Sinn

From Grail Watch Wiki
Revision as of 17:14, 12 March 2025 by Sfoskett (talk | contribs)
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Sinn Spezialuhren is a German watch manufacturer known for producing military and dive watches with leading-edge materials. Sinn watches are mainly sold direct-to-consumer at more-affordable prices than German or Swiss competitors. The company was founded in 1956 by aviator and racing driver Helmut Sinn, who managed the firm into the 1990s before turning it over to former IWC engineer Lothar Schmidt.

Foundation by Helmut Sinn

Helmut Sinn was born in 1916 in Metz, then part of Germany. He served as a Luftwaffe pilot and trainer during World War II and became a rally race driver in the 1950s. Seeking an entrepreneurial opportunity, Sinn began selling cuckoo clocks to Americans stationed in Germany.

In 1956, Sinn founded a company under his own name to import and sell clocks and watches in Frankfurt. He initially focused on Heuer chronographs and stopwatches, which were connected to his life as an aviator and driver. The company soon began using the term "Spezialuhren" to differentiate its products from the ordinary watches and clocks offered by competitors, and this name has been used by the firm ever since.

Seeking to expand his business, Sinn established a branch in Switzerland in 1965. Initially located in Zürich, the branch was moved to Berne and then La Chaux-de-Fonds as his local representative, Dr. Adolf Léon Benz of Winterthur, moved his own offices.

In the 1960s and 1970s, Sinn's firm became involved in the repair and refurbishment of Heuer and Leonidas chronographs used by the Bundeswehr. He soon began customizing these watches for military use, developing his own variants to supply military contracts. Sinn supplied dashboard clocks for aircraft during this period, including the Luftwaffe.

In 1979, Sinn purchased the remaining stock of watches and components of Breitling. This gave the company a base on which to build the development of their own watches. The company was famous starting in the 1980s for practical and tough watches for military and civilian aviation, diving, and timing. In 1985 one of his watches was worn by a German astronaut on the Spacelab station.

Sinn pioneered the direct-to-consumer sales model in watches, issuing catalogs and fulfilling orders by mail. The brand became famous for producing high-quality watches at affordable prices. Though it never gained much broad awareness, Sinn was respected especially by dive watch enthusiasts.

When two French designers wanted to establish their own brand, Bell & Ross, they turned to Sinn. The resulting watches wore their new brand but also proclaimed "by Sinn" on the dial and were very close to Sinn's own offerings.

Transformation under Lothar Schmidt

In 1994, the 78 year old Sinn sold his eponymous firm to former IWC engineer Lothar Schmidt. He had intended to continue working with the firm, but the two soon had a falling-out and the company continued without its founder.

Lothar Schmidt set new accents by putting new inventions and technologies at the service of the durable and robust watch. Thus, some models are equipped with an argon gas filling, which improves the indoor climate of the case and extends maintenance intervals. Similarly, the dehumidifying technology works by means of a copper sulphate capsule, which absorbes the humidity occurring in the case and signals the saturation level of the capsule by an integrated color display.

Some of the dive watch models with quartz movement are equipped with a silicone oil filling. Thereby the case better withstands the high external pressure acting on the watch at greater depths. In addition, the filling provides a better readability of the dial under water, because it avoids the usual, annoying reflections.

Another, now patented invention of the Sinn research is a completely oil-free Swiss lever escapement. In addition, they developed a special heat-resistant oil that can even accomplish its task at an extreme temperature range between -45 degrees and +80 degrees Celsius. Also in the field of magnetic field protection and scratch resistance of case materials (tegimentation), Sinn offers new solutions.

Sinn manufactures navigation on-board clocks under the brand name Sinn NaBo® and chronographs (SZ01 based on the Valjoux 7750). Another well-known watch range by Sinn includes the EZM series (Einsatzzeitmesser or mission timer) for police, federal border guard, fire brigades and rescue services.

Also there is, matching to the company's headquarters in Frankfurt on Main, the Frankfurt Financial District Watch (Finanzplatzuhr).

Newer models are the Taucherchronograph U1000 (diver's chronograph) with a case in tegimented submarine steel, the expedition watch 900 Hummer (Chronograph) and the Regulateur 6100, which with his technical style is purposely simple and straightforward in contrast to many traditional regulator watches.

Models (selection)

Template:File

Pilot's / Car driver's / Expedition watches

  • Pilot's watches:
  • Car driver's watches:
  • Universal chronograph: 256
  • Model railway chronograph: 303 M
  • Instrumental watches:

Template:File

Dive Watches

  • Dive watch (Quartz): UX
  • Dive watch (mechanical): U1, U2 (EZM5), EZM 3
  • Diver's chronograph:

Frankfurt Financial District Watches

Classical Models

Awards

Sinn scored second place at the election "Best Brand 2007", organized by the pilot's magazine "aerokurier".

