Baltic Aquascaphe vs Lorier Neptune?

If you're wondering which one you should get, the answer is both. (obviously.)

I've learned a lot from so many folks on here, and wanted to do my little bit to pay it forward for those who are interested in one (or both) of these watches.

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I want to share how the watches look and perform in various scenarios in as close to a 1:1 comparison as I can.

Here's how they look outside when you are checking the time and catch that daylight just right—

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But how do they look when you are going about your day and you catch a casual glance in natural light?

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How about an action shot: here's how they look when you are making some business decisions.

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The Baltic's beads of rice bracelet is comfortable, but has significantly more flop than the Lorier bracelet.

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You want microadjust? The Baltic says "Hold my beer."

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I thought it was important to show this lume shot. When you walk insight a dark room after being outside on a bright summer day you'll notice the lume squares on the Aquascaphe bezel. Here, both watches were blasted with a UV light for the same amount of time.

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The most dramatic difference is that the Baltic has a double domed sapphire crystal and the Lorier has a hesalite dome. You'll catch a lot of distortions with the hesalite crystal (including an optical illusion where the bezel markers look off).

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The Baltic has a Miyota 9039 and the Lorier has a Miyota 90S5. Both movements are very similar, with the main difference being that the 90S5 has a decorated gilt front plate (you won't see it but your watchmaker might appreciate it). The Lorier's 90S5 movement costs slightly more than the Baltic's 9039, and considering that the Lorier costs less than the Baltic, you're getting great value under the hood— and that's an important point that often gets overlooked.

I've had the Baltic Aquascaphe for just over 6 months, and it was running +6 sec/day in the dial up position when I first got it. It performs much better on wrist. I've had days where it was +0 or +1 sec/day after 24/48 hours.

The Lorier comes out of the box very well regulated.

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The most important thing to consider is the bond you form with the watch. I'm bonded to each differently; I've had the Baltic Aquascaphe for over 6 months and it has dominated wrist time as my daily driver for most of that time.

Even though the Lorier Neptune is new to me— it is a gift from my girlfriend. She knew nothing about watches before we met, and so it it marks a moment in our journey through life together as we both learn, explore, and create new stories.

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This is a fantastic writeup, and I'm really glad someone did a side by side comparison with them. You can't go wrong with either, and I may see a Baltic in my collection in a few months.

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This is very helpful, thanks! I'm considering both (as a sort of temporary itch scratch for the BB58) - do you have any issues with rotor noise? I've heard that as a concern on the Miyotas.

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Vary cool!! I got both on the list😍

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The Baltic is awesome. But I’m still thinking about the Lorier.

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Love this comparison. Thanks!

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I went with the baltic. Tough call through.

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Great write up. I went with the Baltic because of the sapphire and it gave me Omega 300 vibes because of the sandwich dial. Depending on the lighting conditions, the square lume plots are not always visible. They’re arguably the only negative aspect (for me) of the watch. It’s otherwise been stellar.

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Extremely informative! Thank you for this contribution and comparison. You’ve helped a lot of people come to a conclusion. As for myself I’ve always gone with Lorier in the past. Being from NYC myself it it’s given me a lovely connection to my beautiful yet often problematic city.

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88MilesPerHour

This is very helpful, thanks! I'm considering both (as a sort of temporary itch scratch for the BB58) - do you have any issues with rotor noise? I've heard that as a concern on the Miyotas.

This is a very late answer, and I did not write the post. I own both the Baltic and the Lorier, and the Miyota rotor doesn’t bother me at all. Not even a little. If I put it next to my ear, I can hear it, but otherwise, I don’t notice it.

Honestly, I think a lot of watches—especially microbrands—are getting so good, that the watch reviewers have to get nitpicky.

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Good write up. However, I own both watches, and I think there are two things that should be mentioned.

One, the Baltic is 1mm bigger thans the Lorier, and 1mm makes a bigger difference than you’d think. Also, the bracelet on the Lorier tapers, and the Baltic is straight. These two factors make the Baltic wear noticeable bigger than the Lorier

And two, I adore the Baltic’s quick release bracelet. Both watches are total strap monsters, but I switch out the Baltic more often because it’s convenient.

The above might make it sound like I lean towards the Baltic, but the Lorier gives me more Sean Connery/James Bond Submariner vibes, which are not nothing. I’m still looking for the perfect black/green/red NATO. (It’s NOT black/grey!)

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hatchr

Good write up. However, I own both watches, and I think there are two things that should be mentioned.

One, the Baltic is 1mm bigger thans the Lorier, and 1mm makes a bigger difference than you’d think. Also, the bracelet on the Lorier tapers, and the Baltic is straight. These two factors make the Baltic wear noticeable bigger than the Lorier

And two, I adore the Baltic’s quick release bracelet. Both watches are total strap monsters, but I switch out the Baltic more often because it’s convenient.

The above might make it sound like I lean towards the Baltic, but the Lorier gives me more Sean Connery/James Bond Submariner vibes, which are not nothing. I’m still looking for the perfect black/green/red NATO. (It’s NOT black/grey!)

