This High-Performance Dive Watch Fixed a Quirky Feature

It is one of the toughest dive watches on the market, and now it just feels right.

close up of the chronometer dial on a steel dive watch

Published February 24, 2025

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Updated February 24, 2025

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Sinn creates tool watches that provide the best possible performance under the toughest conditions, which sometimes necessitates some unusual features.

The EM 13.1, for example, is an absolute beast of a dive watch. Along with a 500m dive rating, the automatic chronograph boasts anti-magnetic field technology, a dial dehumidifier and a temperature-resistant movement.

a steel dive watch with a black dial on a black background — The major update on the Sinn 613 St over its predecessor is that the crown and pushers are on the right side.

More notable, however, is the uncommon crown and pusher configuration. Specifically, both are on the left side of the case.

While this arrangement typically suits the rare left hander-friendly watch, Sinn uses it here for a different reason: to prevent the controls from putting pressure on right-handed divers’ hands.

Unfortunately, while the novel configuration is interesting to look at, the counterintuitive movements required to operate the chronograph and adjust the time can be awkward for right-handed people.

The good news is, Sinn just released the 613 St, which appears to solve the problem. It is essentially the EM 13.1 with the crown and pushers moved to the right side and a day-date complication added to the dial.

Now, let’s break down what makes that so significant.

Destro no longer

In the watch community, watches with the crown placed on the left side of the case to accommodate left-handed individuals are called destro.

The word means “right” in Italian and refers to the fact that left-handed people usually wear watches on their right wrist.

a steel dive watch with a black dial — Here you can see the Sinn EM 13.1 with crown and pushers on the left side.

Destro watches are a hot commodity on the second-hand market because they are exceedingly rare. Building one isn’t as simple as making a case with the crown on the left side; the entire movement has to be redesigned.

Since there are far fewer left-handed people in the world and making a destro watch is labor and resource-intensive, most brands don’t think the juice is worth the squeeze.

Sinn is a little different, however. It decided the design had a benefit for right-handed divers and placed it on the regular production EM 13.1 dive watch.

a Sinn dive watch on a man's wrist — The 41mm case size fits comfortably on most wrists.

That makes sense … for actual divers.

But for dive watch owners who rarely, if ever, actually dive — i.e. most dive watch owners — it is more of an inconvenience. I’m taking the liberty of speaking for all right-handed watch owners when I say that having the crown and pushers on the right side of the case is preferable.

Bottom line: Sinn’s EM 13.1 destro dive watch will likely fetch an impressive price on the vintage market one day, but the new 613 St is a superior watch to wear.

Serious hardware

Crown orientation aside, the 613 St is just as impressive a dive watch as its predecessor and even packs in an additional complication.

This dive watch uses Sinn’s Ar-Dehumidifying Technology, indicated by the “Ar” icon at four o’clock, to prevent the dial from fogging at extreme pressure and temperatures.

In the simplest possible terms, it combines a drying capsule like the kind found in shipping containers, specially designed seals on the case and a protective gas filling.

the back of steel Sinn dive watch — The signed case back proudly sports “Made in Germany.”

The chronograph pushers utilize Sinn’s D3 system, which uses piston-like cylinders to create a water-tight and gas-tight seal and prevents physical damage.

The chronograph layout remains unchanged, but the rest of the dial has been slightly rearranged. The running seconds sub-dial has been moved to nine o’clock to make room for a day-date window at three o’clock.

a steel Sinn dive watch with a black dial — This diver chronograph is more watch than most people will ever need, but that’s half the appeal.

Inside the anti-magnetic case is an in-house SW515 automatic movement. It has been tested to meet DIN 8310 and 8306 standards of water and magnetic protection, which is the European standard for dive watch performance.

To be honest, very few people on this planet are capable of pushing this watch to its limits, but as with so many other extreme tool watches, it’s cool to know it exists.

For most prospective owners, the Sinn 613 St’s most practical benefit is that the crown and pushers are in a familiar location. That will come in handy even if you never even see the ocean.

Availability and pricing

The Sinn 613 St is available now in the European market and is coming to America this spring. The sandblasted steel case comes with a matching steel bracelet with a three-piece clasp.

Sinn is one of the German watch brands exclusively available in America through Watchbuys. You can inquire now about reserving one before it launches stateside.