Let’s go even further back into the history of watchmaking by taking a look at a genre of watches that are more than a century old. And, I would add, watches which are key to understanding the development and subsequent popularization of horology. As you might know, wristwatches evolved from pocket watches which themselves evolved from clocks. Roughly between the 16th century for the first pocket type to the early 19th century for the first wristworn one. As the story goes, in the early 20th century, the modernization of war equipment and tactics required the use of field-ready, precise timekeeping devices. But armies from around the world realized that pocket watches, which were attached to one’s garments by way of a metal chain, weren’t the most practical to use in the heat of combat. So, to make a long story short, they adapted pocket watches to be worn on the wrist by soldering lugs to the cases and passing leather straps through them. 

How is that for “The History of Timekeeping for People in a Hurry?” (I love you Neil.) 

Which brings us to Vario and the 1918 Trench watch. Vario, if you didn’t know the brand, is in the business of making solid vintage and ultra vintage-inspired watches attainable by the masses. Models found in its catalog are always very far from the $1,000 price-tag, and I would add, from the $500 one at that. But do not let a few hundred dollars worth of horology fool you as to the quality of what you get—because what you get is good. Very good. To date, the 1918 is Vario’s most vintage watch, a faithful recreation of the first field-ready tool watches worn by soldiers on the battlefield. And more specifically, the Trenches of World War I. I did a little digging (pun) about these watches and the 1918 Trench is indeed how these watches looked back in the day. And for $388 USD, you get more than what you hoped for, and in several cases materials and dial colors to fit your personal preferences. 

So let’s dig in (a pun again…trenches….digging….got it?) 

Specifications 

Just in the same way that trench watches, and therefore the first wristworn timekeeping devices, were key in the popularization of horology (which I will get back to later on,) so is Vario’s vision for this model by offering two case sizes (37 and 40mm,) two case materials (stainless steel and brass,) and various dial colors. I opted to take a look at the grey dial in a 37mm diameter as I prefer my watches smaller and nimble. So besides having a 37mm diameter, the case measures 45mm lug-to-lug, 10mm thick, and comes with an 18mm lug width. (Note that the 40mm version has a L2L of 48mm and a lug width of 20mm.) These great dimensions are coupled with a 2mm-thick double-domed sapphire crystal with several layers of inner anti-reflective coating, 100 meters of water resistance (screw-down crown and case-back,) and a regulated Miyota 82S5 caliber (4Hz/40 hours of power reserve.) 

What the World War I trench watches certainly didn’t have but which comes in abundance on the Vario 1918 is lume. The exact mixture you’ll find depends on which version of the watch you get, but the grey dial comes with BGW9 which was generously applied on the hands and printed Arabic numerals. There is indeed a lot of it, so much so actually that the 1918 Trench could make many giants of the Swiss industry jealous. So you will be guaranteed easy nighttime legibility as well as daytime legibility as having white-colored lume aids in creating a contrast between the grey dial and the elements which we use to tell the time. (The hands and hour markers.) What the original models probably didn’t have either is a dual-finish on the case where we find a horizontally brushed mid-case and polished bezel. The surface treatment is superb and the transitions between brushed and polished surfaces is equally superb. 

A key feature of the 1918 Trench, as mentioned in the introduction, are the soldered (fixed) lugs which were also present on the World War I-era timekeeping devices. This was done so, if I understand the story, because the first wristworn field watches were actual pocket watches adapted to be worn on the wrist. So it was necessary to find a way to attach them to the wrist by adding lugs through which could be passed straps. Vario retained that design which is an integral part of these models, though the manufacturing process is certainly different. 

Design

Given that the Vario Trench 1918 looks like it was created more than a century ago, meaning that it borrows design codes from classical, if not antique, horology, by that very fact it looks elegant and refined. The case is perfectly round which is not something we often see in horology, and the thin, fully polished, and wire-like lugs are indeed pleasant to look at. In other words, the perfect symmetry of the case endows the 1918 Trench with an air of aristocratic elegance which would easily confuse one as to what type of watch we’re looking at. Indeed, the Vario is first and foremost a tool watch and, as such, is extremely legible. Being able to quickly read the time at a glance was paramount to its inherent raison d’être on the battlefield and what is surprising (to me at least,) is the fact that superlative legibility was achieved with such old-school looking hands and hour markers. 

