So here is an interesting "pair" of Sinns.
Maybe not that interesting. Unremarkable, and not that rare.
The EZM1 is one of 3000 or so of the normal production before they did the LE.
The 657 is not that rare either, and not an LE.
Both of these models are discontinued and both examples share the fact that they are one of the last of each model. And that they are mine.
The EZM1 is serial number 303*, one of the last I have seen pictured anywhere. It seems the later LE numbers started around 3070.
And the 657 was actually bought in Germany, brand new this January (2016), despite the 657 being discontinued a considerable time beforehand (about 2011). It appears 657 production numbers were relatively low, this one is serial number 16**.
So what is interesting about them?
Firstly (and mainly) I have just got the 657 and this is the first time I have owned 2 Sinns at once. So I am showing them off, like we all do.
Also, these show two distinct reasons that Sinn has moved its model line onwards, and 2 distinct approaches to the replacement that they launched to replace the originals seen here.
The EZM1 could no longer be produced because of the withdrawal of the Lemania 5100 from the market in 2003 or so. Fair enough
The 657 got axed because Sinn wanted to up-spec a replacement and sell higher value watches (I think).
So where have Sinn gone with the replacements, and are they any good?
First up, the EZM1. This is a hard act to follow. This model is one of the only Sinns (if not the only one) to continue to sell at a premium above Sinn's RRP. And their post-production LE of 250 examples was a sell-out in minutes.
Given such success, you'd expect them to follow the original quickly and quite closely.
Well, the direct replacement for the EZM1 is the EZM13.
And for a start, it took Sinn ages to release it. It only came out last year or so. A decade late?
the 13 is fitted with an in-house movement, but unbelievably they actually plumped for the SZ02, and not the SZ01, which would have seemed the obvious choice, as the 01 apes the 5100 functionality completely.
I have no idea why they chose the SZ02 instead. As a result, the EZM13 gets a 60 minute sub-dial at 6, rather than a central pinion minute hand like the EZM1 has.
It also gets a blacked out constant seconds, which is a featue that the EZM1 lacks and some people decry its absence. Personally I prefer the EZM1's stripped functionality over the added feature.
To its detriment, the 13 also gets 1-12 dial numerals. To me, these are white noise on the design. Pointless.
Why? That makes 3 added features for the 13 over the EZM1 dial, and the clutter is evident.
Sinn have these dial numerals on the EZM3 and precisely none of their other dive watches.
To add them to the EZM13 was a wierd choice, especially as they brought out the EZM 3F at almost the same time, which collectors have welcomed for its simplicity (in fact the 3F was a possible candidate for me to buy instead of this 657).
I should note that the EZM13 is pretty good value imho, at under £2k on a bracelet. Which is a welcome return to Sinn's origins of providing good quality, good value tool watches. Perhaps because the SZ02 movement has been superceded by the release of the SZ01, but that is speculation on my part.
So, nice replacement, nice price, but with several odd design choices compared to the much vaunted original.
And so on to the 657. It gave way to the 857 in the model line-up. At a glance you would struggle to tell them apart.
However, during the transformation from 6 to 8 it gained some extra paunch in the form of 2mm larger in diameter, plus a tegimented case, a re-orientation of the date window, copper sulphate capsule and a matte dial. The tegiment is a good idea, the others are meh, for me.
The 41mm diameter 657 is plenty big enough. I personally cannot see that moving from 41mm diameter to 43mm diameter is progress in anyone's book. Unless you are rather too pumped by the gym or the donut stand.
And why take away that glorious deep gloss dial? There is nothing blacker than a lovely deep shiny piano black. The flatness of matte renders the dial grey by comparison (see above matt EZM1 for comparison). I have spent a few TZ GTG evenings looking very admiringly at Mike's 556i dial (before he moved it on), and that was the primary inspiration for me to seek out this version. That black is much nicer. And a gloss dial is not even an option on the 85* series.
I suspect the main reason for the up-spec is to differentiate in price for the new model.
Compare the 556A to the equivalent 856, almost equivalent watches except the size and tech referred to above.
Page and Cooper have inc-VAT prices of £695 for the 556A on leather. The 856 on leather? £1145. That is a £450 lift or 65% more than the smaller model.
For what??? Tegimenting???Technically the only other uplift between the two is the addition of CuSO4 capsule. No addition to WR.
It seems clear that Sinn wanted to keep a basic cheapie, but remove the option of a cheaper model with a bezel.
So rendering the 657 obsolete was without doubt a means for Sinn to add to the arms race of technology and increase the price of the replacement model a looooooong way.
I would have thought there is still room for this model in the line-up. What is wrong with a 657 or a 557 (not that this ever existed, but I mean a 556 equipped with a bezel)?I would have thought it might be popular, but then again, it may damage 857 sales. Perhaps that is why we do not have it.
So there we go. I find myself happy that I have two obsolete watches.
Personally, I would much rather have these, than their modern replacements in the Sinn model line up.
Dave
Great post. I've got an EZM3 myself and I've always been a bit underwhelmed by it. When are you going do a SOTC thread? Of all the posters on this forum, it always seems to be your watches I covet the most...
great watches, great write up. thanks.
Good luck everybody. Have a good one.
Good write up and a couple of lovely Sinn's.
