The good folks at Worn & Worn are concludes their 10th anniversary celebrations with the release of the Lorier X Worn & Wound Hydra II Limited Edition, the site’s second collaboration with microbrand darling Lorier.
The Release
The new collaboration with Lorier is Worn & Wound’s take on the Lorier Hydra II. The watch measures 39mm across, 10.5mm thick, and 47mm lug-to-lug. The case is brushed throughout, from the 20mm lugs to the caseback, which is screwdown and features the W&W 10th anniversary logo. Dual crowns are featured on the right-hand side: at 2 o’clock to adjust the 12-hour internal bezel, and at 4 o’clock to set the time. The latter is a screwdown crown and provides 100m of water resistance. A domed hesalite crystal (one of Lorier’s signature elements) shields the metal dial that features circular brushing. Grey markers and grey lume compliment brushed grey-lumed arrow hands. The 12-hour bezel features a red triangle at 12 o’clock while the numerals and hashes are rendered in black. The Lorier X Worn & Wound Hydra II LE features Lorier’s flat-link steel bracelet with a folding clasp and is powered by a Miyota 9015 movement with 24 jewels, a 42-hour power reserve, and a frequency of 28,800 bph.
Our Thoughts
Following collaborations with Seiko and Autodromo, this Hydra II LE marks the end of the Worn & Wound’s 10th anniversary celebration. Rounding the anniversary out with a Lorier makes sense: The Lorier X Worn & Wound Gemini collab from a few years ago sold out in a flash and may well have been the sites most successful launch ever. Lorier has definitely established its design language, with a single silhouette that spans all four of its models. You may make certain assumptions about that, but having tried on most of their watches, there’s good reason why they use the design: it wears wonderfully and looks beautiful, with a gentle curve and a natural flow into the charming flat-link bracelet.
W&W co-founder Zach Weiss is a designer by training and that comes through here in the raw, pared-down aesthetic (a friend of mine said it reminded him of an unpainted airplane). Some have responded to this new release suggesting that the watch is simply too much metal—grey on grey on grey. That’s a fair criticism, and the watch does call to mind the site’s Christopher Ward C65 Sandstorm collaboration. “Too much metal,” though, is a highly subjective criticism, and there are inevitably going to be some people who don’t care for the look. I for one find the aggressively raw metal look engaging, especially the circular brushing on the dial and the concession to color made with the red triangle.
Availability
As you might expect with a watch priced at $499, limited to 150 pieces, and offered on an extremely popular site, these went fast. The Lorier X Worn & Wound Hydra II LE is no longer available, but keep an eye on the secondary market, as a few are bound to be catch and release.
As luck would have it, we managed to get a hold of one and will have a full review soon after its arrival.