A few days ago, a member on TZ-UK posted a link to a rather rare and unusual Sinn that was listed on eBay by a jeweller/ watch dealer based in Essen, Germany. It was actually a Sinn 8820 diver, rare because they’re few in number and unusual because it was Sinn’s first titanium watch, preceding the 8829 when it was first released in (I think) 1995. The watch was causing a fair amount of interest – and admiration – but while all and sundry were singing its praises I decided to go one step further and buy it! In fact, it landed yesterday morning after lightning despatch and delivery.

I was a little confused when I first looked at it, largely due to the absence of “Swiss Made” on the dial and the numbers “12345” on the back. It transpires that the earliest samples released by Sinn had the sterile dial, but all of them bore the same sequence of numbers on the case back (which, I later realised, is not the serial number). The other striking thing about it is the recessed bezel, which allows a very slim case and what is an incredibly light and comfortable watch. The movement is an ETA 2892-A2, treated to a bit of decoration by Sinn prior to fitting, and the water resistance is 200m.

All in all, I think it’s a great watch – all the better, actually, for having a place in Sinn’s dive watch history. The only fault I can find with it is a little slackness when rotating the bezel, but that’s a minor gripe for a watch that looks as lovely as this (apologies – all the photos were handheld)…