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I think my mind was just blown. No, really. I just opened an email I never thought I would receive. Sinn, who should need no intro on Worn & Wound (but if they do, check out our archive of posts on the brand and their watches) just released the most epic of LE watches that we’ve ever seen them release—the Sinn EZM 1.1.
The original Sinn EZM 1 is a highly sought after and collectible watch. One might even call it a legendary watch in its own right. First released in 1997, the EZM 1 was designed for use by German military and was first adopted by the ZUZ (Zentrale Unterstützungsgruppe Zoll), which is akin to a special police commando unit. Made of titanium, with a dial and bezel language that would define their EZM series, it was also powered by a modified version of the incredible Lemania 5100 chronograph.
To keep the dial as clean, legible and purpose driven as possible, Sinn removed all of the sub-dials, keeping the central second and minute counters for chronograph purposes. It’s an aggressive watch with a great story and cool design, so as you could imagine, it quickly became a cult favorite amongst collectors. After a relatively short lifespan, the EZM 1 went out of production following the end of the 5100’s production.
And now, they’ve brought it back. Well, not exactly. They’ve rather made a new version, the 1.1, that has some intriguing features and slight changes to the case. First, Lemania 5100 movements aren’t available, so Sinn used their in-house modified Valjoux 7750, the SZ01, to get the same features. This isn’t just a look alike—it does have the essential central 60-minute counter. On Sinn’s version, the minute hand actually jumps at the end of the minute as well, which is a slight legibility improvement over the 5100.
Next, Sinn dropped the titanium case for their more modern tegimented steel case. Some purists might balk at that as the weight benefits of the titanium are a pro, but tegimented steel, with its extra hardness, will keep the 1.1 in better condition for longer. The EZM 1.1 also features Sinn’s AR de-humidifying technology (which some of the later EZM 1s appear to have had as well), their D3-seals, captive bezel and a functional temperature range of -49F – +176F—you know, just in case.
Lastly, they made it bigger, which is the only debatable choice Sinn made in this release. The EZM 1.1 still features a destro design, but rather than a 40mm diameter with 20mm lugs, they went to 43mm with 22mm, so it’s a bigger, bolder watch. The height, interestingly enough, stays about the same in the 16mm range, so the larger diameter could have been to help balance the height. The dial, however, has remained 99% unchanged, keeping even the red on black date just off of three. The one difference is a subtle “SZ01” in black off of nine.
The Sinn EZM 1.1 is limited to just 500 units worldwide, meaning they’re going to go quick. They are currently available for pre-order for a down payment and will have a final price tag of $4,860, which puts them in-line with Sinn’s other SZ01 offerings, the 140 and EZM 10. For Sinn-heads, such as yours truly, this is the Sinn to get excited about. It’s everything the brand does right in one package while also celebrating one of their icons. Admittedly, they did release a small batch in 2008, but with that being almost 10 years ago, that was before many of our days of collecting. If you have the money in your pocket and are a fan of Sinn, there’s not much to debate about this one.
