise.
I don't agree. It's supposed to be a homage, but looks nothing like the vintage Sean Connery Rolex. It looks like a mix between vintage and modern Subs. Ah, and the Lorier gets some design cues from vintage Omegas, so not that original either.
@@jontpt It's obviously based on that, but updated with a ceramic bezel, sapphire crystal, and different crown shape. So it's not a 1:1 copy. And Rolex hasn't made that design for like 60 years. So unless you want to drop $40k and up for an old, usually beat, watch you probably can't really take in the water anymore, you're not getting a Rolex version. I actually ordered both, but the Lorier got lost in shipping so I ended up with just the San Martin. I was skeptical of it when I ordered it, but I loved it when I saw it IRL.
Nice review - I've had my eyes on both these watches, so very timely. My two cents - the San Martin is a much better value. The Lorier is a very attractive vintage Omega homage, but the acrylic crystal and $499 price are deal breakers for me. And since the vintage Sub the San Martin homages is unobtainable for mere mortals, it represents an amazing value proposition at $234.
Absolutely agree! For the price the SM 6200 is an awesome watch!! Only thing I want to change on mine is the crown. Everything else I love about it.
SM did a good job on adding their own flare such as ceramic bezel insert, dd crystal, and slightly larger then the original Rolex. Just stunning.
I have the Lorier V3 and it’s a great watch. Other things to consider that weren’t covered in this review - the caseback is easier to remove with the Lorier and doesn’t require a specific tool like the SM does; although the lume may not be as bright I can certainly vouch for the longevity of the BGW9; the screw pins on the Lorier and drilled lugs make strap changes and adjustments a breeze; and finally accuracy of the movement. I’ve found the Miyota to be much more accurate that most NH35 I’ve come across therefore you’re not having to adjust the time as often. Ultimately choose the watch that speaks to you, it’s not all about facts, figures, and specs.
The crown on the lorier looks large. It makes the watch look clunky. It just puts off the symmetry, I can't stop staring at it 😅
The problem with the San Martin is that is totally un original. It's a direct design copy with modern materials. That's ok if you are ok with that fact. The Lorier pays honest homage to models of the era with its own personality and design. That's a 10 while the San Martin barely marks a 4.
I have this San Martin and during a recent Ali Express sale…picked up the brown textured dial version. Got it for under $180. Great value for money.
Great comparison man! For me it’s Lorier all day…even given the cost and the acrylic…it’s the acrylic that makes it for me. The thing that loses me on the San Martin is the hands, I can’t hang with Mercedes hands. I’ve got the Neptune V2 100% because of your Lorier reviews, I’m lovin the watch man so thanks for the influence 👍🏼👍🏼
Thank you for the kind words! I’d still love to get a neptune gen 1. Love the gen 3 but there’s something about getting the watch that first introduced you to a brand.
Neptune for me. It pays homage to vintage designs while keeping it's individuality which to me is important. Also, the plexi dome is nice. Too many people are obsessed with sapphire. Sapphire this, sapphire that...yada yada yada. Plexi works great. On a stainless steel sportwatch, I'll take the plexi anyday. The fact that some would consider a watch not having sapphire as a deal breaker is crazy to me. Another annoying trope these days is a display caseback. The top of my wrist doesn't care about the movement. Lorier went after a vintage look and nailed it by not falling into those traps.
I have the San Martin, with a custom dial design. I love the watch, and it compares ridiculously well against my Rolex Explorer 214270 for quality. It has a few rough/sharp edges, especially on the bracelet rivet-style screw heads. Other than that, I have no complaints. I agree with your review comments, including the slightly undersized crown. The NH35A is running maybe 10s per day fast, but I can compensate for this by lying it face down overnight, and it brings it back to maybe 5s per day gain. Overall, I think it represents excellent value, and I appreciate that it is homaging a long-discontinued Submariner rather than the current models.
I’ve seen yours. Wicked cool custom dial!
I would love to see said custom dial please 🙏
It would be nice is SM would put their new 'E' style dial in this case. Understand that they will offer a 36mm 'E' homage later this year but not with the rotating bezel.
NTH makes a watch somewhat like that. I'm planning on getting one for myself
What is en E style dial? Im lost here.
@@wolktm Trying not to get in trouble for using Trade names - explorXX.