Yes the Cathedral handset looks antique but is darn legible, in the same way Rolex’s Mercedes hour hand is legible, and their multipart construction served the exact same purposes: 1) to differentiate the hour from the minute hand when both are stacked vertically; 2) to make it possible to add large blocks of lume whilst protecting them from breaking apart in tiny pieces if the watch is dropped or hit hard. (The latter is, I believe, why the larger section of the hour hands are divided up into three sections.) But anyway, all of this is to say that the Cathedral handset is indeed legible (note the syringe-style tip on the minute hand which reaches the tiny hash marks on the railroad minute track) and works perfectly set against the large, printed Arabic numerals for the hour markers. The latter are printed in an antique-looking typeface which matches the style of the watch as well as being legible. 

But wait, there’s more. Although I highly doubt that the World War I-era trench watches had grey dials—but I would like to be corrected—I like this particular colorway because it makes the Vario 1918 Trench look a bit more modern. Especially in the way the white colored lume on the hands and markers beautifully contrast with the gray enamel dial—yes I did say enamel—which further aids in making this watch very easy to read. Unlike the Dirty Dozen type of watches, the running seconds sub-register is not as emphasized here as perhaps knowing the precise second during World War I was not as important as it was during World War II. I know, assumptions kill (love you too Reacher) but that is what my little brain assumes at this point in time. Which is why the printed elements on the sub-register and minute track were done in black, at least on this version. 

The Heart of the Matter

I have an obsessive passion for vintage horology as I believe “things were better back in the day.” I find that watches used to be simpler, more straight-forward, and that more often than not, form followed function much more commonly than it does today. Back then—from the early 1920s through the late 1970s—the design of the case and dial supported the functionality of the watch. Which is why an old Tag HEUER Carrera had a simple case profile and clean dial layout, whilst today there is just more stuff on them. More applied elements, more polishing, and most of what you find is larger and more intense. So when I look at the Vario 1918 Trench I feel happy and more relaxed, as I know that what I’m looking at was designed this way with a clear intent in mind. No sparkles, no unnecessary shiny or rare things, just a straightforward timekeeping device. 

So at the heart of the matter is the fact that Vario did an incredible job recreating a type of watch that is more than a century old. And it did so whilst preserving and honoring what made these watches unique back in the day and by giving them modern tech which makes sense for this type of watch at this price point. Again, you will have to dish out $388 USD for a 1918 Trench, and for that meager sum of money you get a good movement, a sapphire crystal, 100 meters of water resistance, good lume, and a gorgeous enamel dial, in addition to getting good looks and very good finish. (I insist on the latter point.) Moreover, I appreciate the fact that Vario preserved the wire-lug design and that it also offers, as an add-on accessory, a period-correct shrapnel protector which is to me unheard of. 

Lastly, and if you do indeed know about Vario, then you wouldn’t be surprised to hear that the brand adapted its own offering of straps to this collection so that you can have a one-piece pass-through leather strap which matches the design ethos of the 1918 Trench, or a bund-style leather strap which matches the tactical character of this watch. For your $388 USD you can get one or the other, but I highly suggest getting one of each as both straps are excellent and fully complement the look of this model. 

Conclusion 

Vintage-inspired horology is not for everyone. It is like drinking a glass of wine for the first time for someone who has never touched a glass of Merlot. It’s an acquired taste. And generally speaking, when we talk about vintage-inspired horology we mostly limit ourselves to whatever was created a decade after the end of World War II—roughly the early 1950s—through the end of what is defined as being the “Golden Age of Watch Design” towards the late 1980s. So, with the 1918 Trench, Vario is inviting us to go even further back in time, at a moment when not everybody owned a timekeeping device, even less so in the form of a wristworn device which was mostly reserved to Officers. By its design and proportions, trench watches constituted the first “tool watches” and I’m glad there is a brand which makes it possible for all of us to get a taste of it for a reasonable amount of cash.

So as always, I highly recommend taking a look at Vario’s website to discover its vast catalog of vintage-inspired watches as well as to discover the full range of the 1918 Trench & Medic watches. (The latter also has a fascinating history.)

Thanks for reading.