When World War I began in 1914, soldiers faced a novel problem. In the chaos on and off the battlefield where precise timing was integral to routines, communications, and synchronizing attacks, reliable and accurate timepieces were vital. Many officers had pocket watches, but these had many shortcomings on the battlefield. They were cumbersome to pull out and to open the protective lid with gloved hands, requiring officers to pause their duties. The dials were impossible to read at night and the glass crystals broke easily. In a setting where a second could be the difference between life and death, it was clear that an alternative was needed. Thus, in the muddy trenches of the First World War, the wrist-watch was born.

Until that point, wristwatches were feminine accessories called “wristlets”. Militaries took the design and upsized it, adding more durable materials and useful features to create the modern design. The shift from Roman to Arabic numerals made it easier to read the time at a glance, and the shatterproof crystal was introduced to protect the watch. Radium-lumed hands and dials were also used to make them easier to read them at night. By 1917, most officers owned one, and they would eventually become accessible to infantrymen.

British Troops in WW1, One Soldier is seen wearing a pocket watch convert and two soldiers wearing wristlets. Image from Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Towards the end of the war in 1918, trench watches had become a symbol of courage and bravery, which signaled their push towards the mainstream and opened up a mass market in the post-war era. The Vario 1918 Trench Watch pays homage to this period and the innovations that followed.

1st row left to right - White Dial with White Lume, Grey Dial with White Lume, Black Dial with White Lume
2nd row left to right - White Dial with Orange Lume, Cream Dial with Orange Lume, Black Dial with Orange Lume

Today, we have upgraded the classic concept to what no-one could have dreamed of a century ago:

• Scratch and shatter-proof double domed sapphire, AR-coated underside for clarity, instead of the original fragile glass;

• 10ATM water resistant case of marine grade stainless steel (316L) while beefing up the wired lugs for added security, when 1910’s soft silver couldn’t bear any water, and little shock;

• Latest generation, non-radioactive lume, instead of old radium paste which slowly poisoned the dial painters, and needed re-coating after ten years;

• State of the art modern enamel, when last century brittle vitreous glaze chipped off or aged with hairline cracks;

• A modern, robust Japanese automatic movement with hand-winding and hacking seconds, a “complication” envied as a rare luxury in the early 20th century!

Illustrated by @mbambam

Default soldier caseback design (Photo by @switzknight)

Empty casebacks with be available at extra cost for customers who wants an empty or custom engraving caseback. We will provide laser engraving service on empty casebacks for customers as a chargeable service as well. This is the best time to engrave the casebacks as we're doing it in 1 lot which means more cost savings than doing it individually. They make good gifts and help you bond with your watch. Only text will be allowed with a limit of 40 characters and 4 lines.

Signed screw-down crown (10ATM Water Resistance). Real wire lugs to capture the spirit of WW1 Trench watches

We did keep an iconic signature of the classic design, though: the true curved wire lugs. You won't see them often on other modern trench watch revivals. They look charmingly retro, but still make sense today as more secure than springbars. This is why modern “mil-specs” issue watches keep fixed bars, thus imposing single-piece a.k.a. straps.

C3 Lume in action (Faux lume takes a longer time to charge and is weaker than White Lume)

So, the Vario 1918 Trench may be a modern interpretation, but far from a novelty. It remains truthful to the spirit of the original classics: a tough, functional, state of the art tool watch. Versatile too, as it will suit both your fatigues or cocktail attire.

Left to right: Vario Eclipse (38mm), Vario 1918 Trench (37mm), Vario Empire (38mm)

Erik from Monochrome

Review https://monochrome-watches.com/review-vario-wwi-trench-watch-kickstarter-value-proposition-review-price/

Loren from TheTimeBum

Review http://www.thetimebum.com/2020/08/vario-1918-trench-watch.html

Shane from @indielux_shane
Review https://watchwatcha.com/2020/10/23/review-vario-goes-to-the-trenches/

Siva from @horologyportraits

Riccardo from @munich_watch_lover

Charlie from @kingcharles_

Jody from Just One More Watch

Shane from Relative Time

Scott from Watches Galore

Anders from Watch On

John from Watch Reviews 4K

Jory from The Time Teller

Brian from Watch Complications

Dave from Just The Watch

Shane from Relative Time

Ivan from Perth Watch

WW1 Veteran's Day reenactment event at Sgt. Alvin York State Historic Park, Tennessee, USA. Photo by David Duplessis

Yorkshire Wartime Experience event near Bradford in Yorkshire, England. Photo by Stephen Gilchrist.

 

Shop our full range of Vario 1918 Trench WW1 watch
https://vario.sg/collections/1918-trench-medic

You may like these articles:

How the Trench Watch Became the Modern Wristwatch We Know Today
https://vario.sg/pages/how-the-trench-watch-became-the-modern-wristwatch-we-know-today-vario

A Man and his Trench watch
https://vario.sg/pages/a-man-and-his-trench-watch

Story of Empire Art Deco watch
https://vario.sg/pages/art-deco-watch

Story of Eclipse Bauhaus watch
https://vario.sg/pages/story-of-vario-eclipse-watch

Story of Navi Nautical watch
https://vario.sg/pages/vario-x-popeye

Buying A Microbrand Watch? Here's Everything You Should Know
https://vario.sg/blogs/products/buying-a-microbrand-watch-heres-everything-you-should-know-vario

Feel free to contact Ivan at customer_service@vario.sg if you have any questions regarding this product.