Sinn Brings Back a Favorite With New EZM 13.1

Sinn is getting ahead of release season with the reveal of two watches this morning, the elegant Model 1739 Ag B, and a rather familiar looking EZM 13.1. There are certain Sinn design qualities that defy simple explanation, but you know one when you see one, and the EZM 13.1 is about as Sinn as it gets. And that’s a good thing. The since retired EZM 13 had the look down in spades, and we see the unusual chronograph layout return alongside the left hand mounted crown and pushers, all executed in purebred tool watch fashion.

The EZM 13.1 is a subtle update to the EZM 13, a 2014 release which we reviewed here. In an effort to further “optimize” dial legibility, the Arabic numerals that ran along the inner portion of the dial of the original have been omitted in the new model. Not much else has changed here, making this more of a ‘mid-cycle’ refresh than anything else, but the small tweak to the dial will be a welcome change for anyone who found the original dial a bit too crowded.

The EZM 13.1 hasn’t lost any of its hard edge, touting magnetic field protection up to 80,000 A/m, functional reliability from ‑45°C up to +80°C, a hefty 500 meter depth rating, and of course, Ar‑Dehumidifying technology to prevent fogging. Likewise, the Sinn SZ02 is still pulling duty inside, which is a modified 7750. That means the dimensions of the original remain unchanged at 41mm in diameter, and 15mm thick. 

I’ve always enjoyed the concept of a diving chronograph, it’s a complication oftentimes approached in a slightly different manner from the typical ‘racing’ style chronograph, either in style or functionality. In the case of the Sinn 13.1, it’s both. A single, oversized 60-minute counter takes up much of the bottom portion of the dial, which feels like a practical implementation of a timer, especially within the context of a dive watch. The running seconds at 3 o’clock is rendered in gray so as not to call too much attention to itself, opposite the bright red “Ar” icon at 9 o’clock. A date aperture slips into the situation at 4:45. 

In total, it’s a strange layout, but in a way that makes total sense, and again, in pure Sinn fashion, so it feels ‘up to code’ so to speak. When the EZM 13 was released in 2014 it was priced at $2,770, and pre-owned examples command about just that to this day. The EZM 13.1 is bumped to $3,270 on a steel bracelet, and $3,140 on a rubber strap. For what it’s worth, $2,770 in 2014 dollars comes to $3,261.21 in 2022 dollars. Sinn.