At the competition "Golden Balance" (Goldene Unruh) (reader's choice of magazine "Focus" and Uhrenmagazin) Sinn received the following awards:

  • 2001: model 6000, 2nd place (category C up to 5000 DM)
  • 2002: model 356 Jubi, 3rd place (category B up to 1000 €)
  • 2005: model 956 Classic, 2nd place (category B up to 5000 €)
  • 2006: model 6000 Jubi, 1st place (category C up to 10,000 €), model 956 Klassik, 2nd place (category B up to 5000 €)
  • 2008: model 6100 Regulateur, 1st place (category C up to 10,000,- €), model 757 UTC, 3rd place (category B up to 5000,- €), model 2300, 3rd place (category D up to 25,000,- €)

The case manufacturer SUG

The Sinn Spezialuhren GmbH & Co KG contributed significantly to the foundation and establishment phase of the Sächsische Uhrentechnologie GmbH Glashütte (SUG) (Saxon watches technology) by the allocation of commissioned production of cases. In addition, there is a lively and fertile, close technology transfer between the two prosperous companies in Frankfurt and Glashütte.

The Sinn Catalogue book

Sinn generously offers to any interested watch friend the opportunity to send the current catalog for free. Unlike other catalogs available on the watch market, this one is a real, comprehensive hardcover book that is not also written in the usual style of self-commendations, but - committed to the restrained and modest, no-nonsense style of the company owner Lothar Schmidt - has to offer a wealth of interesting information and in part reads like a textbook. To anyone who is interested in mechanical watches at all, the reading of this book is strongly recommended.

The Sinn Sales Partners

In addition to direct sales, where you get the watches ordered directly from Sinn by post and to your view, in recent years there has been built an increasingly dense network of so-called "deposits". These are watch shops that have a part of the total supply of Sinn watches in stock. Of course, for the interested watch enthusiast, if he is nearby, this is the best way to get oriented on the spot.

Address

Sinn Spezialuhren GmbH
Wilhelm-Fay-Straße 21
65936 Frankfurt am Main
Tel. +49 (0)69 97 84 14-0
Fax +49 (0)69 97 84 14-201

Weblinks

  • Sinn (company homepage)

Literature

Timeline

  • 1965, June - Helmut Sinn of Frankfurt am Main opens a branch in Zürich; the owner of the company is Helmut Sinn, a German national, who resides in Frankfurt am Main; the branch is focused on import and export of Spezialuhren ("special watches"); it is located at Torgasse 6 (at the office of Dr. Adolf Benz)
  • 1965, September - Helmut Sinn's office in Zürich is moved to Olivengasse 14
  • 1967, February - The Zürich branch of Helmut Sinn is moved to Berne at Neuengasse 39 (with the authorized representative Dr. Adolf L. Benz)
  • 1968, November - The Berne branch of Helmut Sinn is moved to La Chaux-de-Fonds; Helmut Sinn gives proxy representation to Dr. Adolf Léon Benz from Winterthur, residing in La Chaux-de-Fonds; the address is Rue Fritz-Courvoisier 58 (at Dr. Adolf L. Benz)
  • 1969, April - The Helmut Sinn office in La Chaux-de-Fonds is moved to Rue du Mont d'Amin 11, at the office of Dr. Adolf Léon Benz
  • 1969, June - The Helmut Sinn office in La Chaux-de-Fonds is moved to Avenue Léopold-Robert 72, at the office of Dr. Adolf Léon Benz
  • 1971, August 20 - The SINN brand is trademarked in Switzerland by Helmut Sinn of La Chaux-de-Fonds for "mechanical, electric, electronic watches, chronographs and on-board instruments and parts thereof, watch cases and watch dials"
  • 1972, May - The Helmut Sinn branch in La Chaux-de-Fonds removes the signature of Adolf Léon Benz; Lucien Leitenberg, from and in La Chaux-de-Fonds, is appointed proxy with individual signature; the firm changes its focus to "Watch specialties, mainly watches for aviation, watches for the blind and stopwatches"; the address remains at Avenue Léopold-Robert 72
  • 1976, September 1 - Helmut Sinn and Theo Gasser from Gallenkirch form the firm of Sinn and Gasser in Pieterlen; this collective partnership takes over the business operations of Helmut Sinn's branch in La Chaux-de-Fonds; the business purpose is "production and distribution of Spezialuhren; the address is Grünweg 2, 2542 Pieterlen
  • 1996, September 28 - The SINN brand name is registered in Switzerland by Helmut Sinn Spezialuhren GmbH of Frankfurt am Main, Germany
  • 1995, July 6 - Michel Guinand SA of Brenets changes the name of the company to Montres Guinand SA; Michel Guinand, sole director, has resigned; Helmut Sinn junior, from and of Frutigen, is sole director; Helmut Sinn senior, of German origin, in Frankfort (Germany), is director; Michel Guinand, of and in the Brenets, is given power of attorney
  • 1996, June - Montres Guinand SA - the sole administrator, Helmut Sinn Junior, has resigned, his signature is erased; Helmut Sinn Senior is no longer a director, his signature is erased' sole director with individual signature is Rainer Schlup, from and of Lengnau
  • 1999, September - Sinn Spezialuhren Generalvertretung Patrick Haag is established in Hägendorf at Industriestrasse West 1B; it is a sole proprietorship; the owner with single signature is Patrick Haag, from Erlen, of Hägendorf; the purpose is trade in Spezialuhren of the brand "Sinn"
  • 2001, April - Sinn Spezialuhren Generalvertretung Patrick Haag of Hägendorf is deleted following cessation of business
  • 2003, January 1 - The SINN brand is registered in Switzerland by Sinn Spezialuhren GmbH & Co
Retrieved from "https://wiki.grail-watch.com/index.php?title=Sinn&oldid=11804"