Latest Review
Last year at Basel, Sinn built on their collection by introducing watches boasting a lot of proprietary tech. Though admittedly cool, watches like the EZM 9 TESTAF and the EZM 13 were also very expensive, primarily because of all the technical elements Sinn packed into them. For 2015, Sinn returned to Basel with a slightly different strategy in mind, one focused on introducing more affordable entry-level pieces into the Sinn family. Most of Sinn’s offerings this year were toned down and accessible both in terms of versatility and pricing, and include some variations of well-established pieces as well as a few entirely new models.
Sinn 240 St
The 240 St is essentially the 3-handed brother of the impressive 140 St, Sinn’s nod to their space flight history featuring their SZ01 movement. In case you don’t know, the SZ01 is a highly modified 7750–about 50% of the movement is rebuilt using Sinn parts that are manufactured in-house. What makes the SZ01 especially cool is that it is designed to have a center-mounted minutes hand, much like the beloved but long gone Lemania 5100. Unfortunately, a modification of this nature doesn’t come cheap, and when paired with all the case technology in the 140 St, you’re left with a watch that’s both awesome and pricey. As of right now, the 140 St is north of 4K.
And that’s why the 240 makes complete sense in terms of placement within the rest of Sinn’s catalogue. The 240 St shares much of the same DNA as the 140, though without much of its tech other than the D-3 crown system. As such, it comes in at a far more affordable price point while keeping the aesthetic largely intact. And as an added bonus, the watch is surprisingly thin for what at first glance appears to be a hearty cushion case (it’s a different case than what is found on the 140), and it wears extremely well on the wrist. Though Sinn couldn’t give us a concrete price due to the current exchange rate issue, the 204 is expected to come in at under 2K.
$1,730 on bracelet
$1,560 on leather strap
Sinn 104 St Sa A
The original 104 St Sa was not a watch that initially wowed me. But after getting the chance to see it in the metal, it quickly won me over. Simply put, the 104 is a gorgeous, well-designed timepiece that takes some of the best elements of the 103 and creates a watch that is both sporty and dress-appropriate. There are few watches on the market that offer that type of versatility at the current asking price.
The 104 St Sa A takes that winning formula and adds Arabic numerals to the dial, utilizing a familiar font to get the job done. And that’s pretty much it; Sinn is offering another option for an already popular timepiece, just as they did with the 556 I and the 556 A, and just as they have done with other watches in the past.
$1,560 on bracelet
$1,240 on leather strap
Sinn EZM 3F
The EZM 3 is a Worn&Wound favorite. It’s a quirky destro diver with some curious design choices, but it’s these very choices that ultimately come together to make a killer watch. Strangely, it’s not a model that appears on the radar of most Sinn fans, but hopefully that will change with the EZM 3F.
The EZM 3F is, as the name implies, a variant of the EZM 3. Its design takes some cues from more classic pilot watches, primarily in the form of a countdown pilot’s bezel. Gone are the Arabic numerals on the dial and the red-numbered date wheel. Though these changes seem small, the aesthetic feels significantly cleaner. An apt analogy might be what Nomos did with the Metro by introducing the Metro Datum, removing the off-kilter power reserve indicator and focusing instead on bringing symmetry to the design. Just as is the case with the two metros, the EZM 3 and 3F look and feel like two distinct watches, complementing one another rather than canceling each other out.
$2,050 on bracelet
$1,990 on rubber
$1,830 on leather strap
Sinn 903 St B E
Lastly, we have the 903 St B E. For whatever reason, the 903 series doesn’t get the love it deserves. Perhaps it’s the Breitling association (long ago, Sinn acquired the original tooling for the 903 from Breitling when the company went under), or maybe it’s because the watch looks far removed from the rest of Sinn’s lineup. Whatever the reason, the 903 is undoubtedly a beautiful watch, and it’s everything the modern Navitimer should be.
The St B E is a great addition to the 903 family, boasting a new dial color–a deep inky blue–and parchment colored hands and indices. The pairing is wonderful, and it’s one of our favorite uses of blue that we’ve seen at Basel this year. Sinn really nailed the tone, and the parchment color really helps set off the dial (and vice versa). And as you can see, the watch wears great. A beautiful brown strap would look great on this piece.
$3,450 on bracelet
$3,120 on leather strap
