sinn 556 - quite possibly the best all around sport/dress watch for a 7" wrist on every level

Archer · Sep 16, 2019

padders
Yup. You may not like it but as I say it makes for a dial which is works better in low light than any Damasko or Sinn*. The only thing better in my experience is the 2254/5 sword hands set up. I don’t know what the Germans use for lume but it isn’t as good as the stuff the Swiss use. I do like the clarity of the aero look 3-6-9-12 Sinn designs though.

*the Dynamic Gen 3 was actually available with both Tritium or Superluminova as it straddles the change over, my comments refer to the later SL version.

Indeed, and I happen to have a Sinn 556 and 2254 SMP in the shop that I've just serviced, so I put my bench light on them both for a bit, and then took this photo...

You can see that the lume on the Omega is somewhat overexposed when compared to the Sinn. In real life the difference is much more pronounced, and the Sinn starts off a lot less bright than the Omega, and tapers off quickly in comparison to the Omega. I've also serviced the Damasko watches that have the entire background of the dial in luminous material, and the lume is just not as bright as what Omega uses.

Cheers, Al

pIoNeErOfThEnILe · Sep 16, 2019

i don't wish to debate the lume from sinn 556 to other bands. it not being as strong as others isn't a reason not to buy it.

the lume on my green no date model is lacking as well but it's really only bad when you go from low light to no light. and what you lose you more than make up in legibility with the stark white color. in fact it doesn't even look like it has any lume on it to the naked eye.

the dynamic really isn't a fair comp either. it's much smaller at 36 and 42'ish L2L the only common ground is that it's a similar case.

as for the damasko.. i have to say the ds30 is good looking, ideal sized tool watch and is a good comp. in quite a few respects i prefer the dial..but it's still busier and not as versatile as the multiple options the sinn 556 has. they're both are very similar is size.....but it's definitely more toolzy

there are some differences between the two though,..

sinn offers dressier model 566's with the closest comp being rolex oyster on many levels..damasko is not a good comp for that model..only good comp is the 3/6/9/12 versions

sinn 556 has sapphire see thru case and elabore movement. damaso has base eta, hardened steel and solid caseback.

if the ds30 was offered in a no date i would prolly buy one. i still would like to have one with it , but i know for a fact the sinn is ideal. and i don't know that for the damasko

pIoNeErOfThEnILe · Oct 13, 2019

on a 7" wrist.

38.5mm x 45/46mm L2L

dougwhiz · Oct 18, 2019

My wrist is 6.75 inches and I agree I do like the look of the Sinn watches. In fact, had I known more about the brand a year ago, I may have purchased one. (There's a great feature article on Sinn in the April 2019 issue of WatchTime if you haven't seen it).

But my favorite all around watch for daily/sport/dress wear is the Stowa Flieger 40mm for several reasons.

The very readable, uncluttered dial is what drew me to the watch. You have the option of logo/none, date/none and sizes of 36,40,41,43mm as well as other dial styles and colors. It has numerals, which I like, considering my Omega Dynamics and Seamaster 600 have none. Lume is very readable, and I love the fully lumed sweep second hand.

It's hard to describe but it feels like it belongs on my wrist. It's 48.6mm lug to lug, and the curved case just fits right. Its only about 70 grams with the leather strap. And because I opted for the manual wind model, it's only 9.2mm thick. I almost considered the 36 but for a Flieger style watch, 40 seems to be the right size for me.

The other reason I opted for the hand winding ETA 2804-2 Elabore is that I can gaze at the beautiful movement through the sapphire caseback without the rotor obstructing the view.

It's about $1000 in the version I chose which is affordable compared to many other offerings from the likes of Rolex, Tudor, Omega, etc. It cost more than my Seiko SKX for sure, but looks much better when dressing up.

The only negative I'd mention is water resistance is 50 meters. But as I don't swim with it, I don't consider it a drawback.

pIoNeErOfThEnILe · Oct 18, 2019

dougwhiz
My wrist is 6.75 inches and I agree I do like the look of the Sinn watches. In fact, had I known more about the brand a year ago, I may have purchased one. (There's a great feature article on Sinn in the April 2019 issue of WatchTime if you haven't seen it).

