Their dials are just so… bland. It’s always black and white and minimalist to a fault. Like there’s nothing interesting. Even Nomos has splashes of color here and there and play on typography. For example Nomo’s simplest watch - Tangente, has a slight splash of color with blue hands. Other minimal dress watches usually differentiate with dial finishing - like with sunburst or a textured dial. But nope, Sinn design language is just: stainless steel, pure black, sans-serif numbers, and white indices. That’s it. Yet they are super loved in here. Help me understand?
The minimalist aesthetic is the appeal.
Sinn watches are built for purpose and are real tool watches with function being more important than design. They’re not meant to be a fashion luxury watch but instead are targeted at professionals for specific uses. The super durable nature, great movement, and attractive price from this well known German brand is what makes it appealing to a lot of people. I totally get what you mean when people say that it looks too simple (honestly I’m no different) but it makes a lot of sense for a piece of this nature.
Most of them I think look pretty bland but the U50 looks pretty slick to me. Good use of black white and red coloring.
Agreed
Price lol that’s it
I like it The dials are easy to read and seem to have better lume than a marathon
I’d spend the money on them if I already didn’t have a marathon
To me it has no appeal honestly
I’m pretty
rabidvocal about my distaste for boring, generic watches that everyone and their pet hamster have on their wrist. With Sinn in particular, I couldn’t understand why hardcore watch nerds kept recommending it…then I got to try one. It fit so perfectly, the sterile dial and bracelet just feels right as an overall package. The black and white did feel a bit boring, though, so I had to get the red second hand version of the 556i. It just looks cool to me
Two of my favourites on their catalog:
- 556A for great legibility: https://www.sinn.de/en/Modell/556_A.htm
- T50 titanium diver: https://www.sinn.de/en/Modell/T50.htm
If you want color:
- https://www.sinn.de/en/Modell/103_Classic_12_H.htm
- https://www.sinn.de/en/Modell/356_Sa_PILOT_II.htm
- https://www.sinn.de/en/Modell/358_Sa_PILOT_B_E.htm
- https://www.sinn.de/en/Modell/103_St_Sa_Commerzbank.htm
- https://www.sinn.de/en/Modell/HUNTING_WATCH_3006.htm
- https://www.sinn.de/en/Modell/EZM_12.htm
- https://www.sinn.de/en/Modell/EZM_7.htm
Some of us out here would argue with your second sentence. I don’t find the minimalism a fault and I will guess that I am not alone.
It’s a simple, versatile, German built brick shithouse. Top tier movement? Yep. Water resistant? Yep. Legibility? Yep. Wear it at work? Yep. Wear it rock climbing? Yep. Wear it to a wedding? Yep. Wear it banging your mother? Absolutely. There’s not a single occasion where the watch is out of place.
My personal observations:
I admire Sinn for using the legendary Lemania 5100 calibre in some of their ‘special mission’ watches. I’ll quote from this required-reading article
The Lemania 5100 is not designed to be viewed reverently through a sapphire glass back. It’s not meant to be the recipient of anglage and côtes de Genève. Instead, it’s meant to work. And work under the sort of conditions that cause more effete movements to make their excuses and claim a prior engagement with their manicurist. Then, when those other movements are fanning their foreheads and fainting for a service, the 5100 is contemptuously ticking happily for at least twice as long. And when the back finally does come off, its construction means that doing the work doesn’t involve an electron microscope, parts made from distilled unicorn tears and the skills of a brain surgeon.
and
All in all, the 5100 is the movement equivalent of the million-mile-capable Mercedes OM602 2.5 diesel engine. It ain’t pretty, but it’ll run for ever and if you’ve got a 15mm spanner and a hammer you can fix it. For example, there’s no need to dismantle the whole movement to get to the barrel. Just pull out the central arbour and you’ve freed it.
If you want arm candy, Sinn is probably not for you.
Finally, I find it rather lame to bring WW2 into the equation. I’ve had family perish in the Nazi camps, but I don’t hate the Germans. Let alone the products they manufacture.
Ooh, I’d never heard of these. They’re pretty; up there with Mondaine for elegant, modernist simplicity.