Two Best Budget Field Watches – Lorus RXF41AX7 vs Lorus RXD425L8
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It’s time for the clash of the Lorus field watches. A few weeks ago, I reviewed the brilliant titanium Lorus field watch, which has seemingly been glued to my wrist ever since. I’m under no doubts that this is a great watch, however, there is another Lorus field watch vying for that same crown. I mentioned it briefly in that posts, stylistically, both do look very similar.
I figured we’d do a quick comparison of the two, to work out which may be the best option for you; because under the skin, these pair do have their differences.
LORUS FIELD WATCH SIMILARITIES
Price-wise, both of these watches are incredibly affordable. The titanium watch was about £40 but seems to be more like £50 since that previous review was published. The Lumibrite sports model tends to hover at about £10 less at most retailers; though due to the outbreak, regular pricing has been thrown out of the window. To complicate the matter, there are seemingly two versions of the Lumibrite model, one released in 2013, which is the one I have here, and another near-identical one released in 2018. The dial tones being a fractionally different colour. Weirdly, the older one seems to be more readily available; so that’s the one I’ll be using for this comparison. I’ll link each option in the video description, perhaps the newer option will be available in your location. Let’s discuss the similarities between that and the titanium model, to begin with.
Both watches offer strong water performance, considering they’re not divers; coming in at 100m of water resistance. This means you could swim in both without issues. Also, they are identical when it comes to size. Both feature incredibly similar 37mm cases (not the 36mm I accidentally said in that other article, or the 35mm listed online). When paired with a short lug to lug size and slim depth; they both wear equally well for slimmer to average wrists. Nevertheless, large wrists may leave these field watches looking rather tiny.
Design-wise they do look comparable too, both featuring silver cases with cream coloured dials. You’ll get a fairly classic field watch look with each, even down to the fabric straps, which also feature comparable design cues. Each of these is powered by a quartz movement too, giving you accurate performance. Over the dial, you have a mineral crystal on both of these, which offers some limited scratch protection. Both also come with a 2-year warranty from Amazon.
Now, this article is here to talk about the differences, so let’s get into those.
LORUS FIELD WATCH DIFFERENCES
Something small is the default strap that comes with each. The Lumibrite watch comes with a green-grey fabric Nato strap, whilst the titanium watch comes fitted with a 2-piece khaki green one. The latter is thicker and feels more substantial, but is less flexible. Both have reinforced holes, though are far from the best straps in the world; which is to be expected at this price point.
While the case designs are very similar, the Lumibrite model lacks the small notches found at every 90 degrees on the titanium watch. Furthermore, while both cases feature brushed finishes, they are a slightly different tone, due to being constructed of different materials. As the name suggests the titanium model features a full titanium case, which gives it more of a warm hue. This means the watch is extremely lightweight. Conversely, it’s sister features a stainless steel case instead. This post isn’t going to go in-depth on the benefits and drawbacks of each material, though you will notice an increase in weight with the steel option. Neither are heavy watches in the slightest, though you’re unlikely to have the Lumibrite one feel like it’s disappearing on-wrist, in the same way as the titanium model does.
Furthermore, the dials are clearly different. Due to the Lumibrite luminous coating, the steel model has a green tinge to the dial, whilst the other watch maintains a cream look. While I am not a fan of the appearance of the Lumibrite dial in daylight, in low light it is unbelievably effective. It looks like you have something from Chernobyl glowing on your wrist. This makes it incredibly easy to read and serves its purpose really well. Unfortunately, the titanium model lacks this feature, only having some limited lume on the hands, which doesn’t do a great job in the dark. Therefore, if low-light readability is a key feature that you’re looking for, the choice is obvious.
Outside of performance though, I think the titanium watch looks a lot more attractive. The dial has a nicer tone and better matches the white date wheel, compared to the Lumibrite watch, which looks unusual in comparison. Additionally, the printing isn’t done to the same standard. Possibly due to the luminescent paint layer, the text and markers are a little bit sloppy. Those on the titanium watch are far more refined and clear, despite being in the same font. The edges are much neater and the watch is easier to read.
I also prefer the hands on the titanium watch, which are nothing special but are simple, clean and fit the look of the watch. Those on the other Lorus are black to contrast against the Lumibrite dial, but are also glossy; which just doesn’t look as good.
I anticipated that these would have the same movement within, however, it turns out they are slightly different. The steel watch uses the Seiko VJ33, whilst the other utilises the Seiko VX42. These movements retail at about the same price as one another and I’m not sure if either is technically better than the other. As you can see, the VJ33 does provide date functionality, if you are looking for that. Both seem to work fine, though, from my experience with these, it feels like the VX42 in the titanium watch has less recoil on each tick, meaning it hits the second markers slightly more accurately and frequently. Nevertheless, both perform well in this regard, compared to most of the quartz watches I’ve reviewed on this website before.
WHICH LORUS WATCH DO I LIKE BEST?
I’ve been wearing the steel model regularly to see how it compares and to work out whether I’d consider switching to it or not. It is similar to the titanium model, as you’d expect, and I probably prefer the darker colour of the strap because it’s a little more versatile. Nevertheless, I still lean towards the one I previously reviewed, just due to the weight and the looks. Personally, I don’t need the Lumibrite, as my life isn’t particularly ‘adventurous’, so the other watch offers me more benefits overall.
Despite this, I still like both watches. It’s great to have two similar options, in case Lorus randomly decide to discontinue one of them. Three if you include the updated version of the Lumibrite watch. If you’ve watched my fashion watch invasion video, you’ll know this is a common theme with these big brands; so it wouldn’t surprise me. Nevertheless, I’m sure that if either of these watches were made by a microbrand, they’d just have a £100 or more price tag attached to them. I think either of these watches offers more value than the similarly priced Timex models, albeit they don’t come in any other colourways.