Finally, was lucky enough to be spared a long agonizing wait. Rushed down to Hour Glass, and it didn't take too long to get my hands on the Sinn U1. I love this write-up taken from watchbuys.com :
'Sinn released a private showing of this watch at the 2005 Basel Watch Fair, and the reception was overwhelming. The technology and design elements used to create the new Sinn U1 go far beyond standards used at most watch companies.
The U1 and U2 are designed to be virtually impervious to water penetration. The U1 and U2 cases are made from stainless steel that is also used in the construction of the outer hull of submarines. The steel was by procured by Sinn from a steel supplier to Emden GmbH, one of Germany's North Sea shipbuilding yards who construct submarines from the very same steel. This submarine steel is not only extraordinarily sea water resistant (PRE value up to 38), it possesses also the highest anti-magnetic quality.
Because of the special steel used from the submarine steel manufacturer, and the use of Sinn's Tegiment technology, this case can be hardened up to 1500 Vickers instead of the usual 220 Vickers used on most watch cases. Further, the case resists the effects of exposure to salt water and salt water environments.
The uni-directional ratchet operated rotating bezel is also milled from this submarine steel. The indices are machined directly into the bezel without the use of bezel inserts, which can corrode or come loose at deep depths. The international testing lab of Germanischen Lloyd has tested the U1, and determined that the watch can be certified as water resistant to 1,000 meters. This same firm tests submarines for their ability to withstand the effects of underwater use.
The watch has an automatic mechanical movement, operating at 28,800 beats per hour, shockproof according to DIN 8308 specification and anti-magnetic according to DIN 8309 specification. It operates in temperatures between -45 deg Celsius to +80 deg Celsius due to the special lubricants in the movement applied in the Sinn laboratory.'
Aaaaah, how cool and over-engineered can a watch get?
'Sinn released a private showing of this watch at the 2005 Basel Watch Fair, and the reception was overwhelming. The technology and design elements used to create the new Sinn U1 go far beyond standards used at most watch companies.
The U1 and U2 are designed to be virtually impervious to water penetration. The U1 and U2 cases are made from stainless steel that is also used in the construction of the outer hull of submarines. The steel was by procured by Sinn from a steel supplier to Emden GmbH, one of Germany's North Sea shipbuilding yards who construct submarines from the very same steel. This submarine steel is not only extraordinarily sea water resistant (PRE value up to 38), it possesses also the highest anti-magnetic quality.
Because of the special steel used from the submarine steel manufacturer, and the use of Sinn's Tegiment technology, this case can be hardened up to 1500 Vickers instead of the usual 220 Vickers used on most watch cases. Further, the case resists the effects of exposure to salt water and salt water environments.
The uni-directional ratchet operated rotating bezel is also milled from this submarine steel. The indices are machined directly into the bezel without the use of bezel inserts, which can corrode or come loose at deep depths. The international testing lab of Germanischen Lloyd has tested the U1, and determined that the watch can be certified as water resistant to 1,000 meters. This same firm tests submarines for their ability to withstand the effects of underwater use.
The watch has an automatic mechanical movement, operating at 28,800 beats per hour, shockproof according to DIN 8308 specification and anti-magnetic according to DIN 8309 specification. It operates in temperatures between -45 deg Celsius to +80 deg Celsius due to the special lubricants in the movement applied in the Sinn laboratory.'
Aaaaah, how cool and over-engineered can a watch get?