@@jims4539 ahh, OK, now I get it, thx. I wold like to see the case they used for the E watch, used with some more OP style dial.
I have the San Martin 6200 and I love it's my every day watch I just can't think of a better watch for the price, I got it for just $150 on back to school!
Hello, i have the Lorier Neptune black/gilt and i agree its a great little watch..
Lorier Neptune is in a different league. Classic.
Totally. There is soul in it you got to admit
Excellent comparison, though that Lorier bracelet links looked a bit stiff as you moved it around, they didn't seem to flow very easily over your fingers. It looked like some links were stuck together.
They are all good. It must of just been the way I was doing it.
@@watchmegobroke4365 OK!!! Good to know!!🙂👍👍👍
I assure you it’s not the case. The bracelet flows amazingly well. I actually like playing with by passing my finger up and down letting the bracelet hug it perfectly. My only complaint about the bracelet is the link that fits into the end link is kind of flat so when it’s hanging there’s a noticeable gap. I’m not sure if they could actually fix that without compromising the flexibility of the bracelet and it certainly does not show when on wrist but I don’t like it when I’m just inspecting the watch
Good review
Great review/ comparison. I think both are excellent pieces. Personally I prefer the Lorier largely on the basis of movement and overall design. I happen to like the aluminum bezle insert and plexiglass crystal as I believe they completely compliment the vintage look. That said I would not want to pay $500 for the Lorier, I would try to purchase a used piece in excellent condition ... hard to do but possible if willing to wait.
I really like the San Martin crown and of course it it homages the the crown on the Rolex 6538. I totally agree though that San Martin missed a trick by not having drilled lugs. I still prefer my San Martin though especially with its custom dial. Thanks for the video.
Great video bro!
Thank you!
The Neptune overall is almost perfect to me. Achilles heel is the lume longevity, agree with you. I would like to see a comparison against the San Martin "Black Bay 58". Personally not a fan of faux patina, needs to look distressed or it just looks weird 🤷🏻♂️. Great video as usual!
Very close my friend, you know I have the Neptune and I still love it after a long time owning it... for me the Lorier is the winner in my book... cheers...
LeoV
Obviously you are a Lorier fanboy but the fit and finish of San Martin alone beats the Lorier by a huge margin. No contest!
Great video but I must disagree with your point about movements. The seiko movement is in my opinion the luck of the draw as accuracy goals I’ve heard them differ wildly from +2 to 3 seconds a day. Two minus or +35 seconds a day there’s no consistency out of the factory with these things. Miyota is in my opinion a much better movement. And you get better consistency for accuracy.
And as far as being able to replace it easily. Who cares about 10 years from now. The world might have ended then in an apocalypse in 10 years. LOL. To be honest I think both movements can go longer than 10 years. I have a seiko in I Invicta pro driver that’s 12 years old and running at + five seconds a day. But the reason I give the movement to the Miyota it’s just because of the inconsistency of accuracy.. if sanMartin were to offer the pt5000 in this watch like they do other watches then it would be a win for San Martin but they don’t so right now I think it’s an easy win for the Lorier Buy a wider margin than you have. Keep the videos coming though I really enjoyed this one
And even if SM put pt5000 its a fkin chinese clone and again miyota is better original japan Citizen movement. 😁
My favorite movement is pt5000.Extremely accurate
170 euro watch vs 750 euro watch... what a fair match
Great review 👏
I think you should have given the Lorier more points for the movement. I understand the logic behind your score but it’s like me saying the v6 mustang gets the same score as the v8 because it’s cheaper to service.
but thats part of it though...you have to consider maintenance, value, price, and longevity. Yes, the Mioyta is better, but is also cost more... 3x as much as an NH35. And then you consider the overall price of the pieces they are in...the Lorier cost 2X as much as the SM.
@@jaer.6540 I understand. And it’s a valid point, but to me the video was about which watch is better and therefore deciding whether the extra cost is worthwhile. At the end of the day, they’re both replaceable movements and 40 bucks or 100 bucks in 10 years, really makes no real difference in my mind.
But again, I completely understand the logic behind it and it’s completely fair. I just would have scored it differently
For me the only way this logic makes any sense is if it's an expensive to repair movement with rare spare parts. As they're both essentially disposable movements, Miyota is a clear winner here by far.
