If you handed me a polishing cloth with the VARIO 1945 D12 Bronze, I’d probably misplace it on purpose. I’m wearing the Fumé Grey version on the army green strap, and what I’d really like to see is this same watch five years from now. I think that green canvas will look even better once the bronze loses some of its shine.

There’s a detail that makes me especially curious: the case is bronze, but the hands are raw brass. The hands can slowly develop their own patina, too. If I take a picture of this watch today and another one a few years from now, the first thing I’m going to compare is the minute hand against that grey dial.

Take a look at six o’clock

Where you’d normally find a big numeral six, there’s a little dial with a seconds hand making its own lap. I like that arrangement on a field watch. When I glance down to see how many minutes are left before the school bell, the two big hands tell me what I need. When I have time to look closer, there’s something worth watching.

That little seconds dial and the railroad-style minute track around the edge are both nods to the “Dirty Dozen” watches made for the British military during World War II. VARIO’s design notes are worth a look if you enjoy that history. My favorite departure from the originals is also the most obvious one: the warm bronze rim against the smoky grey face. The army green strap reminds me of an old canvas field bag. I’d keep it on this one.

How big is 37 mm, really?

The D12 is 37 mm across, 10.5 mm thick, and 45 mm from lug tip to lug tip. If you’re considering one, that last number is the one I’d check. Take a watch you already like wearing and measure from the tip of its top lug to the tip of its bottom lug. Comparing that measurement with 45 mm will tell you more about the fit than a close-up photo ever could.

VARIO tucked the screw-down crown down at four o’clock, a little farther from the back of your hand when you bend your wrist. You also get a sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating on the inside and a 100-meter water-resistance rating. Those are practical choices for a watch that takes its styling cues from 1945.

What happens if you take it off on Friday?

Inside is a Miyota 82S5 automatic movement. It winds as you wear it, you can wind it by hand, and the seconds hand stops when you pull the crown out to set the time. Miyota rates the power reserve at about 42 hours. In practical terms, if you take it off Friday evening and leave it on the dresser, you’ll probably be setting it again Monday morning. Personally, I enjoy lining up that little seconds hand. Your Monday morning may be busier than mine.

Would I choose the bronze? At VARIO’s listed price of $428 USD, I’d choose this version if you like two things: a compact watch and a case that shows its age. If you want the watch to look much the same five years from now, I’d give the steel D12 a look. For me, the whole appeal of this one is getting to find out what those five years look like.

Would you keep the bronze polished or let it age? Let me know in the comments, and check out Ryan’s Wrist Check on YouTube for more of my watch reviews.