Review: Sinn UX SDR GSG 9 (EZM 2B)

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Sponon
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Review: Sinn UX SDR GSG 9 (EZM 2B)

Post by Sponon » Tue Jul 05, 2011 1:22 pm

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Sinn is a german watch manufacturer located in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It was founded in 1961 by Helmut Sinn, who was an experienced pilot and flight trainer. He focused on producing navigation clocks and pilot`s chronographs that were manufactured in Switzerland but sold under the Sinn label. From 1993 to 2002 Sinn produced watches for Bell & Ross. Today Sinn is producing approximately 10,000 watches annually.


Why Sinn?

I always had a special place in my heart for dive watches, and Sinn`s U series have in my mind one of the best diving watches on the marked. Popped with state of the art technology, high-end engineering and durable and bullet proof Swiss movements. I`ve previously owned U1, U2S and most recent EZM3. I needed a watch I could use as a back-up bottom timer during dives and as a daily beater. Now, all Sinn dive watches would fit the bill, I wanted something different. Something new. Unexperienced on my part. I started my research on UX and U1000S. Reading every review I came over. Watching Youtube videos and lots of pictures. I love the hunt for something new. The U1000S is one bad ass watch! The chronograph can be operated while submerged, timing my safety stops or deco stops, and it had a locking mechanism on the bezel. AWESOME! It was a tight race, and I was pulling my hear while deciding. Long story short; The UX won the race due to its outstanding legibility. As most divers probably would agree, legibility is golden.

The watch

In the 90´s, Sinn had a collaboration with Grenzschutzgruppe 9 (GSG 9) der Bundespolizei, were they developed a dive watch that were reliable and highly legible during combat and operations. The result became the EZM 2 - Mission Timer. Its predecessor became the Sinn UX EZM 2B wich are available to the open marked. The UX series have 7 watches, 3 GSG9, 3 standard and one special edition called Sansibar. I chose GSG9 due to its special feature ( wich we`ll come to in a moment) and because I fell for the whole GSG9 thing.

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The case have a diameter of 44mm and 13,3mm thick. It have a great presence on the wrist, but wears smaller than other 44mm watches I own due to its short curved lugs. It feels well balanced and natural on my 7" wrist. After a while you get used to the 168g of submarine steel. The case have a lovely bead blasted finish and screams "tool".

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The case is produced by SÄCHSISCHE UHREN-TECHNOLOGIE GMBH GLASHÜTTE (SUG) and have their logo printed inside the lugs at 6 o´clock. The steel is no ordinary 316L steel found in most watches. As many of you already know its made from the same material found on the outer part of a german made submariner class 212. This have four advantages:

1. Extremely resistant to magnetic fields
2. 1.55 times harder than standard 316L stainless steel
3. The material is one of the most corrosion resistant out there
4. The COOL factor is sky high

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The crown is positioned at 10 o´clock. This is one of three different features that makes the GSG9 version stand out from the rest of the UX series. It`s not in the way at all, and on this watch you`ll only need it to swap the occasional date and adjust for summer/winter time. Its a screw down crown with the "S" engraved on it. The crown have four positions:

1. Screwed down and ready for action
2. Unscrewed water resistant compromised
3. Adjust date, movement keep ticking
4. Hack position. Adjust the time

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The caseback is a screw down type with same finish as the case. I like that the caseback is flat, and it wears more comfortably than the U1 and U2S did. Its engraved with some info such as serial number and model number.

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Sinn uses a unique feature called HYDRO technology in this watch. The movement, dial and hands are immersed directly in a crystal clear bath of oil. In result this give the watch three unbeatable advantages:

- The watch is absolutely free of fogging, because there is no air inside the case
- Oil is non-compressible, so the internal pressure of the watch constantly adjust to the external pressure. Wich gives the case a pressure resistant to astonishing 12000m / 1200 bar, or any accessible diving depth. It can actually survive a trip down to the Mariana Trench (11034m). Though the case is water resistant to 12km, the movement is limited to 500 bar of pressure.
- Perfect readability at any angle under water and on surface.

Here is a picture of my submerged U1 wich do not have the HYDRO technology. You can see how the readability is at a certain angle:

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The UX is equipped with a sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both sides. I`ve heard from owners of Planet Ocean that the outside coating get scratched easily. This is not a problem on this watch because the coating is almost as hard as the crystal! Sinn report the following:

- Crystal hardness: 2000 Vickers
- Anti-reflective coating hardness: 1800 Vickers

Though the coating may be "scratchproof", it is really sticky. Especially from water. Believe it or not. Its a paradox if you ask me. Its a known problem reported by several Sinn owners around the internet. Watermarks on the crystal is a pain in the ass to get rid off. Some actually remove the exterior coating. I manage to remove the watermarks by using Polywatch and a piece of cotton.

