Star Wars references aside, can the chronograph version of the empire outdo it’s automatic cousin?

This is the second post of a two-part series. If you haven’t already, check out part one here before continuing.

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If you’re into the microbrand scene, you may have heard of Vario, a Singaporean watch brand with several successful releases to it’s name. Each Vario release is tied to a different design theme, producing an interesting array of watches with something different every time.

The Empire series represents Vario’s take on the 1920s Art Deco movement, an era characterised by glitz and glam, of luxury and advancement. Art Deco emphasized strong geometric shapes, and an overall sense of modernity, a theme that is immediately apparent when viewing famous Art Deco buildings such as the Chrysler Building.

I previously reviewed Vario’s Empire Automatic, a 3-hander dress watch with a beautiful guilloche dial. The Empire series however holds another trick up its sleeve: the Empire Chronograph.

The Case & Specifications

Aside from the addition of two pushers at 2 and 4 o’clock, the Vario Empire Chronograph uses the same case as the Vario Empire Automatic. Case size comes in at 38mm (41mm including the crown / 40mm including the pushers), with a compact lug to lug of 46mm. Drilled lugs are employed here to facilitate strap changes, with a lug width of 20mm, allowing for a versatile range of strap choices. Topping off the case is a flat piece of sapphire with an inner AR coating, bringing the thickness of the watch to roughly 11.5mm.

The case features both polished and brushed surfaces, along with horned lugs, a stepped bezel and angled surfaces. A screw down, closed case back decorated with a decal of the Empire State Building gives the watch 50m of water resistance, which would be more than sufficient given the dressier nature of the watch.

The Dial

The dial is where the Chronograph starts to take a different direction from the automatic variant. The watch uses layering effectively to give a good sense of visual depth; indices are applied on a silver ring, which in turn is layered on top of the guiloche dial. 2 sub-dials replace the 3 and 9 o’clock indices; the sub-dial at 3 features a 24 hour indictor, while the sub-dial at 9 keeps track of up to 60 minutes of elapsed time. An outer ring displays the seconds that have elapsed.

Overall, I found that the dial gives off a sportier feel than the Empire Automatic, and would be suitable for a larger number of occasions ranging from daily use to formal events.

The Movement

The Empire Chronograph makes use of a Seiko VK64 MecaQuartz movement, which is popular amongst microbrands and widely used at this price range. The movement has a central chronograph hand, a 60 minute counter at 9 o’clock and a 24 hour indicator at 3 o’clock. Accuracy is rated at +/- 20 seconds per month.

The mecaquartz movement seeks to deliver the accuracy of quartz, with the feel of a mechanical chronograph. The chronograph hand sweeps smoothly, and upon reset, snaps back to the center position instantly. The pushers do not feel “mushy”, and give a satisfying tactile feel.

One thing I learnt is that when it comes to mecaquartz, if the chronograph hand is off center, the only way to reset it is to take the hands apart. This is unlikely with fully quartz chronographs, where the chronograph hand can be adjusted using the pushers. This however, is not specific to any watch model, but rather a tradeoff that comes with the movement. That being said, as with all other Seiko movements, these are reliable and any problems you face can likely be solved rather easily by your local watchmaker.

The Strap

When purchasing the Empire Chronograph, one can choose between 6 different strap options. I’ve handled Vario’s leather straps previously, and they are one of the best leather straps I’ve tried to date. The straps are soft and supple, and need no breaking in.

Styling

The Price

The Vario Empire Chronograph is priced at S$404 (USD$299 at time of writing), which is slightly cheaper than the automatic version. Compared to other microbrands using the same movement, the price is competitive, if not lower.

As it was with the Empire Automatic, I feel that you are getting quite good value out of this in terms of case finishing and uniqueness, and the asking price is fair.

Overall Thoughts

When looking at the Empire Chronograph, it’s hard to view it independently of the Empire Automatic, which is really no surprise given how both do belong to the same series, and for the most part have the same design language. One isn’t necessarily better than the other, and it really boils down to what you’re looking for in a watch. The Empire Chronograph takes the ethos of the Empire Automatic, but presents itself with a different engine, keeping the cost affordable by opting for a mecaquartz movement instead of a mechanical one.

Personally, I feel that the Empire Chronograph has a sportier look, which gives it greater flexibility for wearing across different occasions. A minor point I had for the Empire Automatic was that it was a niche pick; one you’d get perhaps for dressier occasions, and most definitely not as your GADA (go-anywhere-do-anything) watch. The Empire Chronograph on the other hand, is like the Automatic’s more playful cousin.

Regardless, the Empire Chronograph can definitely stand on its own two feet and makes for a compelling value package, worthy of your consideration.

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