Start-up Vario grew from a hobby strap business into a promising micro watch brand within eight years

Who knew the desire for some digital detox could ignite an unexpected change in one’s career trajectory — and a successful attempt to boot? 

That was what happened to self-employed motion graphics designer Ivan Chua back in 2015, when the local broadcast television companies he was serving started to falter. 

“Entertainment platforms like YouTube and Netflix sort of killed the entire industry. And since I had a lot of free time on my hands and was experiencing phone fatigue, I decided to go back to wearing my old watches and design new straps to replace those that have disintegrated,” says Chua, whose father used to buy him a watch from City Chain before the beginning of every school year.

Just this spark of ingenuity kickstarted his journey as an accidental entrepreneur in an unlikely industry. Today, eight years on, Vario is an online business that doesn’t just count itself among approximately 60 registered Singaporean micro watch brands, but an up-and-coming name that has already garnered an international presence and following. 

In comes the outsider

Neither a serious horology enthusiast nor an industry insider with capital backing, Ivan very simply launched Vario with his first batch of colourful, patterned NATO straps on crowdfunding platform Indiegogo in March 2016. This debut campaign raised just over $7,500 from 119 backers and was followed by a second campaign offering fun straps for smartwatches.

One year later, Chua’s first timepiece, the Bauhaus-style Eclipse dress watch, was ready to be listed on both Indiegogo and Kickstarter. “When customers started sending me photos of their watches with my straps, that’s when I got hooked on the idea of designing my own. This first one is inspired by German watchmaker Junghans’ Max Bill, which I really liked.”

Every year since 2017, he has launched a new watch annually, with his earliest models realised via crowdfunding. His current portfolio comprises automatic, mechanical, and quartz models — in varied styles inspired by history and art. “I don’t want to be stuck in a niche and like to have a play on everything.”

The Empire flaunts an Art Deco aesthetic, the Single Hand Navi references a nautical theme, while the Versa comes in the elegant style of Streamline Moderne and is also patent-pending for its utility as a GMT watch that tracks half-hour time zones. His World War-inspired collection spans the 1918 Trench, Medic, and Pilot styles and a 1945 D12 field watch.

For a self-declared outsider to the industry, Chua is prolific. And what made up for his lack of experience and industry networks in watchmaking is a combination of an entrepreneurial streak and an upbeat resourcefulness. 

“Initially, I began looking for strap vendors online. Then I began attending trade fairs in Hong Kong to meet with suppliers. When trying to source for Swiss factories early on, I’d emailed so many companies but received no response,” says Chua, who now mainly works with movement makers in Japan.

Roadblocks are inevitable, but they’re not something Chua couldn’t shrug off. “I’d wanted to make a watch with an engraved dial and found a Ukrainian artisan for it, but he left the country for Switzerland when the Russian-Ukrainian war broke out in 2022. He’s still working on my project, which I paid in full for, but it’s been two years and I’m waiting.”

He also recounts almost signing a two-year contract with a character-licensing company for a Popeye-themed watch when he learned that a Hong Kong brand had done the same. He went ahead anyway but made his take very different — as a single-hand jumping hour model. After the initial batch of watches sold out, he adapted the design into the current Single Hand Navi with aquatic elements.

Making a mark

These days, Chua is busy managing the design, marcomms, and front-end duties at Vario and showcasing his wares at watch fairs overseas. His wife, Judy, who works full-time with him, oversees the production and fulfilment. 

In fact, the numbers have been looking so healthy that in Vario’s third year of operation, Chua has already matched his earnings from his former career in graphic design. He has also just completed a move into his new office at Orchard Plaza and is looking to expand his team.

“We are selling about 2,000 watches a year, and the current revenue split between straps and watches is about 70/30 per cent. I am hiring another staff member soon to see to customer service and possibly a part-time packer.”

While the Singapore market used to rank number three among his international clientele, his newer war-inspired watches have done so well that the US is now first, followed by the UK, with Canada and Australia taking third and fourth spots. 

“There is a strong connection to the wars in these markets and thus appreciation for these styles. The US and UK have their Veterans Day and Remembrance Day, respectively,” explains Chua, who adds that Vario also has retail representation in Europe, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Taiwan.

He seems pleasantly surprised at how warmly his brand has been embraced, adding that he’s received emails from customers as young as 20 and as old as 80. One elderly gentleman said he bought the Empire watch because it reminded him of one that he wore in his youth.

“The US market is very mature and supportive of new, independent brands. I heard from some enthusiasts from the West that while they can afford luxury watches, they don’t buy them as they could get robbed wearing one on the streets. Another US microbrand owner who visited Singapore told me that he saw three Rolex Submariner on wrists here in one day, when he would only see that same number back in Los Angeles over two months!”

“Good design doesn’t have to be expensive, and I’ve always wanted to keep prices affordable,” states Chua, whose watches are all priced under $1,000, with most at the $500 mark. 

“Many of my local customers own high-end timepieces, but they also like experimenting with microbrands. I think Singaporeans tend to love Swiss watches a bit more due to our buying power, but for most watch lovers, expensive ones are bought during big occasions, but for regular months, they could feed their addiction with sub-$1,000 purchases.”

Exciting times ahead

With everything on the up, Chua has not stopped dreaming of greater things. He ponders whether Vario could one day be proudly Singapore-made. 

“My customers have dissuaded me from using more Swiss movements because they want to see one made or assembled here, which really completes the product as Vario is designed in Singapore. Since there’s so much talk in the watch community about how Singapore is becoming a hub for micro brands, we need to build an ecosystem fast enough within the next few years.”

And he’s already doing his part — with a red Merlion-themed 1918 Trench edition he was supposed to launch this National Day but had to postpone due to dial design and production challenges. He has also found a local watch technician to assemble this new model and hopes there’d be a larger workforce here to serve independent watchmaking one day. 

Admitting that he’s somewhat neglected the strap side of his business, Chua is preparing to dig his heels in to ramp up his design work. He’s already in the midst of refreshing his strap collection and reviving the sold-out Eclipse and Empire ranges. His love of crafts has also given him some food for thought on exploring the use of Asian traditional arts for his dials.

While he has a prototype for next year’s watch launch, which is a 70s-style space-inspired RetroFuturism model with a faceted crystal, angular lugs, and a crown at 12 o’clock, he says the entire production process to complete the final product takes nine to 12 months.

But if you’re curious and cannot wait to see his current offerings in person, head down to the Spring, Sprang, Sprung watch fair held at the Singapore National Library this mid-October. Who knows? You might even be able to place an order for the 1918 Trench “Merlion” watch. You bet I already did.