Out Of Office: Rural Adventuring with the Lorier Falcon SIII

“Out of Office” is a series of stories accounting our experiences trying to find moments of solace outdoors, as well as our interaction with the gear that comes along with us, and that most certainly includes the watches on our wrist. Out of Office is an escape. It’s about finding an opportunity to put the world on pause, whether it’s the few minutes you take out of your day to read this article, or its the couple of hours you dedicate to getting out there. It’s where our experience meets our enthusiasm. Through this series we’ve already seen our authors do a hike in the local hills with a Sinn, explore a glacier via seaplane with a Citizen and a road trip through New England with a Rolex. Let’s continue this journey together and see where it takes us.

The farm has been a place I’ve visited routinely for the better part of five years now. Family was always the reason why I’d make the trip, but it’s the vast fields, rolling hills, and most of all, the tranquility of the estate that has always kept me for a few more days. Walks on the property can quickly turn into somewhat of a nature documentary. It’s typical to run into a family of deer galloping across the winding driveway, groundhogs burrowing themselves at the fringes of adjacent fields, and several types of hawks soaring in the distance. Keeping an ear out, a sharp eye, and your head on a swivel is key, because it’s not uncommon to cross paths with a black bear, or a bit less stressful than that, a bald eagle swooping in and out of the corn fields.

The surrounding grounds amount to approximately 100 acres, a laborious engagement I’m sure for whomever is tasked to maintain the property, but a playground for a person like me who visits from time to time. One look around at the grassy knolls, amber corn fields, and land that stretches beyond the eye can see, you’ll get a feeling that you’re no longer in New Jersey, but transported to an English countryside. A flag waving at the top of the hill bearing the red cross of Saint George helps with the imagination. There’s always something and some place to explore here, so naturally The Farm is a perfect place to spend some time, out of office.

This time of year, most of the trees have lost their Autumnal glow, and stand fixed in the distance bare with just their trunks, limbs, and branches. The mornings can feel brisk, getting as low as 30°F, or 1°C we’re keeping up with the UK theme. Rain from the day before has turned into a thin layer of frost, and the rising sun coming from the east gives the bordering grass along the driveway a morning glimmer. On my person for a stroll through the Farm and into town, and appropriate for the occasion given the immediate scenery, was my Barbour Bedale waxed canvas jacket. With a thick sweater underneath, coupled with a pair of pockets dedicated to hand warmers, I can get by most days regardless of sun or precipitation in the early days of winter with the Bedale. Parked underneath the chunky ribbed cuff of my trusty field jacket, another proper field companion, was the Lorier Falcon SIII.

This is not your archetypal Lorier Falcon. I should know since I’ve owned the Falcon SI in the white dial variant. Subtle changes to the case and bracelet have made this reference significantly better than the previous models in my opinion. The case on the Falcon SIII sports a pair of lug holes drilled closer to the case. This eliminates the dreaded “strap gap” that reveals itself whenever you take the bracelet off and throw on a two-piece strap. The steel bracelet has always been comfortable on the wrist, but somehow Lorier has found a way to make their flat-link steel bracelet smoother and sleeker. Each bracelet link is shaped so that the sharp edges and corners are no more. Instead, the link ends are curved akin to a pill and drape effortlessly onto the wrist. Another minor change are the endlinks which get pushed further into the lugs ever so slightly, making it that much easier to get the right fit.

Now for the significant change. The dial gets a major overhaul in terms of dial markers and accents. Gone are the familiar triangle markers and circular hour plots. Standing in are talon indices and a 3-6-9 numeral configuration. Yes, it does closely resemble a Rolex Explorer 1016. The numerals in particular are indistinguishable from one another. So much so, that I’ve had a couple of people who have come up to me in public asking if I was wearing a 1016. It’s important to remember that Lorier is very clear on where they’ve drawn their design inspirations from, and what separates the brand from others who make a similar watch that’s closer to an homage, is that they add their own panache, keeping the Falcon SIII more in Lorier territory, than anywhere else. A closer look at the silver accents on the honeycomb dial, silver surrounds around the markers and the hand-set are evidence of that. Whichever side of the fence you fall on, the Lorier SIII exudes adventure vibes and through my experience, is a proper everyday watch.

