You'll forgive me for starting to showcase my watch collection from the end, but I want to get this one out of the way as soon as possible.

SHINES LIKE THE MOON

The reason is that it's probably not the most valuable nor the most reliable of my small but growing collection, but it's the most recent one, and even if I still have qualms about the purchase, I can't help but feel vindicated by its ONE feature which is truly spotless: it's LUME.

Look at that beauty: it takes only a couple of minutes for the dial lume to store the light of day and then the dial remains perfectly visible in low visibility as well as during the night. Not so many watches can compete with that simple but effective Lumibrite technology, which is Lorus main (and only, tbh) strong point. Only for that reason, it was worth tracking this beauty on eBay from an English retailer for 35€ (+5€ delivery). However, there are reasons why that price is still a little bit expensive.

TOO FLIMSY TO COMPETE WITH THE BIG BOYS

Apart from the lume, this watch is super light, small and thin. It's marketed as a "gents" watch but actually could fit and compliment any woman's wrist as well.

I have read some online reviews that the quartz movement is not the most reliable however. A simple look at the Amazon comments shows that the VX43 Quartz movement can start losing up and/or breaking up altogether at any given moment. So, I don't expect it to last years and years, but I have made my peace with it: it's a nice addition to my collection of dark and blue dials.

CLONE, HOMAGE or COPY?

It's also worth saying that this model is probably an "hommage" to a Swiss made Tissot watch from the 70s. The "barrel" dial design is obviously highly similar. Tissot has actually released a new model of its watch recently: it's higher quality of course but also more pricey: 350€. More reliable, more durable, no doubt, but it sure does not boast that incredible lume.

CONCLUSION

It's a discreet and one-trick poney watch, which Lume will come handy in low-luminosity environments, and also provide some "wow" factor at first sight. But that's where the buck stops. The model is quite old and I can only hope Lorus will work on some update in the near future, because there is (a lot of) room for improvement to make this model a competitive and iconic piece.

DETAILS

Brand	Model	Type	Year	Diameter	Width
Lorus	RXN31BX9	Quartz	2012	35mm	0.8cm

What do you think of it? Have you ever seen such shiny dial at night?