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Bezels are prone to scratches, and Sinn have resolved this problem by using their Tegimented technology. That means that the bezel is hardened to 1200 Vickers. That is more than five times harder than regular 316L steel. Sinn achieved this by harden the surface of the submarine steel in a special process. Its not a coating applied on the outside causing an eggshell effect. The bezel have a uni-directional ratcheting of 60 clicks. Its very solid, and I have no concern of getting the bezel turned accidentally. Its locked in place to the case by 4 screws. I chose the SDR version, because I think the black bezel is more legible than the standard grey version. I do admit that I find the black bezel more badass. The bezel is not proparly aligned with the dial. Its 1mm off. That bugs me a little.

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The dial is made with readability in mind, and its the main reason I chose the GSG 9 version. The hands are all white, which is unique. The dial have large white markers, which stands out from the black dial. Some may argue that the GSG 9 version have a more busy dial than the standard version due to the extra red logo on the dial. I may agree, but the red writing on the dial is very subtle. When you want to know the time, you do not record the red logo/writing. The white hands and markers stands out so much that you actually need to make an effort to see the red. The same can be said by the date, which is located at 3 o´clock. The lume used in this watch is Superluminova. Its not even applied on the hands, and is actually very poor. My girlfriend have the U200 with the blue Superluminova, and its in another league. Sinn ought to upgrade to the blue lume in all their dive watches.

Because of the HYDRO technology, Sinn could not use a mechanical movement. Instead they used one of the best quartz movements available; C.O.S.C. certified ETA 955.652 with a temperature stabilized lithium battery with a seven years life span. The movement is accurate to within +- 0,05 seconds per day. The movement is reliable at temperatures from -20°C up to + 60°C. The secondhand bounce instead of tick, wich is fun to observe. I think it has something to do with the oil, but not sure.

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I ordered the UX on a silicone strap. Its super comfortable. I might get a tegimented bracelet in time, but for now Im happy with the strap. I like how the strap fit the case. Its a combo hard to beat. When you re-size the strap you need to remove some pins used to make the holes when the strap got made. These pins can be a pain to remove. I had to use a special tool for this. Sinn should have removed these before they ship the straps. Anyway, once the strap is re-sized to your wrist its perfect.

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You get to choose from two different clasps. I chose the big one with dive extension. These clasp are in stainless steel, so I upgraded it for a tegimented clasp. The standard clasp got scratched very fast. Its easy to operate, and the dive extension gives you enough extra length to fit outside a wet suit. Got the same finish as the submarine steel on the case.

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Summary

I was not quite sure how I would handle the whole quartz thing. It bothered me a while, but now I am at peace. I`ve had this watch for four months now and I would guess it got close to 1000 hours of wrist time. It has experienced 20`ish dives, four countries and been on several offshore rigs. It looks pristine! I love the fact that I can just grab it and go. No need for wind and set the time. More than often its on different zulu straps. I just love this watch, and I recommend it to everyone who needs a good dive watch or a daily beater. Its durable, highly dependable and it just looks AWESOME.

I will close this review with a couple of pictures on zulu`s. If you have any questions regarding this watch, you can post it in the thread or send me a PM.


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Thanks for reading, and sorry for the poor english :cheers:

Regards,
Thomas
Last edited by Sponon on Tue Jul 05, 2011 2:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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RALAustin
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Re: Review: Sinn UX SDR GSG 9 (EZM 2B)

Post by RALAustin » Tue Jul 05, 2011 2:17 pm

Great review. I have had the UX twice now. It really is a great watch. I always seem to sell it for something else and then regret it a bit. The dial visability really is like nothing I have seen before.

Congrats.

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Re: Review: Sinn UX SDR GSG 9 (EZM 2B)

Post by matt.wu » Tue Jul 05, 2011 2:47 pm

Awesome write-up, Thomas (even though I haven't finished reading the whole thing :lol:).

