The tool watch I'd buy with my overtime
By Dave Kowalski, Chicago ยท
There's a moment after a big overtime check where you look at your watch box and think about it. If I were in that spot and had $2,000 to spend, this Sinn would be high on the list.
41 mm, 11.5 mm thick, 20 mm lugs. 200 m of water resistance on a pilot watch. A bidirectional rotating bezel with a click to it that's satisfying (this is not a dive bezel, it goes both ways, which is handy for timing). Day-date from the Sellita SW220-1, 38 hours. Sapphire front and back.
Sinn is a German brand that makes real tool watches for pilots and police and divers. They don't do a lot of ads. You buy a Sinn because you've read about it.
What would make me think twice. $1,940 to $2,190 for a Sellita with 38 hours of reserve. That's the same basic movement in watches half the price. And the leather strap is fine, but this case wants a bracelet or rubber. The 104's real value is in the case and the build, not the movement. If you want flashy, look elsewhere.
Let me talk about that bezel for a second, because it's the most Sinn thing on the watch. It goes both ways, so you can use it as a countdown or a count-up. Line up the triangle with the minute hand when you start a job, glance down later, and you know how long you've been in that attic. I use my phone for that stuff now, sure. But with gloves on, in a crawlspace, with one hand holding a flashlight? The bezel wins.
The dial's also very readable. Big white numerals and hands on black, nothing extra. That's the pilot thing. You're supposed to be able to read it with a glance while you're doing something else, and you can.
If I'm being picky, the day-date windows at three are a little small for my eyes, which aren't getting any younger. And the case finishing is plain. It's mostly brushed, a touch of polish, no tricks. Some guys see that as a plus, and I'm one of them, but at two grand some people want shine.
But if you want one watch that can handle a job site, a lake, and a nice dinner without looking out of place at any of them, the Sinn 104 is right up there. Put it on a bracelet the day you get it.