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Horological Meandering

Quick live look at the Sinn 556 Jubiläum and a short comparison to Nomos Club

 

I have encountered the Anniversary Edition of the Sinn 556 previously (and posted it here: http://www.watchprosite.com/horological-meandering/-span-style-color-gray--horological-meandering--span-sinn-556-jubil%C3%A4um/17.1053643.7593528/0/) and my recent live encounter with the watch only served to reinforce my view of the watch as something quite appealing.


At Vienna Time they had an example and while we are nowhere near the Meisterbund here, it is a charming 'starter' watch IMHO. The dimensions are nicely conservative for today's tastes (38,5mm x 11mm), there is no date window to mar the symmetry of the dial, it features nicely chiselled, lume filled applied hour indices, a painted brand logo and a very discrete '1961-2016' reminder of the 'Jubiläum'. The movement is ETA based (like in many Sinn watches these days), so should give decades of trouble free and repair friendly service, the watch features a 20ATM WR, and their case production also ensures that it will take the odd knock in its stride. The finish is brushed and the overall effect is quite 'contemporary'.



The dial has a lovely sunburst pattern and can be anything between grey and purple, depending on the light. It sits wonderfully on the wrist and I find it very versatile. On the brown leather strap (standard) it is perhaps not to be counted amongst the really elegant ones but it will work with a suit and certainly in most casual situations (if you change the strap or use the also available bracelet, swimming is no problem, either).

Given the price positioning (official retail price of €999), the natural German competitor is Nomos and there especially the Club. At this price level it is hand wound instead of automatic and a bit smaller at 36mm. I have always been a huge fan of the Club and I find it offers great value for the cost - an in-house(-ish) movement, a very unique (from today's perspective) design aesthetic, etc. 

I had the opportunity to try it out at the same event for a side by side comparison. I find the Club a bit more casual and playful but also a bit more unique, looks wise. It has the Alpha movement, which may be an advantage for a Purist... Neither has a date wink The Club only has a WR of 30m, while the Sinn offers 200m. 

What would be the deciding factor for me, though, is how it sits on the wrist.



And there I was quite surprised. I am generally a fan of smaller watches and have been happy with various 34mm and 35mm sized ones and my goldilocks size is around 37-40mm. But somehow I  find the Club not to fully fit on my wrist as well as other watches in the size range. So I guess one needs to really - as usually - try it before buying it smile With the 556 I did not have such a problem - it really fit like a glove.

So back to the Jubiläum, I find it a very, very good attempt and I am sure it will find its 1000 buyers. And it is a sign that the Frankfurt based company is expanding in many right directions.

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