A Beloved Tool Watch Is Back and Better Than Ever

Few brands epitomize the idea of a tool watch quite like Sinn.

The German watchmaker makes tool watches and only tool watches, and they’re among the most capable and rugged in the industry with a catalog full of highly-specialized professional watches not only for the usual pilot and diver suspects but also firefighters and paramedics.

The brand’s innovations include watches made with submarine steel and hardend tegimented steel, along with oil-filled dive watch cases with crazy depth ratings and crazier viewing angles.

Sinn also has a number of iconic models, such as the classic 103 pilot’s chronograph, the modern and attractive 104, and the heavy-duty U50 diver.

Another favorite from Sinn’s archives is the 156, a military pilot’s chronograph produced by the brand in the 1990s and early 2000s with roots that go back much further. It’s been many years since Sinn has produced a 156 chronograph, but now the brand has resurrected the model with a brand-new version that’s technically the best version ever.

Sinn

Sinn 156.1

• $4,540 at WatchBuys

From the German Military to Your Wrist

The story of the 156 actually goes back to the 1960s when Heuer-Leonidas produced pilot’s chronographs for the Bundeswehr, AKA the German Armed Forces.

Sinn founder Helmut Sinn acquired a number of these watches that had been decommissioned in the 1980s, swapped out the dials, and sold them as the re-badged Sinn 155 “Bundeswehr Chronograph for Pilots” until the early 1990s. Today, these rare birds are some of the most sought-after vintage Sinns in existence.

Sinn

Once the stocks ran out, Sinn created its own successor to the 155 with the 156 in the 1990s before discontinuing the chronograph model in the 2000s.

Effectively using the same mid-century German military pilot’s chronograph design, the 156 had one major change from its predecessor: It used a Lemania 5001 chronograph movement with a center-mounted minute hand, a distinctive feature that made the stopwatch minutes much easier to read.

Sinn

The Rebirth of the Sinn 156

Now, Sinn has created a new generation of the 156 with the 156.1. Its case design is directly inspired by both the original 156 and 155 chronographs, but it now houses an in-house automatic chronograph.

Critically, this movement — the Sinn Cal. SZ01 — has the same center-mounted jumping chronograph minute hand as the Lemania 5001 movement that served as its inspiration, meaning the 156.1 functions the same as its decades-old predecessor.

WatchBuys

Outside of the new in-house movement, Sinn also made a number of technical improvements with the 156.1.

The watch now features a sapphire crystal instead of an acrylic one. The bi-directional pilot’s bezel features the brand’s scratch-resistant Tegiment treatment and proprietary “Captive Bezel” technology to keep it from being separated from the case in the event of any knocks. And the watch meets the DIN 8310 standard for both water resistance and magnetic resistance.

Sinn

Sinn has launched two versions of the new 156.1. There’s the standard version, which mimics the black, white and red color scheme of the original 156, and then there’s the limited-edition 156.1 E. The latter features vintage-inspired ivory-colored lume on the hands and indices and a more dynamic Kollsman date window.

The 156.1 retails for $4,540 on a leather strap or $4,780 on a stainless steel bracelet, while the 156.1 E is limited to 300 units and includes both a strap and bracelet for $4,970. Both are available now from American-based German watch retailer WatchBuys.

Sinn

Sinn 156.1

Specs

Case Size	43mm
Movement	Sinn Cal. SZ-01 automatic chronograph
Water Resistance	100m

• $4,540 at WatchBuys

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