The Perfect Blend of Modern and Vintage: Vario Dirty Dozen 1945 Watch Review

[@VARIOeveryday]

You might be the 1st reviewer to pick up W.W.W. Sure, no one will see it unless they opt for a sapphire caseback and we return the original caseback to customer but it does add the icing on the cake nonetheless.

[@Rick-ve5lx]

My Empire grey Tuxedo has never been more than three seconds off in a day and after the last five days ( I’ve just checked it) it’s exact to the second. As good as a quartz watch. So thanks to all at Vario for the most accurate mechanical watch I’ve ever owned, good job!

[@THEMADWATCHCOLLECTOR]

Well done Michael! The watch looks great. Love the texture on the dial and the subdial . The 12 o’clock arrow looks great! Reminds me of StarTrek ! Little surprised at the position off the crown as none of the dirty dozen watches had that. But this is Varios take and what sets it apart from others;)

[@mywatchreviews]

Russell!! I agree on Star Trek and said that in the video😂. Vario are putting their own flair on things to be not a direct copy. It’s a great blend of new and old. The crown is decisive and a bold choice but I kind of like it especially being a left hander as for once the crown is not pointing up my arm. Finding the WWW inside the caseback was a lovely touch as no one would see it but it’s a tribute to the originals and all those lost lives in the battle for Singapore 🥲 130,000 of them on our side alone .

[@excdracmagyarszarnyak2398]

What a lovely watch! Good to see a wrist watch under 40mm diameter. Perfect size. I love that crown position and style. Thank you to share your thoughts about this beautiful watch!

[@mywatchreviews]

Thank you. Glad you enjoyed this one. 37mm is a good size in my opinion.

[@fokkerfilms560]

I have the 1918 and I love it. ❤ And now I've decided to pick up the 1945 in grey. 👍

[@phildunne2632]

I particularly like the 4'oclock crown. The color coded logo is inspired....nice touch.

[@ungarsaurus]

Been looking forward to this review since you posted your meeting on the FB group. I think I prefer the darker dials but which of them is hard to say. Vario has put some really nice twists in especially lumed crown.

[@mywatchreviews]

Thank you. Ivan has put a lot of thought into this one and yes the lumed crown is cool. I like the texture dial but I was really pleased to see the WWW in the caseback. It’s not made public so it’s Ivan paying tribute to the originals which I think is a great touch. Thank you for watching .

[@adk7962]

Thanks for the great review. I think they make some of the best military style watches out there!

[@mywatchreviews]

Vario and Baltany are doing some great things. Vario edge it in that Ivan adds his own touches to the designs.

[@MerlinsTeaboy]

I wondered who Ivan had got in the UK for changing the case backs on the empire Chrono, glad to know it's you.

[@jozsefizsak]

That's very nice.

[@Bristol1]

I really like the size of this watch. 37mm and just under 11mm thick is great for me. The way the logo is imprinted into the dial looks like it's been melted in. I really like the look and how it disappears at times. Thank you for putting in some great macro as well as microscope shots; your production work is fantastic. Count me in on the camp of Not a Miyota Fan. Actually, it's about the only part I don't like on this watch. Well, the price too really. Especially with this movement. I was impressed with this white dial version until you showed the green one. Now I want a green one. This white dial is a close second though. Thanks for another great review! Cheers!

[@mywatchreviews]

Thank you sir, hi praise indeed. A few things to touch on . Movement choice despite my and others reservations will be most likely because Miyota make considerable variations . So for this watch Vario can get a thin enough movement to keep the case slim and have a working sub dial at 6. There are no seiko alternative (that I know of) or you go to Sea-Gull but I know Vario want the reliability of Japanese movements. Price. Whilst it’s higher than you would like its production costs as they are made in much smaller numbers. Ivan has put all those designs into it like the textured dial, lumed crown and the etched caseback. These are all at a cost so to be fair £300 is not bad with free shipping . I would not expect their margins to be extravagant. In reality £300 does not buy you much these days anyway , certainly mainstream

[@Jason-hv4eu]

Great video and review! I have thinking on purchasing a Vario watch. Based on your ownership, would you recommend the 1918 or the 1945?

[@mywatchreviews]

Thats a tough one. I like them both for different reasons. The D12 will be a smaller watch so perhaps a bit more versitile but the 1918 is just great plus you can remove it from the bund and just the leather strap to give it a different look.

[@endy_fx]

Love this as an "inspired by" not slavish copy of the dirty dozen. The grey and black are the most visually appealing to me, they seem more traditionally field watch-y, or more military. The dial detail is lovely, including the stealthy logo. I'm also not put off by the crown position. There's clearly a lot of thought that's gone into this one. Good stuff, Vario.

