Sinn 556i Review: The best watch under $2000

Just recently I claimed that the Christopher Ward C63 Sealander 36 was the best affordable everyday watch. I still stand by what I said, and it truly is difficult to beat at just USD$980. But, there is a competitor albeit at almost double the price. It’s got a similar everyday nature, and in my opinion, a real step up from the Christopher Ward C63. For me, it’s without a doubt the best watch under UD$2000. You already know, it’s the Sinn 556i.

The Sinn 556i embodies everything a luxury timepiece should be; nothing more, nothing less. It’s the Rolex Submariner of the modern day. The Sinn 556i is the everyday reliable companion that you can bring to a fancy dinner table, or survive a zombie apocalypse. It’s the perfect blend of form and function, and it doesn’t try to be anything more. And to be honest, it’s hard to find faults that makes it anything less. The proverbial Exit Watch or even the One Watch Only nirvana IS achievable at a relatively affordable cost, and it can be found with the Sinn 556i.

History of Sinn

Founded by Helmut Sinn in Frankfurt Germany, the former World War II pilot set out on a journey to create navigational clocks and pilot chronographs. From day dot, the tool-ish nature of Sinn timepieces has been established. One of their earlier pieces, the Sinn 104 S was worn by Dr Reinhard Furrer during a space mission in the middle of the 1980s. Sinn’s contribution to aerospace continues with the Sinn 142 S being worn during the Mir-92 space mission by astronaut Klaus-Dietrich in 1992.

Since then, Sinn’s been doubling down on their watches as tools, and instruments for professionals. They’ve developed an Ar-Dehumidifying technology which prevents crystals from fogging up in sudden temperature changes. Sinn introduced the EZM “mission timers” which were timepieces designed for special police forces and the Border Protection Group. It doesn’t stop there, not even close.

Sinn perfected the Ar-Dehumidifying technology with their watches being able to withstand temperatures of –45 °C up to +80 °C. In 2003, the Tegiment Technology was introduced to the Sinn 756, which utilized Sinn’s proprietary hardened cases. Hell, in 2006 they even put a couple of their watches in crash testing just to show off the robustness of their timepieces.

How did the Sinn 556i come about?

For the common folk like myself, who might not require an instrument to take with me on my everyday treacherous public transport journey, there’s the Sinn 556 line up. First introduced in 2008, the Sinn 556 is an entry-level timepiece from Sinn, targeted at the everyday watch enthusiast. The main selling-point of the 556 is the price, it was, and still is the most affordable Sinn watch out there. Granted, you’re not getting the Sinn Technology with their tegimented steel, etc; those come at a higher premium. And if you must know, the Sinn 556i, with bar makers, was the OG 556. The Sinn 556A with the arabic numerals didn’t come about until 2011.

Sinn 556 Dimensions

Case & Bezel

While you aren’t getting the tegimented or submarine-grade steel, the case on the Sinn 556 is still extremely solid and instrument-like. True to it’s tool-ish nature, the 556i case is brushed with zero polishing, leaving no room for any scratches. In truth the Sinn 556i case is relatively boring, and fits in well it the practicality of the timepiece. The case and bezel share the same brushed finish, which is nothing to write home about. There aren’t any fancy beveled edges or chamfers, certainly nothing like Christopher Ward’s light catcher case.

In saying so, the 556 is one of the watches that you need to have in hand to appreciate it’s built quality. It’s literally built like a tank. While it is the entry-level timepiece, the Sinn 556i feels like an instrument. There is ZERO sense of it being a fragile “accessory” that I have to be careful with to avoid damage or scratches.

I do appreciate the inclusion of a display caseback, showcasing the slightly decorated SW-200. The gold finished custom rotor is a nice touch, and you can’t turn down a few blue screws. Though I would rather a a thinner closed caseback, to really cement the tool-ish nature of the 556i.

The screw-down crown on the 556i is stupidly awesome to operate. Firstly it’s a relatively larger crown, which makes it extremely easy to grip. Secondly, the action and position is damn precise. See sometimes, watches don’t screw down properly, or there’s some resistance, or the crown isn’t engaging, etc. With the Sinn 556i, you succeed at the first attempt, every time. Again, reiterating it’s instrument-nature.