But my favorite all around watch for daily/sport/dress wear is the Stowa Flieger 40mm for several reasons.

The very readable, uncluttered dial is what drew me to the watch. You have the option of logo/none, date/none and sizes of 36,40,41,43mm as well as other dial styles and colors. It has numerals, which I like, considering my Omega Dynamics and Seamaster 600 have none. Lume is very readable, and I love the fully lumed sweep second hand.

It's hard to describe but it feels like it belongs on my wrist. It's 48.6mm lug to lug, and the curved case just fits right. Its only about 70 grams with the leather strap. And because I opted for the manual wind model, it's only 9.2mm thick. I almost considered the 36 but for a Flieger style watch, 40 seems to be the right size for me.

The other reason I opted for the hand winding ETA 2804-2 Elabore is that I can gaze at the beautiful movement through the sapphire caseback without the rotor obstructing the view.

It's about $1000 in the version I chose which is affordable compared to many other offerings from the likes of Rolex, Tudor, Omega, etc. It cost more than my Seiko SKX for sure, but looks much better when dressing up.

The only negative I'd mention is water resistance is 50 meters. But as I don't swim with it, I don't consider it a drawback.

nice. that case back is sharp as well. i wish stowa offered more of their watches at a smaller size. you say they have this model in 36mm?

i thought the sinn and the at railmaster was big, but that stowa dial really encompasses the whole watch.

dougwhiz · Oct 19, 2019

Yes, the Flieger style is available in a 36mm. And other styles too are available in that size range. They have a nice website, stowa.de.

inchpincher · Oct 19, 2019

A few years back I really wanted a Sinn, aesthetically the 556i was my favourite - no numerals, sword hands, date at 3 (not between 4 & 5) but felt from the research I did that I wish it had a few more of the Sinn tricks like the moisture capsule or hardened case etc.
Then by chance a friend was selling his mint 556 for £600 and I took a punt.
Safe to say this has become an absolute daily, gets more wrist than any of the vintage pieces simply because it’s legible, reliable and replaceable! If it got lost or irreparably damaged I’d get another and there’s not many in the collection I can say that about.

pIoNeErOfThEnILe · Oct 19, 2019

inchpincher
A few years back I really wanted a Sinn, aesthetically the 556i was my favourite - no numerals, sword hands, date at 3 (not between 4 & 5) but felt from the research I did that I wish it had a few more of the Sinn tricks like the moisture capsule or hardened case etc.
Then by chance a friend was selling his mint 556 for £600 and I took a punt.
Safe to say this has become an absolute daily, gets more wrist than any of the vintage pieces simply because it’s legible, reliable and replaceable! If it got lost or irreparably damaged I’d get another and there’s not many in the collection I can say that about.

it's an awesome watch.

it really is a contender for best all around watch in it's sector for a 7" wrist vs every other brand. and at every price point.

i wish they would do more no dates and more LE

michael22 · Oct 19, 2019

saulgoodman
I will agree with you that the Hamilton Khaki Field is a great watch. I have owned several over the years. However, there is no comparison between the build quality of the Hammy and the build quality of the Sinn. Sinn is far and away the superior product. As for the Hammy being more rugged, I take issue with that as well. The Sinn is made of better steel and it has 200m water resistance. One thing that I will say is that it has always bothered me that watches costing over $1000 are outfitted with ETA 2824 movements, and more recently the Sellita clones. They are fine movements, but I think you deserve more for your money.

I agree with what you are saying, but Sinn don't seem to be using submarine steel on these watches, just normal stainless, probably the same as Hamilton.

pIoNeErOfThEnILe · Dec 25, 2019

after wearing this watch watch for several months on a 7' wrist i will say that it wears small. it photographs perfectly in size, but it just wears a lil thick/ small.

it prolly would be too small for a 7.2/7.5 wrist...unless u like a smaller watch

duc · Dec 25, 2019

pIoNeErOfThEnILe
after wearing this watch watch for several months on a 7' wrist i will say that it wears small. it photographs perfectly in size, but it just wears a lil thick/ small.

it prolly would be too small for a 7.2/7.5 wrist...unless u like a smaller watch

I agree with a lot of your sentiments. The one gripe I have is the lack of different size of the 12:00 marker. I wish it were a triangle or twice the thickness or something to set it apart from the rest. Small gripe though.

