Let me introduce you to one of my favorite Microbrands. They offer incredible value at an affordable price, and their customer support is exceptional. When you reach out, you’ll often get a friendly reply directly from the brand’s owners. In a crowded market, their service truly stands out as one of the best.

How I come across them?

I’ve always admired the Cartier Basculante and the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso. Both models feature a brilliantly engineered reversible case, which I found incredibly cool and elegant. Unfortunately, I was also well aware of their price tags—something I just couldn’t justify for myself at the time. So, I began searching for a more affordable alternative that could offer a similar reversible experience. That’s when I came across Vario, a brand that had created a truly unique watch with a clever dual-dial design. It wasn’t just a budget-friendly option—it was a fresh take on the concept, and it immediately caught my attention. More on that later in the form of a review—first, let me give you a brief introduction of the brand.

Early years

Vario is a Singapore-based microbrand founded in 2016 by Ivan Chua, a graphic designer, and his wife, Judy. Ivan was a self-employed motion graphics designer back in 2015, when the local broadcast television companies he was serving started to falter due to the advancement of streaming services such as Netflix.

Here’s a fun story behind the name Vario. Founder Ivan Chua wanted to inspire people to mix up their style—trench watch today, pilot tomorrow, dress watch the next, focusing on the variety of the watches. He was after a name that was catchy and memorable, like “Oreo.” That’s how Vario was born.

It’s more than just a name—it reflects a playful, versatile approach to watch design. When I asked Ivan about it, he said coming up with the name felt totally natural. Just another glimpse of his creative spirit.

At first the brand started with a focus on creating distinctive watch straps (one of my favourite strap is the Harris Tweed from them, it is just amazing) and has since evolved into the respected watchmaker known for its vintage-inspired timepieces.

Launched through an Indiegogo campaign, Vario’s journey began with a successful release of colorful patterned NATO straps, backed by enthusiastic supporters. Building on that momentum, the brand followed up with a second collection—this time offering playful and stylish straps designed for smartwatches.

Soon after the two successful campaigns came the first release of a new watch the Vario Eclipse, which was a high beat quartz model using Seiko Vh31 movement with double doomed sapphire crystal and a Harris Tweed strap and the rest is history. In 8 years the brand became very reputable and after sought. Many of the limited edition watches are sold out not long after releasing them.

Source of the phot: https://vario.sg/pages/story-of-vario-eclipse-watch

My personal take on the brand

I really appreciate that Vario doesn’t just follow trends or make the usual sporty watches you see everywhere. Instead, they focus on creating their own unique designs, often with a vintage-inspired twist. It’s refreshing to see a brand that chooses to do things their own way, rather than simply going along with what’s popular. That kind of originality and confidence is pretty rare in the watch world.

I love that Vario creates watches in smaller batches and the quality check happens in Singapore in their headquarters. It guarantees that the watches are well made and thoroughly tested before sending them out to their new owners. That gives a peace of mind for us watch nerds, collectors or addicts. Call as you will.

Another thing I want to mention is the amazing community around Vario. Ivan has done a great job building a friendly and welcoming space on both Facebook and Instagram. On Facebook especially, it’s not just about showing off watches — people regularly share their own pieces, ask questions, and get helpful answers from others. It really creates a sense of togetherness, where everyone feels included and connected by their love for watches.

Featured collections

1918 Trench and Medic Watches: Inspired by World War I military timepieces, featuring Enamel dial, double doomed sapphire crystal and a Miyota 82s5 automatic gilt movement 

1945 D12: A reinterpretation of the “Dirty Dozen” watches commissioned during World War II, featuring Sapphire crystal with inner AR coating, Miyota 82s5 automatic gilt movement and 100m water resistance

Empire Series: Drawing from Art Deco influences, the Empire watches showcase elements reminiscent of the 1920s, such as guilloché dials and stylized numerals. Featuring Sapphire crystal with inner AR coating, Miyota 9075 True GMT High-Beat Automatic movement and 50m water resistance.

Single Handed Navi: A single-hand watch helps you slow down by showing only what truly matters—time in broader strokes. With each marker representing 15 minutes, it encourages you to live in the moment and stop sweating the small stuff. After all, do you really need to know the exact minute? Featuring doomed sapphire crystal with inner AR coating, Miyota 82s5 movement and 100m water resistance

Vario 1918 Pilot: It is a homage to the original trench watches, using Miyota 8N33 handwound nickel movement(approx 40 hours power reserve), double domed sapphire with inner AR applied and 50m water resistance.

1945 A-11S Field: A solar quartz model based on the iconic American-designed A-11’s, a great field watch using Miyota 2170 movement, Sapphire crystal with inner AR applied and 50m water resistance. A review coming up!

Versa: My personal favourite. A reversible rectangular watch featuring two quartz movements, allowing us to switch between two time zones or style. Featuring an Enamel dial and a tone sector one, 2 x Ronda Slimtech 1062 1 Jewel repairable Swiss quartz movement and beautiful rectangular reversible case. Watch review coming up

Photo : Watchdad_2023