What kind of watches do top celebrities choose? Celebrity Watch Hunting is a serial column that showcases moments from celebrities around the world. This time, we'll be introducing two watches worn by film director Hideaki Anno!
Hideaki Anno
Born May 22, 1960, in Ube City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Hideaki Anno is an animator and film director specializing in sci-fi battle action and robot anime, including the "Neon Genesis Evangelion" series (1995-present). While studying at Osaka University of Arts, he gained attention when he participated in the production of the TV anime "The Super Dimension Fortress Macross." Shortly after, when Anno's key drawings were selected for director Hayao Miyazaki's film "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind," he dropped out of university to join the project, garnering considerable attention for his work on the climax scene where the Giant God Warrior appears. He then made his directorial debut in 1988 with the anime "Aim for the Top!"
Hideaki Anno has shown his abundant talent since he was young. In recent years, he has been in high demand for more than just directing. He voiced the lead character, Jiro Horikoshi, in Studio Ghibli's "The Wind Rises," and in 2020, he tried his hand at acting in director Shunji Iwai's film "Last Letter," expanding his scope of activities beyond that of a director.
This time, we'll be focusing on Anno Hideaki and the wristwatch that appears in the two photos.
A Sinn watch worn by Hideaki Anno in August 2014
The first photo shows Hideaki Anno attending a press conference at the 27th Tokyo International Film Festival, held at Roppongi Hills in Tokyo on August 26, 2014. The watch he is wearing is presumably the 103.TI.AR chronograph model from the German brand Sinn's flagship 103 series.
Gin "103"
Sinn is a German brand led by former German Air Force pilot Helmut Sinn. Founded in 1961, the company name was Helmut Sinn Spezialuhren GmbH. Initially, the company produced cockpit clocks and other items for Lufthansa, but eventually began manufacturing highly functional wristwatches with a design similar to aviation equipment. This trend led to the production of the 103 series, a highly legible chronograph housed in a waterproof case, in the late 60s. Differences between the early 103 models and the current model include the change from manual winding to automatic winding, the design of the rotating bezel, the presence or absence of a crown guard and day display, and slight changes in the font of the Sinn logo. However, the basic concept and design remain the same today.
The 103 will come standard with Sinn's proprietary dehumidification mechanism, "Ar Dry Technology," on shipments made after June 10, 2018. Sinn is also known for actively incorporating special technologies from other fields, including "Special Oil 66-228," which promotes smooth movement of parts, and [Q] Technology, which blocks electromagnetic waves.
Sinn also organizes its series names with numbers, making its rational brand structure unique.