Good effort on the write up, and a nice couple of watches you have there Thanks, might look for a 657!
Thanks gents.
Personally, I think the 657 is a classic but under-appreciated Sinn design.
I have only recently found out that Sinn also did lefty versions of the 657 too, at least 2 have been sold in the last year.
D
Very interesting thread, thanks for posting it. When I sold my 656 in order to buy my first Damasko I always had it at the back of my mind to get an 856 at some future point, but the price precludes that now.
F.T.F.A.
Lovely write up - i think in many ways the EZM 3F is the spiritual successor. Shame it's in steel and not Ti. Also I wear my watches on my right wrist, so actually the flipped crown would be annoying!
I'm very much in agreement. I have one of the EZM1 LEs and I love the minimalism of the dial, although I firmly believe it would be even better without a date on it. For that reason, my favourite current Sinns are the 3F and the 556i. I am however on the lookout for a good EZM2 or 103 acrylic - I love these and consider them the spiritual successor to the Heuer Bundeswehr.
Recent Sinn developments don't quite do it for me
I hadn't realised the 657 has a gloss dial. Lovely, really does make a difference.
Of course Mike, hence the comment above about your 556.Originally Posted by minkle
D
I like thinking about Sinns, so I enjoyed this thoughtful post
Thank you for the write up, I really like the 657. Everytime someone posts a 657 / 757 / 857 photo I start thinking about what I could move around to get one.
I need a Sinn in my rotation.
Great article and thanks.
Me too. Sinn have obviously listened to feedback as the EZM3f is how it should have been in the first place.
Dave, as always a very interesting insight.
I agree with your comments but I can still see Sinns being a bargain when compared to the Swiss competition!
I have noticed however that they keep producing limited editions and even though most of them are lovely it makes you wonder if it is always the right move.
My 103 Klassik is limited to 500 pieces and I love it not due to its scarcity but due to the resemblance of the earlier manual wind autavias and the Valjoux 72 Sinns....
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You know, I never realised that model existed. It is nice, very nice, with good vintage lines (although I guess it is much deeper to house the auto movement).
Compax layout really does look more lovely than the 7750's usual 6-9-12 format
Dave
Last edited by sweets; 24th May 2016 at 08:28. Reason: spelink
It is deep indeed flirting with 17mm... But it is not as prominent on the wrist!
The best bit it is that the movement is a modified 7750 so everything can be set from the crown when compared to the 7753 which has the date corrector separately...
It is actually on my tiny wrist today!
Just to get an idea of the height;
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Thanks for a really enjoyable and highly informative post. I acquired my one and only Sinn via SC just last month. It's the EZM2 Hydro model. When the advert appeared at the beginning of last month, I remembered the same watch had also appeared on SC sometime last year. (June 2015, in fact). Anyhow, last year I dallied and it was soon snapped up. Well I wasn't about to make the same mistake this time around.
It's now my only watch of any quality, which suits me just fine for the moment. It was last serviced in May 2015, so hopefully the battery should be good for at least another 4 years, possibly six. For a watch that was first bought around ten years ago, it's in great condition. Some folk wouldn't like the fact it doesn't have a bracelet, though that's fine with me. It looks pretty good on a Nato strap.
If I was to acquire another Sinn, which is always a possibility, I'd be looking at the U200 dive model. It's overlooked by some due to it's small size (37mm, I think), but that suits my thin wrist. They retail new for around £1500 on a bracelet, which doesn't seem unreasonable. Not seen one appear on SC during my time here and I'm not holding my breath.
Sweets, isn't the 857 the UTC model? THat is a significant difference between the 657 and 857, for me at least. I imagine the movement costs more.
Personally, the 657 is far nicer. I wouldn't consider an 857 as the dial is far more cluttered, due to the UTC hand and extra printing.
Great choice. I love those panda dialsIt is deep indeed flirting with 17mm... But it is not as prominent on the wrist!
The best bit it is that the movement is a modified 7750 so everything can be set from the crown when compared to the 7753 which has the date corrector separately...
It is actually on my tiny wrist today!
Just to get an idea of the height;
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Good luck everybody. Have a good one.
There's both a UTC and a normal version of the 857
Thanks, Der Amf, didn't realise that.
Well done, thank you for posting.
For scale, here's a friend's 857 alongside some divers
So, fairly big, but at least has the decency to be quite moderate in thickness (about 12mm iirc)
Apart from the 2mm size uplift (not comparable in pics) the only way to see the difference between a 657 and an 857 is that the 857 date is aligned at 4, and the 657 has the date between 4 and 5, and it is aligned horizontally, not radially (see my first pic).
D
very nice watch you have there!Dave, as always a very interesting insight.
I agree with your comments but I can still see Sinns being a bargain when compared to the Swiss competition!
I have noticed however that they keep producing limited editions and even though most of them are lovely it makes you wonder if it is always the right move.
My 103 Klassik is limited to 500 pieces and I love it not due to its scarcity but due to the resemblance of the earlier manual wind autavias and the Valjoux 72 Sinns....
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Thank you very much.
I like the fact that it gives the feeling of those vintage legends that are way out of my league at the moment with the prices they are achieving!
Furthermore, there is quite a lot of technology in their!
Argon filling, captive bezel, easily serviceable movement!
What more can a guy ask for?
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