The Sinn U50 is what Rolex used to be

watchesreview

Oct 15

Written By Marko Li

Brutalist German engineering for the wrist.

Never would I have imagined I would be doing a watch review, let alone dive watch. I review camera equipment, though this is the first time I’ve reviewed a watch. But I have the intuition that there is quite a significant overlap between camera nerds and watch enthusiasts. This is because I think this could be one of the most photogenic watches in cinema. The Sinn U50 is an incredible dive watch from the ever popular German brand. Although Swiss brands are known for their luxury, German products are known for their engineering. Think of their cars, cameras and lenses like Mercedes, Arri, Leica, Zeiss.

H-link bracelet is masculine, brutalist and cool

Features

I have a tiny 15cm wrist so dive watches never appealed to me. That’s why it was so surprisingly how well the 41mm U50 fit my wrist. I think the reason this watch wears so well is because of its 11mm thickness, 47mm lug to lug and 20mm lug width. Proportionally the lugs are short and the matching color of the bezel with bracelet gives the illusion of a condensed integrated design. I normally wear a 36mm Rolex and I noticed that the dial is actually comparable in diameter yet hilariously thinner than the OP. I prefer smaller watches, but the German U-boat submarine steel makes it an exception. It’s extremely scratch resistant with Sinn’s proprietary Tegimented carbon treatment making the steel hardness around 1200 vickers close to ceramic. This thing is difficult to scratch and will probably be in the exact same condition after 5 years of abuse.

Design

Tucked in crown at 4 is utilitarian and comfortable

I think the H-link bracelet is the coolest bracelet on the market reminiscent of Gerald Genta’s IWC Ingenieur 1832. This is actually the main draw to me for this brand as every other H-link bracelet design has boring squared center links. I only buy watches for their bracelets and case architecture and I love how different the design language is. To be honest I don’t even like dive watches and the only reason I bought this is because of how handsomely brutalist it is. Meanwhile modern Rolex Submariners are just obnoxious and too luxurious to be considered a tool watch. Even with my precious Oyster Perpetual I’m constantly afraid of scratching it, let alone theft, making me nervous to bring it out. On the other hand the Sinn U50 is built like a tank and looks like it was designed on a different planet. It’s a rugged military watch and feels like it belongs in sci-fi films like Dune because of its modern technology. I think this will be a very cinematic watch because of its unique shade and lack of reflective luster. With other polished or even satin and brushed steel bracelets, they reflect a ton of light on set and will steal attention away from the performance. The edges have a premium sharpness and feel just as well machined as a Rolex.

Cons

There are 3 points of disappointment for me. The dial, bezel and clasp. There is double AR coating, which I initially thought to be a bad choice as a tool watch because it’ll bound to get scratched up. Well, I can admit once you see the legibility through the sapphire glass it’s really a luxury to behold. It surprised me how enjoyable the viewing experience can be once you can actually photograph a dial with ease. Looking through the crystal without glare would be a worthwhile feature if there was visually something to get lost in…but this dial looks cheap. The square design is cool but the printed materials are unbecoming of its price even as as a tool. I do like the slate black dial and small date window, which seamlessly integrates as to not interrupt the design. The hands, however, are childish and look like toys. Many words are thrown around like Lego, Minecraft…this along with dull lustered steel cheapens the whole experience. I would recommend plateaued monolithic squared hands like Grand Seiko and raised or recessed square hour markers like the Tudor Pelagos. At least give it some 3D texture - it’s begging for dial architecture. Also, the lume lasts all night but is not bright for military purposes, a disappointment for the average civilian. Otherwise for 3000 dollars, this psychologically feels like the mechanical evolution of Gshock.

The stiff bezel doesn’t feel premium at all with wiggly backplay reinforcing the toy feel - The distinction between luxury watch simply comes down to interfaces like this and is a hurdle I can’t get over. Frankly nothing about this watch except the price feels ostentatiously luxurious, rather extremely durable and utilitarian. However, QC seems to be average for this brand, I also found a little bit more wiggle with the bracelet than I’d like. Finally the coup de grace. This clasp is not something an engineering focused watch company should be proud of. It is arduously stiff to open, that is if you can even get past the initial buckle. There is just no way your fingernail is getting under there, but hey, at least Cardi B will have no trouble opening it. Every single time is a struggle like opening a door knowing the handle has a static charge. Luckily the clasp is pretty thin. The milled section can still feel sharp at the edges of the wrist. This hot spot only occurs if the watch is loose and touching your hand, which is likely the case because there’s no on the fly adjustment so you’ll be wearing it loose.

Recommendations

All this being said, this is overall very solid given how critical I am. It is still a substantial tool with 500m depth rating running about plus 1-3 seconds fast a day, but watches are ultimately timekeeping jewelry and the design is what matters most. Otherwise why not just wear a Casio, smart watch or use a phone? Sinn’s aggressive design psychologically makes you feel prepared for anything, though I wonder if it tries too hard to announce how hard you are. It’s not going to fit at the office or with flip flops or palm tree dress shirts. It’s more like boots and jacket, people that love EDC and the outdoors. It’s more persuasive than a Tudor, which looks more like a luxury Land Rover than a utilitarian Jeep. The Sinn is more like a Ford or Chevy pickup truck, maybe even Cybertruck.

Begging to be worn with black and a jacket

Final Thoughts

I bought this watch during the worst year of my life. Normally people buy watches to celebrate something. Well I often buy one to mark a low point in life because it makes misery sting a little less. I believe you always need something to look forward to, otherwise that’s how depression consumes a man. Because with a watch as tough as this, it’ll remind me to stay resilient.

I’ve been following Sinn for some time and I agree that with their current direction and growing popularity, the company will indeed be the first company to build a watch that can go to Mars. I think this is the coolest watch brand on the market and has become the advanced tool Rolex once was because they are reasonably priced watches that you will actually wear. And yes, I’d choose this over a modern Submariner any day.