German watch brand Sinn has been renowned for creating pieces that stand out from the crowd. In fact, looking back, more than one of these watches from Frankfurt have been nominated as ‘watch of the year’ by our writers during our traditional end-of-year round-up.
Now there’s another candidate for this accolade (and it’s only February…) called the T50.
A Sinn watch has always been a thing of beauty and often a minor metallurgical wonder, with the famed U50 being made from a special type of carbon steel developed by ThyssenKrupp for the outer shells of the latest-generation of submarines (the 212 class) in the German Navy.
Now though, we get something very different. Meet the latest 41mm T50, which for the first time comes in a ‘goldbronze 125’ case. That’s neither gold, nor bronze, but instead a patent-pending bronze alloy (an eighth of which is gold) that makes it look a bit like an old-school vintage diving helmet.
The dial here is specifically machine-ground, which also makes the whole thing appear as if it’s been sitting at the bottom of the ocean for a while, all adding up to a holistic underwater vibe that really makes this watch stand out.
Exclusivity is also assured by the fact that the goldbronze is limited to 300 pieces, with no two examples looking exactly the same. You can even take it to the bottom of the sea if you like, as it’s water resistant to 500 metres, while its bona fide diving credentials are further enhanced by a locking mechanism on the bezel to ensure that it’s never nudged out of place, not to mention a de-humidifying system.
That’s the case for all the various guises of T50, which also comes with a plain titanium case as well as titanium with a goldbronze bezel. But it’s the solid goldbronze that’s the star of the show, with the appropriate premium price tag (around £4950). From what we can see so far, this is a watch that makes a very strong statement indeed for Sinn, pushing the boundaries still further.
But the surprises don’t end there. Sinn has also just dropped the U1S with a mother of pearl dial: also limited to only 300 pieces. The stunning pearlescent dial is framed by an all-black case (constructed from that famous German submarine steel) which really makes the watch stand out.
With this one though, you can go all the way down to 1000 metres (even though these phenomenal capabilities are largely academic for most of us mere mortals). Like the T50, the crown is positioned at four o’clock, so it doesn’t get in the way of any hand movements.
Last, but certainly not least, there’s also a new U50 with the same type of unique machine-ground dial that you get on the T50 – except without any goldbronze to be seen anywhere.
This watch is limited to 1000 examples and to my mind it’s the most attractive of all the new releases from Sinn. It looks like it’s hewn from a column of ancient steel and appears to be as indestructible as a bank vault, taking the much-loved U50 – which was always a winning watch – to a whole new level. I can’t wait to see it in the metal.
