First
Impressions of Sinn
U1
Automatik 1000m/100bar
Diver
Review & Photomontage by Harry SK Tan 2005
The U1 1000m was first seen at the Basel 2005 fair. Even at the fair itself early in that year, the watch excited many who saw it as it as it revealed for the first time the use of Submarine Steel on a wristwatch. Also, the U1 and U2 appears to be a completely new range of diving watch design coming out of Sinn.
Sinn is a German manufactory whose base of operations is located in Frankfurt. Founded in 1961, it had been able to keep its fans by being technologically capable and providing simple and elegant design and movements for its functional watches. It was only recently that Sinn began to reach out to its fans around the world as evidenced by the first English version of its catalogue just a few years ago. Its recent strategic partnership with the Hour Glass international watch retailers as authorised dealer helped to raise the brand’s profile and access to the Asian markets.
Considering that it manufactures only about 14,000 timepieces a year, it has quite an extensive range of watches that include classics, pilots, chronographs and pocket watches. A few of its watches have achieve relative degrees of fame from the Lemania movement in their Model 142, the Arktis that was tested to withstand the rigors of the Arctic, the EZM HYDRO watch that is filled with pure silicon oil for readability underwater from every angle. This watch can withstand every conceivable depth due to its counter force from the silicon oil to neutralize pressure underwater.
A characteristic that Sinn has successfully distinguished itself from other watch manufacturers is its use of new materials for it cases and the development of the Diapal escapement. In recent years Sinn succeeded to use its Tegiment technology to enhance several of its popular watches. Tegiment is a process in which the steel gets hardened to 1200 Vickers (approximately 6 times harder than normal steel). Sinn also succeeded in developing its Tegiment process to blacken the case and bracelet to the delight of many enthusiasts.
With the U1 and U2, Sinn uses a different process to harden as well as to provide a corrosion proof layer of steel. Apparently the process of manufacturing Submarine Steel (or U-Boot Stahl) is still a well kept secret of the German Navy. Through this licensed process from the Navy, the steel on the cases of U1 and U2 is now resistant to the effects of sea water as would a German submarine would be.
Speaking
with Mr Lothar Schmidt, the CEO of Sinn at the Singapore Launch Event (5th
October 2005) for the U1 and U2, the Submarine Steel takes three weeks to complete the process. Unfortunately but understandably, no details were
provided on the secret process.
(The photo on the left here is Mr Schmidt and
I standing behind a frozen block of ice with a U2 happily ticking away inside.)
While historically they already had a 44mm chronograph, it is quite apparent that Sinn has resisted the temptation to follow the trend of the industry to upsize its range of watches. Even with the release of these two new watches – both being 44mm - Sinn is unlikely to have changed their philosophy of watch making. But it is unmistakable that these two new watches are dynamically different from the design cues of its previous models. However, some critics have positively responded to the design as being functional and distinctly Teutonic yet altogether a new look.
& BezelThe U1 case is built by SUG or in German - Sachsische Uhrentechnologie GMBH (Saxon Watch Technology GMBH Glashutte).
The watch weighs a hefty 175 grams. The U1 is 44mm wide and 14mm thick case and is made completely of Submarine Steel with a sand-blasted finish. The metal’s colour grade somehow does not allow the onlooker to conclude easily that it’s steel. Mr Lothar Schmidt informed me that the process of manufacturing the Submarine Steel causes the watch to have a colouring that looks similar to top quality titanium.
Watch collectors will find this feature somewhat fascinating as titanium is a very light material which was once reserved only for use on air force fighter planes. While titanium is both light as well as strong as steel, it has a greyish tint to the finish and quite soft making it vulnerable to scratching and denting. Submarine Steel however, while looking very much like titanium - is heavy as well as hard and scratch resistant.
The case back is a screw on type which is 4mm thick is also made of Submarine Steel. The following words are engraved in a circle: “Deutscher U-Boot-Stahl Seewasserbeständig.” Translated into English it reads - “German Submarine Steel - sea water resistant” (translation was kindly provided by Mr Dirk Janssen). In the middle of the case back reads simply “U1 – 1000m”.
Sinn has also applied its famed Tegiment process to the bezel which is now rated at 1500Vickers (300 more than other standard Sinn Tegimented watches). Conventional stainless steel has a rating of only 220Vickers.
For more detailed information about Sinn's steel processes, read this very interesting post by PeterCDE of the Purists which includes a translation of a page out of Sinn's website on the U1 & 2.
On the dial
side, the watch has a unidirectional (anticlockwise) bezel calibrated for
minutes (in red and black) and numbered at every 5 minutes with a luminous
triangle embedded at 60th minute. As with all diving watches, the
bezel is used by divers to reflect the minutes lapsed while diving by lining up
the luminous triangle with the minute hand when the diver enters the water. The
watch is made in compliance with water resistance standards according to DIN
8310.
