Vario 1918 WW1 Trench Watch - Vintage Looks Modern Reliability

In this video I review my own personal Vario 1918 Trench watch recreation.
Vario take watches from the past and bring them back to life with a modern twist. This one is no exception, in the trenches of WW1 wristwatches as we know them came into existence. Until this point gentlemen only used pocket watches, these were not a practical solution in battle and so the wristwatch was born! The rest is history.

I am a passionate about watches and I am a self taught watch repairer and restorer mainly working on vintage watches. I have another channel My Retro Watches which shows my work with the aim of inspiring others into this wonderful hobby. I started this watch review channel to give my opinion and broaden my horizons on new watches from established and microbrands alike.
I enjoy producing watch review videos and think I offer a different perspective to other reviewers as I am not afraid to remove watches from cases and inspect everything under a microscope.

#watch #watchreview

[martinkavanagh]

The folk at VARIO are very friendly and pleasant to deal with eh .. lovely people. - I have a brass case antique lume model on one of their Bund straps and it is a favorite to wear. Happy Days.

[excdracmagyarszarnyak]

One of my favourites, with the shrapnel protector.... absolutely number one. Thanks for the great review!

[barrettwbenton]

First off – *seriously* happy to hear of your coming through your surgery from before. Secondly – very cool review of this Vario, which I'd sort of forgotten: I was most taken with the Pulsations version when I first saw it.

[adk]

I think they are on top when it comes to affordable vintage watches from a Microbrand. Their Empire GMT is an absolute future acquisition for me. Thanks and looking forward to more SM Content!

[hamshackleton]

I recall you briefly showing this watch when you first recieved it.

[thomasgabriel]

What a great looking watch! And the engraving on the back is very cool. If my grandfather was still with us I would buy him one. He wore a watch every day of his life. Thank you for doing a review on these and sharing some of they story between you and the owners.

[VARIOeveryday]

Thanks for the feature. I put a tape on my timegrapher as well.

[Bristol]

These are very good looking watches. Thanks for reviewing these!

[darrencheshire]

Great watch’s, with a great look. Also glade your still letting people know about what you’ve been through. A great way to prompt someone to get a simple check. Keep up the great work buddy 😊

[ColinRobinson]

They really do have an eye for design. I can't fault any watch of theirs I've laid eyes on. Life goes on indeed, so let's get busy living.

[acp]

I have two of these, they are very good. I bought them to mark the birth of my daughters. These are so comfortable, and charming. The only thing I would caution, if you wear them without the bund the screw heads could dig into your wrist. One of mine actually drew a little blood once. I think a slight bevel or polish on the screw head groove edges would take care of that. I really enjoy mine and can’t recommend them enough.

[MrGrentch]

First off kudos for being the guy who's the warranty guy for Vario. No better man. 👍🙂

100 metres is very good imho. This stuff about water resistance we hear kinda irritates me tbh. 100 metres? When was the last time the vast majority of us were 100 metres under water? Personally I get twitchy in an overfilled bath. 😁

One question I have is the 4 placement of the crown. Was that a movement issue that they had to work with, as subdial movements don't really exist anymore? With the originals when they were still trying to work out how this new "wristlet" would work, I've seen crowns at the usual 3, but also 12 and 9, but can't recall seeing one at 4.

Tbh I think 300/400 quid is fair. They look to be a very nice watch, well designed, with solid engineering and a great alternative to buying/wearing the originals. There was a time way back when you could find originals, even good condition originals for little enough money. Those days are gone. Though trench watches never really took off value wise like other vintage niches

Oh and fair play to Ivan for engraving that caseback to you. Life goes on indeed Sir and fwiw I'm _very_ glad yours is. 🙂

[SideWalkAstronomyNetherlands]

Nice bling free, no nonsense watch :)

[dunderhay]

Great review as always. Knowing you do their UK warranty work makes me much more likely to buy a Vario 👍

[anthonycaryl]

I do like your 'aged' lume version

[RandallSlick]

Very good vid and I hope you recover well. I've been seriously tempted by Vario and think they're doing great work as a company. However, I can't quite understand this watch as a trench watch. I'm more used to the Walthams and Elgins that would have been worn by those British soldiers that could afford them. Is this a French or German design? Aside from that, I pray that the red 12 returns so well done to Vario for that.

[WristwatchWorkshop]

What's not to like? Antique styling, modern reliability and support form the guy who taught Lee Mack everything he knows!