We've become big Sinn fans here at WatchReport, and today I learned of a new model, the 657. Available in black chromed steel (shown) or stainless, this update to the 657 adds some features of interest:
- Updated bezel design, more durable and more readable markers
- Size increased to a more modern 40mm by 12mm
- Added a black chapter ring around the dial for readability.
Those are just the new features! In addition, it's a bulletproof watch for extreme environments:
- Anti-magnetic to 80,000 A/m, which works out to about 1000 Gauss, or 0.1T, the same as the Rolex Milgauss. As with the Milgauss, Sinn used an iron dial and soft iron movement casing inside the watch to achieve this.
- Double-sided anti-reflective-coated sapphire crystal, very scratch resistant.
- Waterproof to 200m (660ft), which is exceptional for a pilot's watch.
- Very unusually, it's rated for low pressures too, again for pilots in unpressurized cockpits.
- Stainless steel case, about 77g without the bracelet or band.
The movement is based on the tractor ETA 2824-2, a well-known and reliable Swiss automatic. The product page, auto-translated from German, is here via Google, and the original is here at sinn.de.
Street price for the stainless version is about 1600USD, I would expect that the black chrome version would be a few hundred dollars more. I really like this one, and after Christian's review of the 856C I'm dying to see one of these in person.
View the Sinn 856 UTC photo gallery.
In my tireless search for unique, robust, and beautiful watches, it was inevitable that I would someday be wearing a Sinn. I chose the 856 UTC as my first Sinn because it represents a very nice balance between functionality and design.
Before I get into the specifics of the 856, I want to provide a little background on the Sinn brand. Sinn is a German watch company that has been making mechanical watches since 1961. Sinn is owned by Lothar Schmidt who, in addition to having been with IWC and A. Lange & Söhne in the past, happens to be an engineer. I mention this fact because Schmidt's background in engineering clearly manifests itself in the design of many Sinn watches, including the 856 UTC.
Features of the Sinn 856 UTC include:
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I've written about Sinn watches before, and in particular, their commitment to innovative engineering. Now it looks like they have outdone themselves once again with a new dive chronograph (stopwatch). Meet the Sinn U1000, a mechanical watch waterproof to 1,000 meters (3,300 feet), and available in either steel or PVD black.
As with the other Sinn watches, this one is made from Tegimented steel which is both harder and more corrosion resistant than the normal 316L-grade steel. Innovations like argon gas filled case, copper sulphate crystals (to dehumidify), and ultra-wide-temperature-range oil are all present and accounted for in the U1000. (To learn more about these innovations, see Introduction to Sinn: a Convergence of Watchmaking and Engineering.) The crystal is, as you would expect, domed sapphire with an anti-reflective coating.
One feature that's new is the ability to use the chronograph underwater. It's not often mentioned, but almost every other chronograph cannot be used while submerged. The action of the buttons is very difficult to seal, so they are generally equipped with locking screws to hold them in place while diving. Sinn has managed to engineer a solution which is doubly impressive given that it works down to the full 1,000 meters of the U1000's range.
They also moved the crown and pushers to the left to keep them from digging into your wrist, and enlarged the pushers for use while wearing gloves. After all, if you do dive anywhere near that far down, it gets cold, and you'll need a pair. Since this is rated to -45° (Celsius or Fahrenheit — the two almost converge down that low), glove-friendly buttons make a lot of sense. The Sinn U1000 is also rated to +80°C (176° Fahrenheit), which is, of course, way warmer than you want to get.
The movement is based on the reliable ETA/Valjoux 7750, but Sinn innovated here too. After some modifications, the movement has a 60-minute sum at the 6 o'clock position, replacing the normal 30-minute dial. Much easier to read and use. The hour counter is above it at the 12 o'clock position. They also have a seconds subdial at 3 o'clock position that is black-on-black and very unobtrusive. Overall, it's a very readable, distinctive, and functional face.
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TechnoMarine Abyss
Dive watches come in all shapes and sizes, and are available at all different price points. Most watches with a uni-directional rotating bezel and the ability to fit over a wetsuit claim more water resistance then most of us will ever need: usually around 100-200 meters. But the watches I cover in this article go way deeper than your typical diver; deeper than the current 1,220 meter Rolex Sea Dweller; deeper, even, than the Breitling Steelfish which maxes out at a comparably casual 2,000 meters. There are a handful of watches out there that can literally scrape the bottom of the deepest known parts of the ocean, and I call these watches "extreme divers".
The TechnoMarine Abyss
First up is the TechnoMarine Abyss. This avant-garde brand throws down an interesting looking watch that is ready to dive. The Abyss is a 42.5mm quartz-powered stainless steel dive watch which, at $650, represents the cheapest of the extreme divers. Although suspiciously light on details, TechnoMarine claims the Abyss can withstand 12,000 meters of water, or about 39,600 feet, which is about as deep as deep gets. This model comes in a choice of dial colors (blue, black, orange, silver, and yellow), and is outfitted with a mineral crystal. Something that sets the Abyss apart from the other extreme divers is the day of the week in additional to the date. Like all the extreme divers, the case of the Abyss is filled with silicone oil to keep the pressure equalized, and it has a very prominent air bubble which will undoubtedly draw bewildered looks and plenty of questions from perfect strangers.
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There are as many different reasons to buy watches as there are
wearers, and today I'd like to talk about a personal motivator:
engineering. Being an engineer myself, I appreciate and savor the
work required to find an innovative and elegant solution to a problem,
particularly in field of materials science.
So how does this related to
Sinn? Sinn is a German company making watches with
Swiss (ETA) movements, and their engineering is simply superb. I've
chosen three of their watches to talk about, and I think that by the end of this article, you will agree that Sinn engineering is indeed something special.
The Sinn UX
First off is the Sinn UX, a seemingly standard looking quartz diver's watch with some decidedly non-standard features. Made of steel designed for submarines, and further
toughened by a process called tegimenting, it sports a sapphire
crystal with super-hard anti-reflective coating and 7-year battery. But that's just the beginning. The case and dial are filled with silicone oil which, having
the same refractive index as the sapphire, removes reflections and
makes the dial visible from all angles and avoids the underwater
"mirror effect". Sinn had to use quartz here because no mechanical
movement can function while immersed in oil.
But the silicon oil isn't just for visibility. In conjunction with the construction of the case, and a special gasket system, the oil allows the watch to withstand enormous pressure. For the sake of comparison, a Rolex Submariner is rated for
200-400 meters (about 650 to 1,300 feet) of depth, depending on when it was made, and a Rolex Sea-Dweller is
guaranteed to 1,200 meters (about 4,000 feet). Pretty impressive. But the Sinn UX is rated to 12,000 meters or almost 40,000 feet! Or, put another
way, slightly deeper than the deepest known part of the ocean. Of course, the movement will stop working around 5,000 meters, but at that depth, you have more to worry about than telling the time.
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