Wristwatch Review: Lorus Analog Men's Watch

In an era of clunky, infomercial, wristwatches, the Lorus LR0628 Analog Men's Watch stands alone as a classic Japanese quartz-movement wristwatch with simple, manly, minimalist, styling and solid construction. Since Lorus is a Seiko brand, I can't help but feel that some Seiko technology and quality may find its way into Lorus watches. According to the Lorus website, Lorus was launched in 1982 to supplement the Seiko and Pulsar brands. Lorus watches offer great styling at affordable prices with Seiko innovation and technology in the mix.

The Lorus (LR0628) wristwatch has a stainless steel case back and a stainless steel bracelet with a deployment clasp and fold-over latch safety. This watch and band offer a masculine mix of flat brushed stainless and polished silver metal tones. The crown is sheltered by the case to avoid getting accidently pulled and reset and to avoid irritating the wearer's wrist. On a rich field of blue, silver-toned numbers are present in the 12, 6, and 9 o'clock positions with the date displayed at 3 o'clock. A generously-sized luminous dot is present instead of numerals for 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, and 11 o'clock positions and the hour and minute hands have an inset luminous strip for maximum readability in the dark. It's nice to be able to glance down at a watch like this Lorus or my humble Timex Expedition and see the hands glow. From side to crown, this watch measures about 42mm across the face and about 10mm thick. The polished bezel rotates rather slowly, and has markings at the 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 minute marks. For wearers trying to measure elapsed time, the first 15 minutes of the bezel hour are marked.

As of this June 2010 writing, prices on the web for a new Lorus (LR0628) Analog Men's Watch have it at only $14.95 from an Amazon affiliate. A quick look at most Lorus watches shows that they generally sell for under $50 with many in the $15 range. My Lorus (LR0628) Analog Men's watch was purchased eons ago and may be seven, ten, or even twenty years old. I wore it for awhile, but when the battery died, I let it languish for years with other dead watches in my collection. However, I recently replaced the watch battery, promoted the watch to place of honor in my Joan Rivers Watch Box Organizer, and have been wearing this Lorus to work regularly.

The only drawbacks with this Lorus watch appear to be with the Chinese-made stainless steel bracelet-style band. First, the band is a snug fit on my 8 and 1/2 inch wrist. While the band can be adjusted to be smaller using the clasp or by removing links, I'm not sure what I'll do if my wrist gets larger. Second, there is some slight discoloration (rust?) and wear marks on the side of the band. Of course, I haven't babied this watch at all. It has been tossed aside in a bag of old watches and it has been moved across the country several times. After years of abandonment, I'm simply amazed that this Lorus wristwatch has been keeping perfect time.

I like this Lorus watch because it is simple, comfortable, and always appropriate for the office. This Lorus watch is lighter and at 10mm thick it seems less clunky than my Relic "Wet" Multi-Function Watch. Yet, the 30mm face is larger than my Casio Men's Analog Dress watch. The Lorus splits the difference between the manly rugged styling of a diver-style watch and the elegance of a more formal dress watch. Overall, I recommend Lorus watches for offering an excellent combination of style and function at an affordable low price. I'm glad to welcome this Lorus into my wristwatch rotation again.