Jin/103 Part.1

Sinn Specialty Watch Company is now a globally renowned name, but it wasn't until the late 1960s that the company began manufacturing wristwatch chronographs. The "103," with its waterproof case designed for military use, evolved into a Sinn signature model in the late 80s.

103.B [1980s]
The 80s model that defined the vertical counter style

　Helmut Sinn was a former German Air Force pilot and rally driver. After working in a variety of jobs, he founded Helmut Sinn Spezialuhren in 1961. Initially, Sinn produced cockpit clocks and other products for Lufthansa, but eventually began manufacturing wristwatches as well. One of their signature products is the Sinn 103 Compax, released in the late 60s. However, at the time, Sinn was merely an assembler that purchased parts from suppliers and assembled them, or renamed existing watches and sold them under the Sinn name, and it was difficult to call it a full-fledged watch manufacturer.

　The Sinn 103 became a fully-fledged collection in 86. Previously, the 103 was assembled from a miscellany of parts, but it was equipped with the latest ETA 7760 or 7750 movement, and the cases, which had varied from lot to lot, were standardized. Michele Tripi, a well-known Sinn collector and close friend of Helmut Sinn, writes, "That's when the Sinn 103 was truly born."

　However, the individuality of Sinn, which was an assembly company, remains strong in the earliest models. The case, with its thin lugs and no crown guard, is a repurposed old stock, and the bracelet, which is thought to be original and bears the name Expandro (it was featured in a catalog from that time), is also likely an old stock item. The black dial with three vertical bars is also less well-finished than Sinn watches of the same era, giving it a strong feel that this is a chronograph assembled by an assembler.

　However, the concept of the 103 – a highly visible chronograph in a waterproof case – was exactly what many watch enthusiasts wanted. After its release, the 103 became a hit not only in Germany but also in Japan, and quickly became recognized as a Sinn classic.

103.B.AUTO [1980's〜90's]
Early models with automatic movements

　Judging from the catalog, it's likely that the third-generation 103, released in 1986, was only available with the 7760, a manually wound version of the ETA 7750. At the time, Sinn seemed to view the new 103 as a budget-friendly, simple chronograph, and perhaps felt that an automatic movement was pointless. In fact, Sinn of that era only used expensive, multi-function movements for its automatic chronographs. A prime example is the Lemania 5100, with its coaxial 60-minute counter and 24-hour display. Even when the ETA 7750 was used, it was primarily used for moon phases and full calendars. The only exception was the "144," but perhaps because it was positioned as a budget version, its crystal was made of mineral glass rather than sapphire.

　However, the 103 eventually became primarily equipped with the automatic ETA 7750. Looking at the catalog, models with old stock cases and models with new cases were sold side by side for a while, and it's possible that the initial automatic models also had old stock cases. However, Michele Tripi wrote that the reason the earliest third-generation models used the old cases was "to stop the need until the new cases were ready." After the old cases ran out, the 103 cases, whether manual or automatic, were unified into a newly designed one.

　The model pictured is an automatic model with a new case. Its age is unknown, but it likely dates from the late 80s to early 90s. It lacks a day of the week display and the case design is slightly different, but its basic appearance is nearly identical to the current model. The 103 pilot's watch was born in the 1960s and completed in the late 80s. This model has continued to be produced with almost no changes since then.