What I like about Sinn watches is that they are simply, no-pretense and affordable tool watches. They have a cult following all over the world. And buyers are not selling used models often, judging by how hard it is for me to find a used U1000 on the market. They rarely come up, I've been looking for two years now.
Sinn U1000 (now discontinued)
So in late 2016, as I visited Frankfurt, for a second time in two years, I connected with the good folks at Sinn to see if I could have a tour of the factory and get a first hand experience of what makes a Sinn watch. In particular I was interested in finally seeing where my seemingly indestructible U1 was created.
After Tim Burlon (Sinn's Marketing / Communications manager) picked me up with a nice Sinn-branded German company car, our first stop at the Sinn factory was to see where one of Sinn's most unique watch is made: the UX. If you are not familiar with the UX, it's a thin but rather large (44mm) quartz dive watch.
And like all Sinn watches the UX is packed with technology. First, its quartz movement, (ETA 955.652) is temperature-compensated and comes with a battery that should not need change for at least five years. And like other Sinn cases, the submarine metal used is tegimented for scratch resistant wear.
However, what makes this UX special is that it is water resistant to over 10,000 meters. And, since such depth are not reachable by any humans, more importantly, is that the case is filled with a proprietary oil that make the dial visible under water at pretty much any angles. A problem most dive watches have and that I distinctly recalling as an issue during my dives in Hawaii and Key Largo, FL with my U1.
Additionally, the UX has a unique patented case back design that allows some play in the case, expanding and contracting, as the liquid also expands and contracts (ever so slightly) during temperature changes. And because the case is slim at about 13 mm, this expansion is negligible, especially since that only happens at depth.
The technology-packed UX is one but many examples of Sinn innovations that make their watches special. As I mentioned, most of the cases use German submarine steel that is processed with a Sinn-patented procedure they call tegimentation. In a rare opportunity, I was able to see that process live in front of me by one of Sinn's watchmaker: Lars Eller.
He took one of the buckles from the 100s or so he had lined up and tegimented it in front of me. This is done, in layman term, using a machine that sprays the metal with a proprietary grain that adds an ever so thin layer of protection to the metal, increasing its vickers hardness to over 1,500 whereas most stainless steel cases have around 500 vickers hardness normally.
Sinn's copper-sulphate capsule technology
Next was a visit to where Sinn watches are tested under duress to guarantee their high-level of technological prowess. And if that was not enough, many of the Sinn watches include two more Sinn-unique patented technology to increase their resistance to moisture and water.
First, the cases are filled with Argon gas which is inert and void of any water molecule. Second and most importantly the cases include a small copper-sulphate capsule which is colored blue normally but becomes white if exposed to any H2O molecules that it absorbs. An easy indication to let you know that you need to have your watch service.
While Sinn is clearly primarily known for their tool watches, as judged by their obsessive focus on using various technologies to increase their watches resistance to shock, moisture, and temperature, the factory also has a custom finishing section. There you can have your Sinn watch finished with a unique custom engraving, or chose a Frankfurt landmark to decorate the dial or the case back.
As a proud member of the Frankfurt community, Sinn also produces watches matching what the business-capital of Germany is most know for: finance. The Sinn 6052 Frankfurt Financial District Chronograph, for instance, has a 52 weeks counter that indicates the current week of the year at a glance, which is a complication useful during financial calculations in Europe.
We then left the factory to go visit the construction site where Sinn will be moving in 2017. It's a sprawling new facility that should more than double the capacity of the current location and allow all of the Sinn employees, from CEO downward, to be in same location. The facility also includes a beautiful open area atrium that can host watch press events that I hope to partake in when completed.
The only sad part is that the new factory is moving away from the park where Mr. Sinn did his daily walks before he past away at 101 years of age earlier this year. However, I am sure he would have approved of the new facility as a sign of growth for the brand he created a bit more than 60 years ago, a tribute to the success of Sinn watches and the passion it creates in collectors such as myself.
Finally, we took ride to the center of the city to see the one and only Sinn store where all of the watches are in full access to anyone visiting and available to purchase on the spot. The store is located next to the iconic houses that are engraved into some of Sinn's special pieces. As night fell I went over the iconic bridge to the other side of the Aim river to contemplate my thoughts on the visit and take pictures of the city's nightscape which also adorn the financial watch...
Frankfurt am Main
I really cannot wait to see what this brand produces next, after the new factory is done and moved into, and Sinn continues to expand and be known with watch lovers all over the world. sinn.de
Over the years writing about watches, you are bound to develop great friendships and admiration for the many in the industry who have dedicated their lives to the watchmaking art. Two of the folks I hold in highest esteem and am generally happy to call friends are the Horological Brothers from the watch brand Grönefeld.
Since I was traveling to the Netherlands in September, I used the opportunity to take the train and criss-cross the country to spend a few hours with Tim and Bart. I even got a chance to meet their dad as well as Tim’s son. It’s truly a family affair in Oldenzaal, the Netherlands. This report will give a thorough recount of this short but memorable visit early fall of 2019.