The U1 and U2 has a signed screw down double locking crown that is comfortable to the fingers yet provide effective grip for easy winding or adjusting. The crown appears to be well made – and again of Submarine Steel. The locking system makes sure the watch is capable of going to its published and rated depth of 1000m or 100 bar.
The standard
watchband issued with the U1 and U2 is black silicone rubber with the Sinn logo
on one side of the band. The band appears to be very well thought out and made
that enhances the overall quality and finish of the watch. The band is tapered
to fit in the lugs without leaving any gaps as seen by the second picture on the
left compared to other diving watches like the one on the far left.
The lug with is 22mm and the width at the deployant is also 22mm. The strap is 4mm to 5 mm thick (the thickest part being the ends near the lugs).
Attachment to the watch lugs is by way of spring bar and Sinn has provided a quality tool that allows the owner to remove the pins easily by inserting the pin head through the hole in the lugs.
The
deployant is impressively sized at about 5cm long (and 25mm wide) when closed.
It has a nice 25mm extension for diver wearing the watch over their wetsuits.
The deployant employs a double button locking mechanism to prevent accidental
opening. It is made up of normal grade Sinn Stainless Steel which appears
somewhat brighter than the Submarine Steel used in the case. Overall the
deployant is a new design for Sinn but it is certainly hard wearing and very
secure. The relatively large deployant is one of the engineering details that
provides the wearer a strong sense of security as well as balance to a heavy
case.
Sinn also provides a smaller butterfly deployant which is designed to fit the watch on smaller wrist. To view the smaller deployant, visit the VASg site.
The U1’s movement is the workhorse ETA 2824-2. It’s a mechanical lever movement with self-winding mechanism consisting of 25 jewels and capable of 28.800 vibrations per hour. Sinn has manufactured the U1 to have antimagnetic properties to comply with the DIN 8309 Standards. It is also shock resistant in compliance with DIN 8308 Standard.
The movement hacks and the second hand stop to allow accurate setting of time as well as quick set date when the crown is at the first setting. While it is not COSC certified, the watch has shown an average daily deviation of + or - 5 seconds a day. The power reserve appears to be at about 44 hours.
The watch
has date, hour, minute and seconds functions. The date window is located next to
the 3rd hour
marker.
As with other Sinn watches, the date window is discrete with black background
and white numerals the clarity of the contrast makes up for its small aperture.
The hour markers are clearly a change from the standard markers on other watches. The markers are coated with a white luminous material which do not appear at first instance to be luminous in normal daylight. However, I was very pleasantly surprised not that its luminosity is actually bright (as a diver's watch should be) but also it is able to remain luminous all night long.
Instead of numbers it has white rectangular elements. The hands are quite different as the hour and minute hands are rectangular with red and white marking with a short needle tip at the ends. The second hand is read in colour but has a rectangular attachment near the end of it. In total the hands as well as the markers render a clear divergence from the norms that Sinn uses.
The dial is covered by a 4mm thick sapphire crystal. On both sides of the crystal it is coated with a strong layer of Anti Reflective Coating. This renders the watch with a look that appears to be crystal free. The crystal can only be seen by the reflection of light. Unfortunately the downside of AR coating on the top is that it tends to leave oil marks much easier on it than untreated crystals.
This watch is very impressive on the wrist (watch a short video here). It has a refreshing new look in its execution due to the use of new materials such as the Submarine steel with a good quality rubber strap as well as a huge deployant. Its weight and size makes the watch quite substantial albeit its overall feel is somehow smaller than other well known 44mm watches. Its sandblasted finish convey a no nonsense feel to it being a serious divers watch fully capable to withstand nature and the sea rather than being a big and shiny polished sports watch worn on the wrist. The U1 Recommended Retail Price (as of Oct 2005) is at an amazing US$1479 is well worth every cent and will repay the owner with satisfaction and pleasure beyond that price. At this price point enthusiasts will be very hard put to locate a mechanical diver’s watch with 1000m rating. With the innovative use of corrosion resistant Submarine Steel, Sinn has hit a home run on this watch.
To attest the early popularity and success of the U1, the first shipment of the U1 to Singapore was sold out even before the Sinn U1 Launch party held by the Hour Glass (Singapore) - the regional Sole Agent & Authorised Dealer (for Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand & Singapore). The next shipment is apparently almost all spoken for and many have placed orders and eagerly awaiting for them.
I am most glad and grateful that I was amongst the first to acquire in Singapore because I expect the excitement and enthusiasm for this new line from Sinn can only grow (just see the enthusiastic response from the thread on WatchRap from the link above) and getting a piece could well be a long wait.
If you liked the photomontage above you may like the Part II of close ups found here: U1 Photomontage Part II
Written by Harry SK Tan - 16th Oct 2005 - All Rights Reserved 2005
- Updated 10 November 2005 -
[NOTE: The author is
not connected in any way to Sinn, Hour Glass or any of its partners
nor is this review been commissioned or paid for by any party.]