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Chris, have you seen this one from Erika's Originals?

https://erikasoriginals.com/mn-straps/connery.php

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hatchr

This is a very late answer, and I did not write the post. I own both the Baltic and the Lorier, and the Miyota rotor doesn’t bother me at all. Not even a little. If I put it next to my ear, I can hear it, but otherwise, I don’t notice it.

Honestly, I think a lot of watches—especially microbrands—are getting so good, that the watch reviewers have to get nitpicky.

Thanks! I did end up getting the Lorier (though the version ii with a Seiko movement) and I love it!

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GoldenWatchRetriever

Chris, have you seen this one from Erika's Originals?

https://erikasoriginals.com/mn-straps/connery.php

No, I had not. It looks good! I have a cheap one, but the red is too bright. I just ordered one from Nomad Watch Works. If it’s not up to snuff, I’ll order an Erika’s. I’ve always wanted to try an elastic strap.

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hatchr

Good write up. However, I own both watches, and I think there are two things that should be mentioned.

One, the Baltic is 1mm bigger thans the Lorier, and 1mm makes a bigger difference than you’d think. Also, the bracelet on the Lorier tapers, and the Baltic is straight. These two factors make the Baltic wear noticeable bigger than the Lorier

And two, I adore the Baltic’s quick release bracelet. Both watches are total strap monsters, but I switch out the Baltic more often because it’s convenient.

The above might make it sound like I lean towards the Baltic, but the Lorier gives me more Sean Connery/James Bond Submariner vibes, which are not nothing. I’m still looking for the perfect black/green/red NATO. (It’s NOT black/grey!)

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I don't know why, but I never thought to try the Lorier on a strap until you mentioned it here. Maybe because the Baltic's quick release bracelet is so much easier than wrangling a spring bar tool, I just swapped bracelets on the Baltic and left the Lorier as is.

It feels like a whole new watch! Thank you!

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hatchr

Good write up. However, I own both watches, and I think there are two things that should be mentioned.

One, the Baltic is 1mm bigger thans the Lorier, and 1mm makes a bigger difference than you’d think. Also, the bracelet on the Lorier tapers, and the Baltic is straight. These two factors make the Baltic wear noticeable bigger than the Lorier

And two, I adore the Baltic’s quick release bracelet. Both watches are total strap monsters, but I switch out the Baltic more often because it’s convenient.

The above might make it sound like I lean towards the Baltic, but the Lorier gives me more Sean Connery/James Bond Submariner vibes, which are not nothing. I’m still looking for the perfect black/green/red NATO. (It’s NOT black/grey!)

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Adding to your observations— I should have commented that the bezel on the Baltic extends 1 mm or so from the case, and that matters because of someone were to actually take it diving (I've seen @AnalogExplorer's photos of diving around here in the Puget Sound area with his Aquascaphe bronze) you can manipulate the bezel much easier with wet fingers/gloved hands.

It would be really hard/near impossible to set the bezel on a dive with the Lorier. It's great for timing a reverse sear on a ribeye though!

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Hi! Just stumbled upon your post. Very useful!! Looks like the AR is so different on these two pieces! Is it that much better on the Lorier in person? Looks top notch judging by your pics!

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Hi, thanks for the contribution!

Well done highlighting some differences.

I have one request since you had both watches in hand and hoping you still have them. Could you try if the bracelets are exchangable, more specifically does the Baltic BOR bracelet fit the Lorier? Cheers.

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chiaraga

Hi! Just stumbled upon your post. Very useful!! Looks like the AR is so different on these two pieces! Is it that much better on the Lorier in person? Looks top notch judging by your pics!

@chiaraga The difference in perceived AR might have more to do with the Baltic's Sapphire crystal vs the Lorier's hesalite crystal.

From a reflectivity standpoint— holding both and seeing my own reflection— they seem more alike than different.

From a legibility standpoint— how does a difference in lighting affect legibility in various situations— the Lorier is generally easier to read because the Baltic's fauxtina gives the appearance of the entire dial being more "dull" (dull as in brightness, not interest). The Lorier is less impacted by variance in lighting because it has more of a white on black contrast which is universally the most legible combination.

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moskiitto

Hi, thanks for the contribution!

Well done highlighting some differences.

I have one request since you had both watches in hand and hoping you still have them. Could you try if the bracelets are exchangable, more specifically does the Baltic BOR bracelet fit the Lorier? Cheers.

@moskiitto Unfortunately, the Baltic BOR bracelet does not fit the Lorier.

(I tried!)

The main reason why has to do with the distance of the lug holes from the case. This is actually one of the main differences (improvements) Lorier made between the version III and version IV: they moved the lug holes in closer to the case to reduce the visible gap when worn on a strap.

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Thanks a lot for trying! I was expecting that, but good to get the confirmation.

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So much to love about WatchCrunch: I recently noticed similarities between these (had thought Baltic were more expensive!) So, wondered if anyone on WC had noticed it long before I did. Searched for “Baltic vs Lorier” and BINGO! Thanks for posting! 🤝