Vario Empire Chronograph Review: It's So Good That I Sold My Seiko

I sold my Seiko Speedtimer, and it’s all because of this watch. 

How’s that for a start to a review?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaCe97fNBSk

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Before I explain how getting the Vario Empire Black Tuxedo Chronograph led to saying goodbye to my Seiko Speedtimer, I need to discuss all of the good - and the minor flaws - about this stylish watch. 

The Empire Black Tuxedo Chronograph is one of the newest watches from the Singaporean microbrand Vario, which I admittedly adore, but it’s quite different from my Vario Versa Year of the Horse (you can read or watch my review, too). While the Versa sports the fantastic dual-face design and the Cartier Tank-esque proportions, the Empire Chronograph seems to be - at first glance - a far more standard watch. But, the more I wore it, the more I realized that it had way more layers to it… quite literally, in fact.

Designed with inspiration drawn directly from the 1920s Art Deco movement, the dial is essentially different discs or plates stacked upon each other. There’s your classic white chapter-ring with the 60 minute scale, followed by the tachymeter ring in black, then there are your numerals emblazoned on a crisp ivory ring with panda-style sunburst black subdials at the 9 o’clock and 3 o’clock marks. Finally, at the center, you can see the machine-finished guilloche across a black backdrop, which brings to mind the black ironworks of the Empire State building, or a spiral staircase leading into unknowable depths. To top it all off, there is a bright red chronograph seconds-hand, and thin skeletonized hour and minute-hands. 

If the German Bauhaus movement favored brutalist, simplistic designs, then the French Art Deco is all about exhibiting luxury through a visually complex design, and that’s exactly what Vario accomplished with this watch. 

The Vario Empire Black Tuxedo Chronograph came with their compact maroon travel Watch Case, an extra leather strap, and a premium stainless steel bracelet. It also came with their Vario-branded microfiber cloth that I love to use for all of my watches. As always, Vario’s straps are some of the best - not only among microbrands - but among watch brands in general. I now have three straps from Vario, and every single one has been fantastic.

Vario Empire Chronograph: Better Movement than Swiss?

I am so happy that Vario opted to use the reliable, smooth-sweeping Seiko VK64 mecaquartz movement for this watch instead of a Seagull chronograph movement, or even the Valjoux 7750 movement. I don’t think there is anything wrong with either of those movements, and in fact, you can find many great watches which utilize those movements. 

But, believe it or not, I think those movements would have ruined what this watch was intended for. The watch is perfectly proportioned at 38mm with an 11.5mm thickness, and it looks perfect on the wrist while wearing a suit, or with a collared shirt and linen pants. That means it can slip under the cuff, or it can be the main part of your outfit without overpowering everything due to an oversized wrist presence. This is possible only because the VK64 mecaquartz movement is relatively thin and small, so that’s why microbrands like Vario and Furlan Marri - who opt for vintage aesthetics - went with this option. The Valjoux and Seagull movements would increase both the case size and the thickness. The mechanical complication of the chronograph is typically too much to fit into a smaller case, which is why true watchmakers can essentially charge whatever they want if they are able to create a thin and small mechanical chronograph movement (see: the Holy Trinity of Watch Brands). 

While I understand that some people have an aversion to quartz, I’m a huge fan of it for its accuracy and reliability and what it enables designers and brands to do. As it’s a mecaquartz, that means it has a smooth sweeping seconds-hand, which means you won’t have to lose your mind over the “quartz tick” that so many people despise. 

It's Not Perfect...

As I always say and write, no watch is perfect, and this dressy chronograph from one of my favorite microbrands is no exception. The most glaring flaw of the watch, in my opinion, are the skeletonized hands for the hour-hand and minute-hand. While it looks premium and the numerals and the chapter-ring make it easy to tell the time, the skeleton-hands sometimes blend into the darker backdrop of the dial - especially when the lighting conditions are less than ideal. It also lacks lume, which is normal for a dressier piece, but it certainly doesn’t help the legibility. 

I think changing the hour-hand and minute-hand to something thicker would make it more legible even without adding lume. It is also worth noting that I selected the Black Tuxedo variant, and the White Tuxedo variant has golden skeletonized hands with a white backdrop, which seems to be better for telling the time at a glance. So, if you think that this might be an issue for you but you still love the collection, I highly recommend taking a look at the different models available. 

The laser-etched caseback is beautiful, but when the watch is fresh out of the box (that is, the watch travel case that it comes with), the caseback has a noticeable texture that you can feel on your wrist during the first few hours of wearing the watch. It wasn’t a bother for me, and I certainly didn’t feel it or notice it by the second day of wearing it, but I thought it bore mentioning in this review for anyone who is sensitive to these types of things. 

Selling My Seiko Because of My Vario

I recently brought this watch, as well as two other watches from Kuoe (more on that in future reviews), on a business trip to the Philippines for the Manila Pen Show. It was great on my wrist, and I really felt like it elevated even simple outfits without looking too ostentatious. So, why did that lead to me selling my beloved Seiko Speedtimer with its JDM platinum blue dial? 

Well, I’m a weird guy. I don’t mean that self-deprecatingly. I am genuinely strange - even for my own standards. I have this strange rule that I don’t want to repeat a movement in my collection. Yes, I’m serious. And that means that none of my watches have the same movement. My two Hamilton watches and my two remaining Seiko watches? Yes, they all somehow have different movements. Although I didn’t get them because they have different movements, I would be lying if I said that wasn’t one of the points of consideration. 

This brings me to the Vario Empire Chronograph. It has the same VK64 movement as my Seiko Speedtimer, and while that one is solar-powered, it just constantly nagged at me in the back of my mind. Additionally, I felt that the Vario Empire Chronograph was simply more unique, and better suited to my current style. (Ironically, I haven’t worn a full suit in years, but you know what I mean.) So when my good friend Paolo told me he liked my Seiko Speedtimer and would be interested if I ever decided to let it go, that made my decision for me. 

Watch collecting - or any collecting hobby - is not logical, and we don’t need to follow any arbitrary rules. I really didn’t have to sell my Speedtimer. I could have kept both. I could have overcome my own oddities. However, when I had both watches in my watch box staring back at me, I just found myself reaching for the Vario way more than the Speedtimer. 

And that was enough of a reason for me to let it go.

Instead of seeing that as a shortcoming of Seiko, you should see it as a testament to how much I love this newest addition to my collection. Thank you to Vario for letting me review this watch. Learn more about this watch at the following link: Vario Empire Black Tuxedo Chronograph. 

Specifications

Diameter: 38mm

Lug to Lug: 46mm

Thickness: 11.5mm

Strap Width: 20mm

Movement: Seiko VK64 MecaQuartz movement

Crystal: Sapphire with inner AR coating

Water Resistance: 5 ATM

Strap: Vintage style Italian leather with slight bi-colour effect (20mm taper to 16mm)