Two Cult Microbrands Teamed Up for This Unexpected Military Watch

The vibes in the microbrand watch industry are, as the kids say, immaculate.

Although the hundreds of brands that make up the cottage industry are technically competing against one another, it often doesn’t feel that way. Most of the brands are run by watch enthusiasts themselves, so there’s a spirit of camaraderie between their companies that’s rare for any industry.

I know several brand owners who are friends with one another and who support and encourage each other’s businesses. (Just look at the Intersect Watch Show, which is collectively run by the owners of Nodus, Jack Mason and Formex.) A rising tide lifts all boats, sure, but the inter-brand support in the microbrand space feels genuine.

Sometimes, this support leads to legitimate collaboration, which is always a plus for the buyer, as it allows them to effectively get two great brands for the price of one watch. The latest example of this comes from two brands that, at least on the surface, could not be more different.

Vario x RZE

Worlds Collide

The two microbrands in question are Vario and RZE. Both brands are based in Singapore, but that’s really where their similarities end.

Vario specializes in vintage-inspired watches. And I mean really vintage-inspired. While a lot of brands draw inspiration from mid-century tool watches, Vario’s designs come from the first half of the twentieth century.

RZE, meanwhile, is extremely contemporary. Their designs are very modern, and every one of their watches is made of titanium that’s been treated with the brand’s proprietary UltraHex anti-scratch coating.

Vario x RZE

So, despite their geographical proximity, a collab between the two brands doesn’t seem like the most natural fit. But the end result will prove any skeptics wrong.

Meet the Vario x RZE Ultrahex Titanium Trench. At its most basic, it’s Vario’s Trench watch — effectively a century-old design that attempts to recreate the trench watches of the First World War — with a case made from RZE’s high-tech, UltraHex-coated titanium. But there’s more to it than that.

Vario x RZE

In addition to the unexpected combination of a design inspired by a watch from 1918 with an advanced 21st-century material, the Ultrahex Titanium Trench also comes in three contemporary dial colors that you’d never see on any other WWI-inspired trench watch.

There’s a Medallion Yellow variant featuring a bright-yellow dial, a Timascus version with a dial of layered Damascus titanium and, most dramatically, the Lumed Carbon Fibre edition featuring a dial of carbon fiber that’s been impregnated with Super-LumiNova throughout.

Vario x RZE

All three dials feature the stylized Arabic numeral indices and cathedral hands typically seen on Vario’s usual Trench Watch, but here, all are white and lumed with blue-emitting Super-LumiNova BGW9. Even the white small seconds display features a hidden lumed RZE logo, which matches the lumed RZE logo on the titanium crown.

Outside of the stylistic and material changes, the new watches boast the same specs as Vario’s normal Trench Watch. The case measures 37mm across x 10mm thick, there’s a 2mm double-domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on the inside, the movement is a Miyota 82s5 automatic and the water-resistance rating is 100m.

Vario x RZE

Pricing and Availability

If you like weird watches, then you’ll probably like the Vario x RZE Ultrahex Titanium Trench. It’s a strange mish-mash of time periods, styles and technology, and yet it comes across as so confidently cool that I can’t help but be charmed by it.

Sold on a leather bund strap, the watches are available online now from Vario. The Timascus and Lumed Carbon Fibre versions retail for $499, while the Medallion Yellow comes in a bit cheaper at $439. Each is limited to 100 pieces.

Vario x RZE

Vario x RZE UltraHex Titanium Trench

Specs

Case Size	37mm
Movement	Miyota Cal. 82s5 automatic
Water Resistance	100m

• $499 at Vario

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