Horological Meandering

BaselWorld 2016 - Sinn

 

Sinn, watchmakers in Frankfurt am Main, are well known as makers of down to earth tool watches.  A great relationship of quality to price and the use of advanced materials charactorise their models.

This year Sinn is showing a gold cased 3 hand watch with a manufacture movement from UWD in Dresden as a step toward moving a little up market.  In my eyes the watch is a great success and at the price they are quoting the 55 pieces (one watch per year of Sinns existance) of the limited series will be sold out in no-time.  The watch is named "Meisterbund" as an allusion that it is make by an alliance of 3 companies, masters of their domain.  The first master is Sinn themselves, the second is UWD (Uhren-Werke-Dresden) who makes the movement and the third is SUG (Sächsischen Uhrentechnologie GmbH Glashütte) in Glasshütte who makes the gold case.

UWD in Dresden is the brainchild of Marco Lang of Lang & Heyne.  The hand wound movement UWD 33.1 is made in german silver (maillchort), the metal not treated in any way.  The decoration is very sober, but very well done giving the movement a glow that is unusual for watches in this price range.  Sinn is taking the first batch of UWD movements for this model and I hope we will be seeing many more.

The watch as a whole is very convincing.  Everything fits and has its place.  The dial is very classical, but can't be mistaken for any other.  There may be people who will not really like a detail like the font style or the consistant two digit numbering (my case).  But the watch design is consistant and satisfying.  Those tiny gripes do not stop me from declaring this to be the my "Best Watch of BaselWorld 2016".

Some more usual models from the Sinn line-up.  First a chronograph with flyback second hand (Schleppzeiger in German).  The movement is an ETA 7750 modified by SOPROD with a column wheel and some nice finishing.  You would never believe that it is a 7750 by pressing the buttons which have that charactoristic silky feeling of a column wheel chrono.

This aviators "B-Watch" is in B-Watch style but of a size that can be worn normally in the wrist.  The WW2 B-Watches were huge and made to be worn outside of warm clothing or even strapped on the leg.

The U212 is a divers watch made of a special steel developed by ThyssenKrupp for the outer skin of the German 212-Class Submarines.  It is tested according to the European Diving Equipment norms.  A copper sulfate capsule absorbs any moisture that should get in the case.  As copper sulfate turns blue when it is moist the capsule which forms the dot at 6 hours is an indication that the watertightness is given as long as it remains white.