Vario’s Ivan Chua has a knack for pursuing watch designs that no one else is doing, like the 37mm brass 1918 Trench watch or the wild Navi one-hander, so when he told me he was working on a square dress watch, I should have known it would be something special. Today, I have the Vario Versa in hand, and I’m reasonably sure it is the only reversible watch in the microbrand community.
The Vario Versa is an everyday dress watch in a unique brushed and polished stainless steel case measuring 26mm wide, 40mm long, and 12mm thick with a 20mm lug box. I say “everyday dress” because its 50m water resistance, AR-coated sapphire crystals, and Art Deco good looks will serve you well on most daily adventures, but also because the dressiest of dress watches should be slim and the Versa is not. Not that I would call 12mm overly fat, but you have to consider the proportions. On a 40mm wide watch, you might not notice a 12mm thickness, but on a 26mm wide watch, it’s hard to miss.
That said, things change once you strap it on your wrist. It is a rather small case, after all, and as most of us wear 11-12mm thick watches as a matter of course, it is not like the height gets in the way. It is an excellent fit on my 6.75″ wrist, and it tucks under a buttoned shirt cuff without complaint. Again, it is not the most formal of dress watches, and that’s okay. You see, there is a good reason it’s built this way, and it’s the flip-face.
About 7 years ago, I had the good fortune to do a hands-on review of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Duo, an unquestionably beautiful watch incorporating two distinct dials. After getting a good look at the Reverso Duo, one can understand why there have been so few watches like it, as the technical challenges are daunting. Indeed, JLC waited 63 years before they released a duo-face Reverso, and they have some rather impressive resources at their disposal. So, how does a microbrand pull it off?
The movement is the first hurdle. Vario did not have the option of choosing JLC’s method of running both faces off the same in-house, hand-winding movement, so he went with a pair of Swiss Ronda Slimtech 1062 quartz units. With the dials positioned back-to-back and in opposite directions, each has its own signed 12 o’clock crown nestled flush into the case.
As you can see below, the sections fit together into a sandwich where the upper halves containing each face and its accompanying dial, crystal, crown, and movement fit a common backplate. While the bezels are polished, alternating long and short brushed finishes on the sides accentuate the layers.
Next comes the flip. Taking a page from the Cartier Tank Basculante (which, incidentally, only has one dial), Vario placed this central module in a frame, itself brushed and polished to match the watch head. It pivots on pins that go through the frame and into the backplate. Unlike the Cartier, the Versa does not have a solid back on which to sit, so the head snaps into the frame with the aid of four spring-loaded ball bearings that fit detents inside, holding it secure until a gentle push frees it to swing again.
There is no case back in the manner we normally think of; however, the bottom of the frame is different than the top, presenting a flat surface without the sweeping rounded edge that defines the top side. For servicing, you would remove the two screws holding the center module to the frame, then remove the four screws that appear on the silver/white dial’s side to will that section from the center plate, and you can access the movement and battery for that dial. Removing the silver/white side reveals four more screws that release the back plate from the green dial allowing you to get at those innards as well. It sounds complicated, but it’s really quite logical, and with a 6-year battery life, you won’t need to do it very often.
Every Versa comes with the silver sector dial with a white center and blued hands. I particularly like the vertical brushing and exposed screws that lend this face a touch of streamline moderne. There is no second hand (not possible with a 1602), so there is no obvious jumpy quartz tick to distract.
The flip side is a solid color enamel in red, blue, or the green shown here, clean and open with the hour markers discretely incorporated into the railroad minutes track. All come with silver hands.
Vario suggests using the two dials to track two time zones while traveling. That would certainly work, but it would also necessitate removing the watch to check the time back home. Most likely, the typical Versa buyer will do so for the variety of color and the novelty.
Of course, Vario supplies the Versa with its excellent Italian leather straps featuring quick-release springbars and a signed deployant clasp.
The Vario Versa is a pleasing watch with an exceedingly clever design. I confess I would have preferred it to have been a millimeter or two thinner, but I don’t see how that would have been possible, given the need to squeeze two movements into a single case. As it is, the watch accomplishes its goal, and the result looks smooth and modern on the wrist, with the overall impression being one of length as your eye follows the smooth, polished rectangular shapes. Streamline moderne was not about being dainty; it was about making the industrial unapologetically beautiful, and the Versa certainly does just that.
The Vario Versa launches November 23, 2022 (today!) for $428, and you can knock 8% off with code VERSA8 through December 31. Given what went into this watch, that price is more than fair. You should move quickly though, as only 100 of each color will be produced.
Head over to Vario.sg for more information.
