Two years ago I had an opportunity to visit one of the most technical, yet affordable, watch manufacturer on the planet: Sinn Spezialuhren of Frankfurt am Main. I wrote about the experience late this summer, and as I mentioned in the post, Sinn was in transition to a larger, comprehensive head quarters remaining in their beloved Frankfurt.
I even included some shots of the new manufacture during construction. Well, it’s been two years since that visit and Sinn has moved to the new location. And, as I was again in transit through Germany, I contacted the good folks there to see if I could finish my initial visit and see the new digs.
I again met with Tim Burlon (PR manager) who was gracious to pick me up at the train station and make the short ride to the new manufacture. Overall the new location looks fantastic, a far cry from the original address which, as Tim mentioned, has become suburbanized. All around the new location are constructions for large and small tech companies.
The first thing you notice upon entering the new Sinn manufacture is the welcome area. Sparsely decorated with photos of Sinn timepieces on the wall. The color scheme matches Sinn watches which often use a subdued color palette using grey or black with hints of red.
Soon after entering you can find the guests welcome area which is a large room with high ceiling meant for holding events. Next to it are two smaller rooms to allow the marketing team to demo, educate, and entertain the guests.
We soon went to the floors above to see the marketing and CEO offices and breezed through the same technical rooms that Tim had shown me in my previous visit. I could see the same instruments and some of the same faces.
The key observation all over was how spacious and roomy everything felt. Clearly an upgrade from the previous location where you could easily see that Sinn was reaching the limits of the space.
So what does this mean to Sinn watch lovers and potential customers? Well this means more space to grow and to service and create the same timepieces we love. Also, since many Sinn watches go back to the manufacture for service this should also mean faster turn around time for any watch that needs their attention.
However, for me what I mostly appreciated this time was the large built-in store at the manufacture. There you can see, try on, and buy all of Sinn’s current collection but also see historical and sold-out pieces. Especially the watches created for the German military.
Sinn U1000 (now discontinued)
As I have been on the look out for the now discontinued Sinn 1000 (EZM 6), I was able to secure myself one of the last exemplars from the manufacture — Tim assured me it was the very last one but I’ll be happy if its one of the last ones from the manufacture.
Turns out it was sold to a customer that never picked it up nor paid for it. So I made good on the occasion and acquired what is perhaps one of the most technical diver’s watch created. I’ll be picking it up (and paying for it) in March on my way to Baselworld, so look for a review next year.
I left Frankfurt reassured again that Sinn is a perfect example of German manufacture to the extreme, to the max, if you may. Everything they do is with purpose of creating timepieces that help you achieve specific goals or help during specific missions. They are build solidly and surely will survive all the elements long after their wearer would. They are timepieces designed endure anything thrown at them.
And like the recent EZM 12 model (pictured above), their mission timer watches are specifically created for field usage by professionals. Hence why they produce watches for German military as other manufacturers have done for other militaries in the past. The difference here is that you too can get one of these einsatzzeitmesser (mission timer) watches, and do so without having to go to training camp. 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.