Latest Review
Lorca, founded just about two years ago by New York City based watch enthusiast and recording artist Jesse Marchant, has unveiled their second watch. The new watch, the appropriately named Model No.2, is a follow up to the GMT we looked at in the early months of 2023, and subsequently developed a cult-like following among many discerning vintage watch aficionados. Lorca taps into something that is tough to put your finger on, but is nevertheless kind of obvious when you have one in hand. They could be vintage watches if you didn’t know any better – they are sized to feel like true mid century timepieces. But at the same time, they could really only be born out of the experiences of a present day collector and enthusiast, someone who cares about the little details enough to put them front and center on his idiosyncratic designs.
The Model No.2 is a chronograph that is immediately linked thematically with the Model No.1 GMT thanks to its vintage inspired size (it measures 37mm) and ornate details. It’s a sports watch, for sure, but it veers strongly toward the elegant end of the spectrum. This does not feel like a “tool watch” to me at all, in spite of its rather robust properties that are, frankly, fairly standard these days with any modern watch, no matter the style.
The design cue that will likely stand out most prominently to those who encounter the Model No.2 is the bezel, which has a guilloche pattern consisting of very fine straight lines engraved in something that evokes a sunray pattern. It brings to mind a very specific type or ornate case design that stretches back into the Art Deco era – this feels one or two steps away from a case with inlaid enamel. It’s very nice looking, and strikes me as purely decorative, although the numerals, 1-12, that protrude from the rotating bezel can be used in a pinch to track a second time zone.
There are three dial configurations in total: black, silver, and a panda variant with a gray base and silver subdials. You can see on the silver sample we were provided a subtle sunray pattern, while the black is advertised as having a satin finish. New on these three watches is a custom typeface designed for Lorca’s use drawing heavily on the vintage watch aesthetic that is central to the brand. The dauphine hour and minute hands are lume filled, and the hour markers are polished and faceted to reflect light and also have a BGW9 lume application.
The Lorca Model No.2 runs on the manually wound Sellita SW510 movement with 63 hours of power reserve. Th e total thickness of the watch is 14.1mm, but the case thickness is just 11.6mm, so a large portion of the height is made up of the double domed sapphire crystal. In my very brief hands-on experience with the Model No.2, the watch felt proportional but certainly not “thin” in a meaningful way. That’s OK, in my view. Vintage chronographs often had a similarly squat profile for much the same reason as the Model No.2 – a tall crystal that adds height but not a lot of heft. This watch also has 100 meters of water resistance, something vintage chronos, for the most part, can’t claim. To Lorca’s credit, they’ve absolutely nailed the bracelet, which has a fantastic drape around the wrist and push-button micro-adjustment on the clasp.
The retail price of the Model No.2 is $2,650. The pre-order is open as of today, with delivery expected in May 2025. Lorca