Dial & Hands

The lacquered black dial on the Sinn 556i is pleasure to gaze at. In certain angles, the sapphire crystal almost disappears, leaving you face to face with the dial. The date cut-out is small, accompanied with a matching lacquered date window. I certainly wouldn’t mind a no-date version of the 556i, but that wouldn’t be healthy for the watch industry. A no-date Sinn 556i might seriously be a lot of people’s exit watch.

The rest of the dial is filled with painted rectangular indices, very reminiscent of cockpit instruments on an aircraft. Overall, just an extremely clean and legible dial. The handset follows a similar philosophy, relatively thick sword hands that’s half filled with lume, counterbalanced with black colored ends. The lume glows bright green in the dark, and is pretty decent for a pilot’s watch. However, it’s a shame that the seconds hand is not lumed.

Bracelet

Sinn is well-known for their H-link bracelet, and I guarantee 9 out of 10 people will agree it’s extremely comfortable. There’s no doubt I’m in the majority. Besides, finally a comfortable bracelet that isn’t a typical 3-link Oyster styled. The individual H-links on the Sinn 556i bracelet is very solid, but surprisingly, not heavy. Sinn manages to balance heft and contortion which takes away the “chunkiness” of an otherwise thick and solid bracelet. The links on the 556i are held together by hexagonal screws, which you will need an allen key to unscrew and adjust the size of the bracelet. Slight overkill but I get the notion.

The clasp on the 556i is good, but it is starting to show it’s age. It’s a solid flip-lock friction clasp, with 3 holes of micro-adjustment. There is a divers extension which I must admit took me awhile before I figured out how to open it. Basically, it’s the opposite of what you would normally do, pull on the inside end. With modern affordable luxury timepieces having on-the-fly micro adjustments and better action clasps, the Sinn 556i feels like a solemn reminder of the past. But then again, if Sinn decided to upgrade the H-link clasp, the watch industry might be in trouble.

Comfort & Wearability

The Sinn 556i was once my grail for a couple of reasons. First, I wanted an affordable alternative to the Rolex Explorer 36 at a similar size, and second, the everyday versatility. With a case diameter of 38mm and a thinness of just 11mm, the Sinn 556i wears extremely comfortably on my 6 inch wrists. Sure, it is a little heavy because of how well built it is, but that’s something that’s part and parcel of a Sinn. They are engineered to be instruments that you could abuse. However, I do wish the caseback didn’t protrude as much as it does; largely due to the display bubble. The Sinn 556i could easily be a 10mm thin watch with a closed caseback.

Reiterating the everyday nature of the Sinn 556i, it is a timepiece that you can take it anywhere and do anything. It’s smart and sophisticated enough to take into a ballroom wedding dinner. At the same time, if an apocalypse broke out during the wedding, you can trust that the 556i will serve as a trusty companion throughout the chaos. With 200m of water resistance, it’s even capable of being taken to the beach and into the waters. The Sinn 556i is an everyday watch in every sense of the phrase.

Should you buy the Sinn 556i?

For under USD$2000, the Sinn 556i certainly has tough competition. Especially in the used market, you can find ridiculous deals that sometimes might result in a Tudor Black Bay 36. And again, you can purchase a brand new Christopher Ward Sealander for almost half the price of the Sinn 556i. Is the Sinn 556i worth the approximate RRP of $1600? No, but simply because there are much better deals out there. Like a used Sinn 556i, which can be easily found nowadays for around USD$1000 to $1200. Here’s a tip for these affordable luxuries, never buy new, you always want to grab them on the used market.

Sinn 556i: Closing Thoughts

Aesthetics: Inspired by aircraft cockpit instruments, the Sinn 556i is a pilot’s watch that fits into the everyday watch category. It’s highly legible, and overall clean aesthetics make it a real winner.

Comfort: It’s going to wear a little heavy for those with thinner wrists, but the weight distribution is a dream. With my 6 inch wrists, I find it extremely comfortably and I only wish it was just 1mm thinner.

Price: At roughly RRP$1620, it’s not a bad deal, but it certainly isn’t the value proposition it was 10 years ago. I would try and find these on the used market. You’ll be able to land them for $1000 – $1200 easily.

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