I think it works well on my 7.7"wrist:

EauTerre · Dec 26, 2019

saulgoodman
One thing that I will say is that it has always bothered me that watches costing over $1000 are outfitted with ETA 2824 movements, and more recently the Sellita clones. They are fine movements, but I think you deserve more for your money.

Yeah. I'm not ready to pay twice the price of a Hamilton for the same movement. If the one in the Sinn had been Chrono grade, that'd have been fair ; but it doesn't seem to be the case.

pIoNeErOfThEnILe · Dec 28, 2019

EauTerre
Yeah. I'm not ready to pay twice the price of a Hamilton for the same movement. If the one in the Sinn had been Chrono grade, that'd have been fair ; but it doesn't seem to be the case.

hamilton just doesn't have strong brand power. in quite a few ways they're like seiko. they're closer to alpina, tissot and bulova on the watch spectrum. it seems like they're one bad quarter away from lowering their prices more and try and go head to head with glycine. it won't take much in terms of trashing the brand even more if they wanted to. they have some good history and nice older watches but the modern versions marketing plan is not good imo. if hamilton was a stock i would not be buying.

sinn on the other hand has a much better brand and perception on all levels. sinn could actually charge more for the 556 if they wanted to. the pre-owned do not get discounted that much

duc · Dec 28, 2019

pIoNeErOfThEnILe
sinn could actually charge more for the 556 if they wanted to. the pre-owned do not get discounted that much

I have to disagree with this. Two of my three Sinns were purchased secondhand at considerable savings. Don't misunderstand me; I love Sinn. I just don't think many of their newer models hold value like you allude to. The vintage market is another thing.

EauTerre · Dec 28, 2019

pIoNeErOfThEnILe
sinn on the other hand has a much better brand and perception on all levels. sinn could actually charge more for the 556 if they wanted to. the pre-owned do not get discounted that much

So you confirm that charging twice what Hamilton asks for without providing a meaningful movement upgrade is purely a marketing decision which is not grounded in technical advantages.

Df13 · Oct 20, 2020

EauTerre
So you confirm that charging twice what Hamilton asks for without providing a meaningful movement upgrade is purely a marketing decision which is not grounded in technical advantages.

FWIW, claim to only use top grade movements, although they somewhat randomly switch between ETA and Sellita. Mine has a Sellita top grade and keeps excellent time out of the box. Much better than my Hamilton with an ETA 2824...and even better than my Rolex watches.

padders · Oct 20, 2020

Df13
FWIW, claim to only use top grade movements, although they somewhat randomly switch between ETA and Sellita. Mine has a Sellita top grade and keeps excellent time out of the box. Much better than my Hamilton with an ETA 2824...and even better than my Rolex watches.

Don't get dragged into this. The OP, who was often a little hot under the collar got himself banned for other transgressions a while back so you won't get much of a response from him. There is a suspicion he was banned for having a username that was near impossible to read.

Archer · Oct 20, 2020

padders
Don't get dragged into this. The OP, who was often a little hot under the collar got himself banned for other transgressions a while back so you won't get much of a response from him. There is a suspicion he was banned for having a username that was near impossible to read.

Uh...he's still here mate...

Archer · Oct 20, 2020

Df13
FWIW, claim to only use top grade movements, although they somewhat randomly switch between ETA and Sellita. Mine has a Sellita top grade and keeps excellent time out of the box. Much better than my Hamilton with an ETA 2824...and even better than my Rolex watches.

True - Sinn now uses all Top grade ETA movements, or the equivalent Sellita, which they call Premium grade.

Hamilton doesn't use this high of a grade in models like the Khaki, at least that I have ever serviced. Even the 2892 based versions I've had on my bench were Elabore grade.

Cheers, Al

padders · Oct 20, 2020

Archer
Uh...he's still here mate...

Oh! My bad. Sorry Plunderplatypus. I withdraw any suggestion of wrongdoing on your part.