As I expand my knowledge of microbrands, I was super excited to receive a sample from Vario, a Singapore-based company that’s been going strong for a decade. The brand’s latest offering builds on its Navi collection, which first joined Vario’s catalog in 2021.
The line holds firm to its nautical roots with its sleek and refined interpretation of a porthole throughout the case and dial along with its compass and anchor hands and sailor-cap crown. Over the past five years, the Navi has taken a few forms, from the inaugural jump-hour to special editions like the Popeye and Vario’s collaboration with Watch Enthusiasts India (WEI). In 2024, we saw the introduction of a single-hand version, offering a slow-time display with an Engine Order Telegraph (EOT) 12-section dial in which each of the 12 sections is broken down into 15-minute intervals for a general reading of the time rather than one to the exact minute. Now, Vario builds on this design with five new colorways and, for the first time, new languages.
With this extension of the Navi collection, Vario is taking the line into international waters starting regionally with Chapter One: Europe. The foundation of the models remains the same as what we saw in the original and now sold-out single hand version. The case is rendered in 316L stainless steel and executed in highly wearable proportions at 38mm in diameter and 11mm in thickness. The lugs strike a good balance of geometry and curvature that allows the model to sit nicely to the shape of the wrist while also maintaining a strong wrist presence. The lug-to-lug clocks in at 46mm.
Building on that foundation, other details remain consistent, like the oh-so tactile textured bezel, the wave pattern on the dial, and the aforementioned hands and crown that nod to familiar maritime elements. In addition, the models remain powered by the Miyota 82s5 movement. The real difference with Chapter One: Europe is the color combinations and corresponding languages.
The five bold new color palettes draw direct inspiration from the flags of England, Germany, France, Spain, and Italy. Then, each of the 12 sections of the slow-time display is written in the country’s corresponding language. So, for England, you have a prominently blue design extending across the dial and strap with just a small pop of red in the small seconds display. The French model offers a quite similar execution with red accents more prominently featured. The other three iterations each offer bold hues taken from their country’s flags, with Italy executed in green across the dial and strap with pops of red, Germany giving an all-black design with touches of red and yellow, and Spain is presented with red across the dial and strap with yellow accents throughout.
After spending some time wearing the Spanish variant, I have lots of good things to say about this model. At $428, the quality and attention to detail are extremely high – the case has a nice weight and refined finishing, and the Italian leather strap is both soft and sturdy. Really every element feels thoughtful. I’m obsessed with the feel of the bezel – it’s just so pleasing. Every component of the dial also seems perfectly executed – legible, well-organized, and just attractive to the eye. I was admittedly pretty stunned at the price – this easily has the look and feel of a watch well over $1,000 and easily ticks the box of a strong value proposition. Overall, the Navi is an extremely comfortable wear, and the proportions in their execution are highly versatile, fitting well on my small 5.75-inch wrist.
Speaking directly to this specific colorway, I can’t say red watches are usually my thing, and in fact, I feel they’re made for a very specific type of buyer. However, I turned out to be pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this red execution. It easily paired with more ensembles than I expected, and I actually liked planning specific outfits so I had an excuse to wear it. Perhaps Vario has converted me to being a red watch person or at least opened my mind to it. If I had any Spanish heritage, I’d definitely be sold.
Moving on to the choice of the single-hand display. At first, I was skeptical – what’s the point of a watch if it can’t tell precise time? But then, what’s really the point of a watch telling time these days anyway when we’re all shackled to our smartphones and laptops 24/7? The display slowly grew on me, and once I started digging into the press kit and reading more about the brand’s philosophy behind the single-hand configuration, I became a full convert. This is about more than an interesting aesthetic – although, let’s be clear, it does provide a decidedly fresh dial aesthetic. It’s really about living in the moment and not sweating the small stuff. Restaurants, doctor appointments, and most meetings allow a 15-minute grace period, so why shouldn’t we extend that grace to ourselves throughout more aspects of our lives? However, the one very minor issue I have with the Navi comes down to this choice of display for a so-called maritime watch.
Historically speaking, maritime clocks and timekeeping instruments have been some of the most groundbreaking in terms of accuracy and precision. When ships were the primary mode of international travel, these were vital instruments that could quite literally be the difference between life and death on the high seas, and the engineers who developed them were the equivalent of NASA scientists today. So, there is something a little at odds for me in creating a maritime watch whose design is almost entirely made of nautical details but then whose timekeeping is rebelliously the opposite of accurate and precise. Despite this somewhat counterintuitive and strange combination, it’s a beautiful watch nonetheless.
The five new versions of the Navi, dubbed Chapter One: Europe, are available now in limited runs with 240 pieces of England, 100 pieces of each Germany and France respectively, and finally 80 pieces of each Spain and Italy respectively. For more information and to purchase before they inevitably sell out, head over directly to Vario.