The house positioned at the top of the hill gives way to a view of the entire property. I took to the more scenic route through an adjacent cornfield as I made my way down towards the main barn. Cutting through the corn field is fun, but always somewhat tense. You just never know what might pop out of the corn stalks at any given time. Twigs snapping in the distance, combined with the occasional rustling nearby can really jumpstart the imagination as to what’s lurking in the field. Even though I did spot some bear tracks and bear scat along the way, I never got to the point where I felt unsafe. In my experience, if you don’t bother black bears, then they won’t bother you. Now I am not a bear expert, nor do I play one on the internet, so please take that advice with a grain of salt. As for coming face to face with one, I’ve never had the pleasure, and don’t plan on intentionally doing so in the near future.

With my Sony A7III in hand, or any camera for that matter, it’s difficult to take a bad photo on the farm. Standing on the meandering driveway, weaving through the fields, or sitting perched atop the barn patio, each perspective is different and new. The best part of it all, is the soundscape. The sound of the wind blowing through the fields and trees, as well as the occasional hawk scream puts me at ease. And I don’t know if this makes sense, but when all is still, the sound of silence freezes that moment in time.

The main barn is no longer used for agriculture purposes. The silo remains empty and stands tall and is there purely for the rural aesthetic. Instead, the barn is used mainly for storage, and during a couple of times throughout the year, is a venue for a decently sized estate sale run by a group of locals. The sun was starting to move behind the barn’s silo, dispersing the light in all directions. In just the right angle, the Falcon looks as though it is consumed with the morning glow. One of my favorite parts of the Falcon SIII is that Lorier has still kept the acrylic crystal. So even without the perfect lighting, the dial manages to have that vintage warmth that compliments the stark white and silver accents.

Below the main barn, the land dips, revealing an abandoned barn, another vast open field and a nearby pond. Blundstones were a smart footwear choice, as the ground during the descent was still soft and muddy from yesterday’s rain. The abandoned barn is usually teeming with life. More specifically with barn swallows that call the questionaly stable structure, home. But given the time of year, the swallows have migrated to Central or South America. For a couple of reasons, this is the spot I like to spend the most time at. Broken window frames and open walls beautifully frame the amber shrubbery abroad. The building itself has a down-trodden character, but random light has a way of seeping through and into the open space, making the place a dream to shoot in, through, and out of. Making my way towards the end of the driveway, and right on cue as if it were a wave goodbye from the Farm, a buck springs out of the cornfield, bouncing up and down, and into another field.

A fifteen minute walk through a trail located right outside the property leads into the quaint town of Newton. The downtown area is filled with local mom and pop shops filled with your hole in the wall coffee shops, antique, and vintage vinyl record stores. Being in town is a totally different speed than being on the Farm. It has the right amount of busy-ness that fills the need to be in a town area, without feeling the overwhelming-ness of being in a city.

I love it when objects seamlessly blend form and function together. A Barbour jacket looks and acts the business while spending time on the farm, or moving about town. The same goes for the Lorier Falcon SIII. I think in general, a 3-6-9 dial perfectly balances the line between being a field watch and a casual everyday watch that won’t look out of place in more formal situations. That’s the exact reason why I currently own an Explorer 14270. And even though the Lorier Falcon SIII however hits more on the vintage side, I would strongly consider adding this watch to the collection if the Explorer didn’t already fill that void.

This time last year, I would be spending my weekends either out on the Mission Regional trails hiking up and down the hills, or catching waves at my local break (Tourmalines). But I am no longer residing in sunny southern California, and have recently moved back to the east coast where I once again get to experience the change in seasons. Instead, I am now searching for new locales and scenery in my home-state. I’m doing some reconnaissance on where I could catch a sweet left-breaking waist high wave on the Jersey coast. I’m wondering where the highest point is in NJ, so maybe one day I could try to make my way up there. Hopefully there comes a time where I can get my SCUBA certificate between all of that. But no matter the location or activity, you cannot ask for a better everyday wearing watch than one that’s 36mm, has a 3-6-9 dial, decent water resistance, and a comfortable steel bracelet. And if you care to change out the bracelet, the Lorier Falcon SIII will look that much better, but I’m still a bracelet guy at heart, so don’t count on seeing the Falcon on something other than its pure flat-link steel goodness.

As for the farm, it will always await my return, either from my trip into town, or when I take a brief hiatus away. I look forward to the ever-changing landscape of the place, and when the snow finally comes, I’ll be ready to bask it all in. The question is, what watch do I take when that happens? Stay tuned.