Japan often gets special editions made specifically its market due to the size and highly developed taste of Japanese watch buyers. Sinn has made a couple of interesting limited editions for Japan, the latest being the U2 Meisterbund III.

This is based on the regular U2 dive watch, but unlike the normal U2, the U2 Meisterbund III has no second time zone function, giving it a much cleaner dial.



Sinn U2 Meisterbund III Photo courtesy Sinn Japan

Rated to 2000 m, the U2 Meisterbund III has a 44 mm case in submarine steel with a black PVD coated bezel hardened with the Tegiment process. It also has Sinn’s Ar-Dehumidifying technology with a copper sulphate capsule in the case to absorb moisture. Aside from the depth rating, the specs are identical to the 47 mm Sinn U212 SDR limited edition.

The dial is in white and red, as is the bezel. And unusually the crown is at 10 o’clock.

Only 80 pieces will be made and sold through Sinn dealers in Japan. The retail price is JPY357,000 with tax, or about USD4280.

– SJX



Sinn U212 SDR

Sinn unveiled the impressive U212 SDR dive watch at Baselworld 2012. This is the (much) bigger version of the bestselling U1 diver.

The Sinn U212 SDR has a 47 mm submarine steel case with a bezel that has been hardened with Sinn’s Tegiment process and black coated, hence the SDR label which stands for “schwarzem drehring”, or black bezel in English.

This watch is equipped to deal with extreme environments. It can function between -45 °C and +80 °C because of the proprietary Sinn lubrication used for the ETA 2892 calibre. It is also equipped with EDR seals that are durable and chemical resistant. These minimise moisture penetration into the case, by 75% compared to regular seals, according to Sinn. 

In addition it has Sinn’s proprietary Argon dehumidifying technology; a capsule of copper sulphate located at six o’clock absorbs moisture from inside the watch case. This prevents moisture build up and also fogging when the watch is subject to a drastic change in temperature. The capsule, visible at six o’clock on the dial, starts out entirely white, but once it turns blue that signals the need for replacement.

This is a limited edition of 212 pieces and apparently it sold out (to dealers) during Baselworld 2012, which is why the watch went straight to the archive section on the Sinn website.

All in all the sort of apolcalypse-proof watch that Sinn does well. I already have the U1 but this one looks mighty impressive.

– SJX