The UX is an awesome watch.
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Re: Review: Sinn UX SDR GSG 9 (EZM 2B)

Post by randyswagon » Tue Jul 05, 2011 3:12 pm

:clap:

Great read! Excellent review and I learned a shitload in the process. :cheers:
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Re: Review: Sinn UX SDR GSG 9 (EZM 2B)

Post by aikiman44 » Tue Jul 05, 2011 3:21 pm

Love the watch and the review.
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Re: Review: Sinn UX SDR GSG 9 (EZM 2B)

Post by moishlashen » Tue Jul 05, 2011 3:30 pm

Very nice bud-great pics too. Killer piece :thumbsup:
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Re: Review: Sinn UX SDR GSG 9 (EZM 2B)

Post by SCM64 » Tue Jul 05, 2011 3:53 pm

Excellent write up. :cheers:
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Re: Review: Sinn UX SDR GSG 9 (EZM 2B)

Post by demer03 » Tue Jul 05, 2011 3:55 pm

:shock: I Like This :excited:
Old Michigan steams like a young man's dreams
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Re: Review: Sinn UX SDR GSG 9 (EZM 2B)

Post by CGSshorty » Tue Jul 05, 2011 4:33 pm

demer03 wrote::shock: I Like This :excited:
You could probably sell one of those Doxas.
http://forums.watchuseek.com/f29/fs-sin ... 60418.html
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Re: Review: Sinn UX SDR GSG 9 (EZM 2B)

Post by demer03 » Tue Jul 05, 2011 4:35 pm

CGSshorty wrote:
demer03 wrote::shock: I Like This :excited:
You could probably sell one of those Doxas.
http://forums.watchuseek.com/f29/fs-sin ... 60418.html
I've already looked..... :shifty:

Who do you think I am, Master WU???
Old Michigan steams like a young man's dreams
The islands and bays are for sportsmen

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Re: Review: Sinn UX SDR GSG 9 (EZM 2B)

Post by matt.wu » Tue Jul 05, 2011 4:48 pm

demer03 wrote:
CGSshorty wrote:
demer03 wrote::shock: I Like This :excited:
You could probably sell one of those Doxas.
http://forums.watchuseek.com/f29/fs-sin ... 60418.html
I've already looked..... :shifty:

Who do you think I am, Master WU???
I think you've surpassed me by now, Mike. I begrudgingly relinquish my throne. :mrgreen:
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Re: Review: Sinn UX SDR GSG 9 (EZM 2B)

Post by demer03 » Tue Jul 05, 2011 4:55 pm

matt.wu wrote:
demer03 wrote:
CGSshorty wrote:
demer03 wrote::shock: I Like This :excited:
You could probably sell one of those Doxas.
http://forums.watchuseek.com/f29/fs-sin ... 60418.html
I've already looked..... :shifty:

Who do you think I am, Master WU???
I think you've surpassed me by now, Mike. I begrudgingly relinquish my throne. :mrgreen:
Oooh, no you don't, buddy....I'm not even in your league....

Nice try, tho.
Old Michigan steams like a young man's dreams
The islands and bays are for sportsmen

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Re: Review: Sinn UX SDR GSG 9 (EZM 2B)

Post by hazmatman » Tue Jul 05, 2011 5:53 pm

Nice watch. Sweet write-up :thumbsup:
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Re: Review: Sinn UX SDR GSG 9 (EZM 2B)

Post by GGD » Tue Jul 05, 2011 7:14 pm

That's an awesome review & great pics!! Congrats - and thanks for posting :cheers:

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Re: Review: Sinn UX SDR GSG 9 (EZM 2B)

Post by dukerules » Tue Jul 05, 2011 7:40 pm

Thomas, this is an outstanding review, and a killer watch. Very well done.

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Re: Review: Sinn UX SDR GSG 9 (EZM 2B)

Post by Sponon » Tue Jul 05, 2011 8:13 pm

Thanks guys.

Im happy to contribute :cheers:
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Re: Review: Sinn UX SDR GSG 9 (EZM 2B)

Post by Pasquale » Tue Jul 05, 2011 9:36 pm

Great review... Even tho i cant read
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Re: Review: Sinn UX SDR GSG 9 (EZM 2B)

Post by toxicavenger » Wed Jul 06, 2011 1:25 am

PATSMD, great review though Thomas!

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Re: Review: Sinn UX SDR GSG 9 (EZM 2B)

Post by BBK357 » Wed Jun 14, 2017 7:00 pm

Great review and pics... thanks


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Re: Review: Sinn UX SDR GSG 9 (EZM 2B)

Post by kempoman » Wed Jun 14, 2017 11:44 pm

Ben, are you selling your ..... and taking this one?? ;)
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Re: Review: Sinn UX SDR GSG 9 (EZM 2B)

Post by BBK357 » Thu Jun 15, 2017 2:58 am

kempoman wrote:Ben, are you selling your ..... and taking this one?? ;)

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