Vario 1945 D12 Field Watch
Starting from 339 €The Vario 1945 D12 Field Watch is a military field watch paying tribute to the twelve watches commissioned in 1945 by the British Ministry of Defence, known as the Dirty Dozen. The Singaporean micro-brand borrows their legibility codes, dark dial, arabic numerals, railway track and small seconds at 6 o'clock, then modernises them with a sapphire crystal, a 316L steel case and 100 metres of water resistance. Offered in five dial versions and available in 37 or 41 mm depending on reference, it appeals equally to military history enthusiasts and everyday wearers seeking a compact, rugged tool watch powered by an accessible Japanese automatic movement.
Vario 1945 D12 Field Watch military watch
Vario is a micro-brand based in Singapore, founded in 2016 by designer Ivan and his partner Judy. Its catalogue has been built on a simple idea: reinterpreting the great military archetypes of the twentieth century without copying them, preserving their functional logic while bringing them up to today's expected technical standard. The 1918 Trench watches, the quartz A-11 and, since 2023, the 1945 D12 line form a coherent collection, quality-controlled in Singapore and sold direct to consumers.
The name D12 refers to the Dirty Dozen, the twelve Swiss and British watches commissioned in 1945 by the British Ministry of Defence to a strict specification. This called for a black dial, arabic numerals, a peripheral railway track, luminous hands and hour markers, a small seconds at 6 o'clock, and a case resistant to shocks and water. These constraints produced a remarkably clear aesthetic, still perfectly recognisable today, and one that has become a benchmark for all field watch enthusiasts.
The 1945 D12 takes up this visual grammar and modernises it wherever the original showed its limits. Two signatures unique to Vario deliberately depart from the historical model: the crown placed at 4 o'clock, inherited from the Trench 1918 and designed not to dig into the wrist on a compact case, and a case design with short drooping lugs, a polished bevelled bezel and drilled lug holes. The Vario logo, embossed and discreet beneath the 12, leaves the rest of the dial bare, just as on the original military instruments.
Technical specifications Vario 1945 D12 Field Watch
- Brand: Vario
- Model: 1945 D12 Field Watch
- Reference: 1945_D12_RB-1 (37 mm) / 1945_D12_RB-2 (41 mm)
- Indicative price: 339€
- Movement: Japanese automatic, hand-winding
- Calibre: Miyota 82S5, gilt finish with Côtes de Genève
- Power reserve: 40 hours
- Diameter: 37 mm or 41 mm
- Thickness: 10.5 mm
- Water resistance: 100 m / 10 ATM
- Materials: 316L stainless steel
- Crystal: Sapphire with anti-reflective coating
- Dial: Black, sand beige, military green, grey and smoked grey
- Strap: Waxed canvas made from recycled T-shirts
- International warranty: 2 years
The Vario 1945 D12 field watch
Designed above all as a tool watch, the 1945 D12 puts legibility at the top of its priorities. The dial follows the logic inherited from the 1945 military specification: full-size arabic numerals, a peripheral railway track for reading minutes, and a small seconds at 6 o'clock that confirms at a glance that the watch is running. The luminescent material combines two shades, C3/BGW9, applied respectively to the hands and the numerals, which preserves the reading hierarchy in the dark. The construction remains sober and functional. The 316L stainless steel case has a measured thickness of 10.5 mm, allowing the watch to slip effortlessly under a shirt or jacket sleeve.
The lug-to-lug measurement is contained, 45 mm on the 37 mm version and 49 mm on the 41 mm, which makes the piece wearable across a wide range of wrist sizes. The crystal is a sapphire with internal anti-reflective coating, a sensible choice for a watch meant to be worn daily and exposed to scratches. The price positioning is that of a credible entry point in this segment. At around 338.95 €, the 1945 D12 sits well below historical re-editions in the same category, while still offering an automatic movement, a sapphire crystal and serious water resistance. This is a watch meant to be worn without excessive caution, closer to a tool than a display piece.