[@mywatchreviews]

Thanks. I agree and why I like Vario so much. Ivan has a love for vintage watches which he has turned his passion into a business. He is also a designer so you can see that he has to put his own flair onto things . I really like what he has done with this. Black or the green I think stand out the most, the black being the original of course

[@WrightsW5]

That white version looks very good.

[@ColinRobinson92]

I've been eyeing their Versa line. Yeah, they're quartz, but they're so brilliant.

[@mywatchreviews]

Nothing wrong with quartz and now there are quartz with a smooth constant second hand tick they are becoming more appealing. I do like the reverso too.

[@DarrenMWS]

The quality stainless steel case nails the iconic geometry of the dirty dozen. If a black dial option were available this watch would fully appeal to me. Only criticism is the Miyota movement which are cheap and nasty (bourne out by the timegrapher results). An olive green canvass strap would make this mine. A great review as usual Mike. Envy your presentation skills.

[@mywatchreviews]

Hi Darren . There are 4 colours including the black mate. I agree on the Miyota. What I failed to mention and it’s obvious why he would use the Miyota is the sub second hand. It’s probably only what’s available in budget. Miyota unlike Seiko make all these types of complications. Sea-Gull too but Ivan wants the reliability of Japanese. The 82S5 has been around for a long time. They just run noisy on the Timegrapher. I should really strip one and service it to see if I can make it better. Decent oiling could improve it dramatically I think. Thanks for watching

[@anthonycaryl1079]

Great dial texture, and for a chunkier crown i find the position more comfortable then the traditional one (unless the case is shaped around it like in most dive watches)

[@dunderhay9169]

I enjoy your reviews, so thorough 👍. I like this watch, but with VAT it is quite expensive for an 8 series Miyota, I know there is little choice of small subdial movements and this is better than a Sea-Gull.

[@mywatchreviews]

Thanks for the compliment. The price is a tough one, Vario work in smaller numbers and this will bump up manufacturing costs. Also for making the design and all the time it takes for that. I agree though a better movement would just make it that little bit more desirable.

[@SideWalkAstronomyNetherlands]

Nice!

[@markwade1376]

Very nice watch, personally I'd go for the green dial version. I don't think the price is bad at all. The only really tiny thing that I'd like to be different is the end of the second hand which I'd like to be pointed rather than squared off although I'm sure that was enhanced by the microscope and prob isn't too noticeable with the naked eye. I'd definitely buy one👍

[@tk423b]

Wouldn’t the retake of Singapore from the Japanese be a better theme?

[@mywatchreviews]

I would assume that was after the war? I think he is just trying to keep it in like with the Dirty Dozen but also historically for his home country of Singapore and its past / present. Either way the thought he has put into it is commendable in my opinion anyway. Thank you for watching .

[@tk423b]

The only problem with Vario it seems is they don’t make enough of each run.

[@mywatchreviews]

I do think he does re-stock. As a small company its probably hard to know how much to make and in how many colours. If you cant sell them then its a lot of money tied up in stock. I can only wish Vario continued and growing success.

[@RandallSlick]

I just bought a Vario Casio strap and delivery was fast and professional and the strap is excellent. Very interested in their watches, since they're so profoundly different. I will no doubt buy from them soon but in the meantime, good luck to them. Damn good review by the way and hopefully you'll remain poor ;-)

[@mywatchreviews]

Nice to hear. I’ve only had good experiences with Vario but then I would so it’s good to hear from a customer so to speak. Their watches are good and their straps are really nice. This D12 and the 1918 are by far my favourite designs. Thanks for watching I appreciate it. The watch review niche is very crowded so I am struggling to get an audience here

[@Qm455]

Near perfect modern D12 IMO, I love the crown position. I do wish it had a 20mm, or even 22mm (!) lug width though. Tempting despite that though.

[@mywatchreviews]

That’s great to hear. Not sure about the lug width being bigger. For that to happen the diameter of the case would have to increase quite a bit. I would think Vario are trying to keep it 37mm in line with the smaller originals

[@JohnCannonBand]

Where's the branding? It's just missing something

[@mywatchreviews]

? Lumed logo on the crown and Vario on the dial.

[@georgecupac1202]

That doesn't look like a Seiko turtle

[@mywatchreviews]

? Is it supposed to. It’s not even a Seiko .

[@bruclee1699]

I didn't like it

[@mywatchreviews]

And thats fair enough. Thanks for watching anyway.