German-born Sinn is equipped with numerous special technologies and is loved by professionals who demand reliability under extreme conditions. Experience a pilot's watch that is full of German watchmaking craftsmanship, with attractive functional beauty born from rational design.
Pilot's Watch Sinn
Sinn's watches include many chronographs and diver's watches that resemble measuring instruments, and are known for their reliability, operating without problems even under harsh conditions. Let's take a look at the overview and history of this leading German watch manufacturer, which began with pilot's watches.
Germany's leading watch manufacturer
Sinn (Sinn Special Watch Company) is a leading German manufacturer of practical watches, creating watches for professional use that place the utmost importance on visibility and functionality.
The watch is equipped with a number of special technologies and boasts outstanding reliability, making it suitable for use in any environment, including deserts, rainforests, and the Arctic Ocean.
Some models are officially adopted by the German Customs Special Forces, rescue teams, and GSG-9 (German Federal Police Special Counter-Terrorism Unit), and are also highly trusted by professionals who operate in harsh conditions, such as pilots and divers.
Founded by a former pilot
In 1961, Helmut Sinn, a German Air Force pilot and flight instructor, founded the pilot's watch brand Sinn in Frankfurt, Germany.
Sinn's watches, which placed the utmost importance on visibility and functionality, were well received by pilots, and by 80 the production ratio of cockpit clocks to wristwatches was 4 to 1.
In 85, German physicist and astronaut Reinhard Fuller took a Sinn mechanical watch on a space flight, becoming the first in the world to demonstrate the operation of an automatic watch in zero gravity. Sinn watches were used in the Russian space program MIR92 in 92 and on the space shuttle Columbia in 93.
In 94, Lothar Schmidt, an engineer who also served as a director of IWC, took over management and launched a number of ``Sinn technologies,'' releasing watches used by special forces and polar divers.
Features of Sinn watches
Sinn watches are attractive for their functional beauty and reliability as measuring instruments. With advanced functionality that allows them to function in any harsh conditions, they are trusted even in situations where the visibility of the watch is a matter of life and death.
Simple and uncluttered design
Sinn watches are "watches made for use" that prioritize visibility and functionality. They are designed to thoroughly eliminate human error, ensuring that the professionals who wear them can make the right decisions even in critical situations.
It is free from gorgeous decorations and elegant curves, and does not require excessive size for the sake of strength. The design, backed by advanced proprietary technology, is very rational, creating functional beauty that is familiar to the general user demographic.
Its design has been highly praised internationally, and it won the Red Dot Design Award, one of the world's largest design awards, for two consecutive years in 2019 and 2020.
Practicality that even professionals love
Sinn watches have extremely high levels of functionality and durability. Since 2005, their pressure resistance has been certified by DNV GL (formerly Germania Lloyd), one of the world's largest classification and certification organizations, which also certifies marine and diving equipment. Sinn is the first watch manufacturer in the world to be issued with a DNV GL certificate.
In addition, he was involved in the formulation of two technical standards: "TESTAF (Technical Standard for Pilot Watches)" in 2012 and "DIN (Deutsche Industrie Norm) 8330 Pilot Watches" in 16.
In 2014, Alan Eustace wore a Sinn 857 watch when he skydived from the stratosphere at an altitude of 41,419m. The actual aircraft, which withstood the harsh conditions of speeds of approximately 1323km/h and temperatures of -77°C, has even been exhibited at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.
It is precisely because of this outstanding toughness that Sinn watches are loved by professionals around the world who work in extreme conditions.
GINN's special techniques
Although Sinn does not manufacture its own movements, it is world-class when it comes to protecting its cases and movements. Here are four of the eight Sinn technologies that symbolize Sinn.
Hydro makes it waterproof to 5000m
"Hydro" is a pressure-resistant technology that dramatically improves pressure resistance by sealing a special oil inside the case, an approach that is unusual for a wristwatch.
This is an application of Pascal's principle, which states that the same internal pressure pushes back against the external air pressure, making the contraction rate of the gas inside the case roughly equal to that of seawater or freshwater.
A diver's watch equipped with the Hydro system achieves an incredible water resistance of 5000m without requiring an excessively large case.
Furthermore, since the oil that is enclosed has a refractive index almost identical to that of glass, it also has the effect of maintaining good visibility with a wide viewing angle.
Ar Dry Technology protects against moisture
"Ar Dry Technology" is a proprietary Sinn technology that combines a dry capsule, EDR (Extra Diffusion Reduction) gasket, and protective gas to keep the inside of the movement nearly waterless, maintaining the precision of the watch.
The moisture inside the movement is absorbed by the dry capsule, and as the dry capsule's saturation level increases, the color of the special desiccant darkens. The EDR packing prevents moisture penetration by up to 25% compared to conventional packings.
Water vapor and static electricity inside the case deteriorate the lubricating oil and have a negative effect on accuracy, but by filling it with an extremely stable protective gas, discharge corrosion is prevented.
Special lubricating oil that can be used at both low and high temperatures
"Sinn Special Oil 66-228" is a lubricating oil that maintains its viscosity down to -66°C and does not evaporate up to 228°C. Movements using this lubricating oil maintain timekeeping accuracy that meets DIN standards in a temperature range of -45°C to 80°C.
This technology is essential to ensure the reliability of Sinn watches, whether in the freezing cold of the Arctic Ocean or the scorching heat of the desert.
Scratch-resistant TEGIMENT processing
"TEGIMENT processing" is a type of carburizing and quenching process in which the amount of carbon in the metal surface is increased by carburizing using nitrogen, and the surface is hardened by quenching.
While maintaining its internal toughness, the surface hardness is increased to 1500 Vickers, the same as that of ceramics, improving wear resistance and fatigue resistance.
At Sinn, TEGIMENT Technology is also used as the basis for PVD coatings, reducing the risk of the coating peeling.