@@DM-rc4yu .... In a watch costing 2x as much.
Agree. Mioyta is the superior movement and one of several reasons that justified the Neptune’s higher price.
where did you buy that Seiko mod?
I assembled it with parts from ebay. If you search: NH35 dial, NH35 case, NH 35 hands you can find the parts.
the san martin is cool but the vintage lume and guilt hands just are not as nice as the lorier
I agree. I don’t like this faux patina trend at all
The Lorier looks stunning tho. That San Martin isn’t as eye catching in my opinion.
Acrylic glass Vs sapphire crystal says it all Lorier costs more for less.🧐🇬🇧
SM for me due to my parsimonious ways. Does Michael J FOX receive royalties for his guest appearance😁
The San Martin doesn't have C3 Luminova. It has the Swiss made C3 Super-Luminova.
Nice video!
I think San Martin are the best bang for your buck for homage watches. But, what do I know I’m still shopping for my 1st watch in over 20yrs… I stopped wearing them and with my new job I need a wrist watch with lume to last enough for just 3/hrs after sunset. Would like to be able to shower with it but _I won’t hold my breath_ and not willing to take the risk
If I was to pick one without looking at the price, I'd probably go for the neptune. With the acrylic crystal and aluminum insert, it definitely has a more vintage feel. But when price comes into factor, SM takes the win. To me, the lorier isn't twice the watch the SM is. Lorier is more special, SM is better value, but both watches are great! Either way can't go wrong!
For Europeans the price difference is more than 4 times higher for Lorier.
SN blows it away;-) Ppl forget it's still just a Chinese-made watch just like the SM and it's called a single domed top hat sapphire crystal. Cheers mate
SM for me, and a BB36 in place of the Lorier.
The sides of the San Martin are very sharp, especially at the lugs. It can damage your leather strap if u change it, and its very uncomfortable on the wrist. I don't know about lorier, but for me big no to San Martin
I have the SM and agree that the lug ends are very sharp. I have not found it uncomfortable on my wrist though, and I have worn it on the steel bracelet and a parachute strap. Not tried it on a leather strap though, will be interesting to see if it does cause any damage. I believe that SM have improved their finishing on other (admittedly more expensive) watches now, and addressed the sharp edge issue. Be good if they did this for the SN004G as well in future.
The San Martin is clearly much better value for money but I prefer the style and design of the Lorier
Great video !
Sapphire Crystal and ceramic bezel in a $250 watch ?
I would buy San Martin.
The San Martin got me interested, the lorier got me hooked, but I bought the Baltic aquascaphe for the sapphire crystal.
I would’ve gone with Lorier otherwise.
I have a pro diver with nh35 15 year old a d still plus 5 seconds a day
Very fun vid!
SM is too flat, too shiny, and oh sooo wrong crystal. Sapphire is good , but should have been double domed at least.
San Martin easy win for me other than the crowd it’s the best watch under £200.
The faux patina looks horrible on the San Martin. Cheap and nasty
The SM is a blatant Rolex knockoff whereas the Lorier is an original design. Clear win for the latter, regardless of crystal.
I don't agree. It's supposed to be a homage, but looks nothing like the vintage Sean Connery Rolex. It looks like a mix between vintage and modern Subs. Ah, and the Lorier gets some design cues from vintage Omegas, so not that original either.
@@bernardocourrege6283 Rolex 5513. 'Nuff said.
@@jontpt I respect your opinion, but I think it has it’s own thing going on. I would go for the Lorier just like you, but for different reasons.
@@bernardocourrege6283 My mistake. Rolex 6536.
@@jontpt It's obviously based on that, but updated with a ceramic bezel, sapphire crystal, and different crown shape. So it's not a 1:1 copy. And Rolex hasn't made that design for like 60 years. So unless you want to drop $40k and up for an old, usually beat, watch you probably can't really take in the water anymore, you're not getting a Rolex version. I actually ordered both, but the Lorier got lost in shipping so I ended up with just the San Martin. I was skeptical of it when I ordered it, but I loved it when I saw it IRL.
Plexiglass beats sapphire. Sapphire will shatter. Plexi will scratch, but polywatch will buff it. So plexi is way more durable and it looks vintage.