Five versions and interchangeable casebacks
The 1945 D12 collection is now available in five distinct versions. The Raven Black remains the most faithful to the original specification, with its black dial and yellow accents. The Sand Beige plays a more desert-inspired card, while the Army Green openly embraces the military reference. These three are offered in both 37 and 41 mm, at the same price. The Shadow Grey, more understated, only exists in 37 mm. Finally, the Bronze Fumé Grey stands out with its Qsn6.5-0.1 bronze case, raw brass hands and smoked grey dial: offered only in 37 mm and priced at 373.95 €, it develops a patina unique to each wearer, reversible through polishing.
Its first 200 pieces receive a commemorative caseback engraved for the eightieth anniversary of the end of the Second World War, with a choice of charcoal black or army green strap. Another distinctive feature of the line is that the caseback can be personalised. Steel versions come by default with an illustrated caseback depicting a soldier, but Vario separately offers a plain caseback, an exhibition sapphire caseback revealing the movement, and a caseback with custom laser engraving limited to forty characters across four lines. A rare degree of flexibility at this price point, which turns the watch into a personal commemorative object.
Vario 1945 D12 Field Watch military watch: legibility above all
The Vario 1945 D12 pairs a 316L steel case, 37 or 41 mm, 10.5 mm thick, with an automatic Miyota 82S5 calibre featuring hand-winding and hacking seconds. Its dial takes up the Dirty Dozen codes: arabic numerals, railway track, small seconds at 6 o'clock and C3/BGW9 luminescent material. The sapphire crystal has an internal anti-reflective coating, the screw-down crown at 4 o'clock ensures 100 metres of water resistance, and the waxed canvas strap is made from recycled T-shirts. Five dials are available, including a patina-able bronze version, and the caseback can be replaced or engraved on request. Two-year international warranty.
Movement
The watch is powered by the Miyota 82S5 calibre, a Japanese automatic movement fitted here with a gilt finish and Côtes de Genève, visible if you opt for the sapphire caseback. It totals 21 jewels, beats at 21,600 vibrations per hour and offers more than 40 hours of power reserve. Two practical functions round out the package: hand-winding, useful after a few days off the wrist, and hacking seconds, which allows precise time-setting to the second.
Diameter and materials
The case comes in 37 mm or 41 mm depending on the version, with a thickness of 10.5 mm and a lug-to-lug of 45 mm or 49 mm. The case body is made of 316L stainless steel, except for the Bronze Fumé Grey version which uses Qsn6.5-0.1 bronze. The crystal is a sapphire with internal anti-reflective coating. On the dial side, five shades coexist: black, sand beige, army green, shadow grey and smoked grey, the latter reserved for the bronze case.
Water resistance
The 1945 D12 offers 100 m / 10 ATM of water resistance, achieved thanks to a screw-down crown positioned at 4 o'clock. This position, inherited from the brand's Trench 1918, prevents the crown from digging into the wrist on a compact case while remaining easy to grip. This level of water resistance comfortably covers the demands of a field watch: rain, sweat, hand washing and occasional swimming. The warranty, however, excludes water damage occurring when the crown was left unscrewed.
Accessories
The watch ships on a waxed canvas strap made from recycled T-shirts, 18 mm on the 37 mm cases and 20 mm on the 41 mm ones. The bronze version comes with a charcoal black or army green canvas strap. The caseback is the other area of personalisation: Vario offers, as an option, a plain caseback, an exhibition sapphire caseback, and a caseback with laser engraving limited to forty characters across four lines.
Warranty
Vario backs every watch with a 2-year international warranty. It covers the movement but excludes external wear, namely the strap, case scratches, a cracked crystal or water damage found when the crown was not screwed down. The brand also applies a 14-day return policy, welcome for a direct-to-consumer sale where prior try-on is not possible. Each piece is inspected in Singapore before shipping, and Vario offers free express international shipping to most countries, rounding out this direct after-sales offering.
Vario 1945 D12 Field Watch The pros
and cons
- Credible tribute to the Dirty Dozen
- Two diameters offered depending on version
- 100 metres of water resistance
- Five dials including a bronze case
- Interchangeable or engravable caseback
- Unorthodox crown at 4 o'clock
- Bronze limited to the 37 mm case
- Alternative casebacks cost extra
- Direct sale without prior try-on
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Prices and technical specifications are subject to change. Content and photos are not contractual.
