I have many mechanical watches, including very accurate chronometers, but I wanted something different.I needed a very accurate watch, which is not subject to winding, or wearing to remain accurate. I wanted something to take on my travels, which I could use as a reference to set my mechanical watches by, something I could use as a beater, and something with a little bit of that something ‘extra’. There are many quartz watches around but only a few of them met my own criteria, the most important of which was price. I chose the Sinn EZM 2.
This watch is very special in my opinion. The EZM (Einsatz zeit messer, or mission timer) 2 is genuinely used by the German GSG 9 (Border police special operations group),so, I was buying something with a genuine military background. But what made it really special, at least to me? ……
It is waterproof, not just water resistant as most other watches claim, but waterproof!! It actually says so on the case back ‘WASSERDICHT’, and unlike most water resistant watches, it does not say 200m, 300m, 500m, 1000m…. because it has no need to – it’s claimed to be WATERPROOF to ALL reachable depths!!
Not one other manufacturer, at least to my knowledge, dares to make this claim. Why it is such, is the second thing that made it special to me…. It is completely filled with a special silicone liquid, which is completely incompressible. It does not need a helium release valve, simply because helium can not get in!!
OK, here comes the review bits….
Case:
Solid stainless steel, 3 piece, 41mm in diameter, and 11.4mm high. Sandblasted finish, with screw on back, lug spacing 20mm. There is nothing remotely beautiful or appealing about this case. It is very workmanlike, with no frills whatsoever. Having said that, the case is beautifully finished. It is silcon carbide blasted to a very smooth finish, even between the lugs. There are no sharp edges, or radiussing to any case component. It looks exactly what it is supposed to look like… a verh high quality tool. Between the lugs, the case is stamped SUG, which I presume are the initials for Sinn Uhr Gesselschaft. Between the lugs at 6, is a small plug about 1.5mm in diameter, which I am told is the blanked of hole, which is used to fill the case with silicone (an operation that takes over 20 hrs for each watch). Ther are protective horns to protect the screw down crown, which unusually is set at 9, deliberately, so to make the crown less vulnerable to impact. The 6.3mm signed crown screws down onto the case. No problems so far.
The caseback:
Fairly conventional here. Case back is screw in, with conventional caseng indentures (nice and deep) machined into the case back perimeter. Nothing else to mention, save that the case back is brushed, rather than sandblasted. Still no problems.
The Crystal:
Not the best crystal I have ever come across, not that there is anything wrong with it, it’s just that I think it needs improving. It is flat, which means it is more likely to reflect light. It has no ‘cyclops lens’ for reading the date (which is red on black, which I like, but it is difficult to read). If you have a small date, which is difficult to read, you need a cyclops. It can be cemented to the inside of the glass, to save it from damage. It is only anti reflection coated on the inside. This is better than nothing, but a lot of watches now utilise double coating, which is much more effective, and for those of us who dislike an external coating, and there are a few, it is easy to remove. Lost just one or two brownie points here.
Bezel:
Nice bezel, uni directional, made of Titanium. Ti lunette is cemented into a machined chanel, and has enamel filled engraved minutes chapter. Nice positive, but easy to manipulate unidirectional ratchet system. A very well thought out, and easy to use bezel. Only problem I can think of, is that there is a luminova painted?? Triangle at the 12 cardinal, and I have a feeling that this may be easy to damage. Time will tell.
Dial:
A Tactical tour-de-force. If you don’t like military style watches, you’ll not like this dial at all. The blackest matte black dial I have ever seen. Light green Superluminova baton minutes chapter, with double reference at the 12 cardinal, and enlarged batons at 5 minute intervals. The sinn logo is printed in matte white enamel at 12, but the remaining printing is in red, which will all but disappear at night. Te date window is at 3.30, and is red on black. Beautifully executed, and perfect for this style of watch. I don’t think there is a better military dial, period. The hands are a Sinn exclusive. Broad, and very legible similar in style to sword hands, but not so stylised. They are completely covered in Luminova compound. The seconds hand is long enough to reach well into the minutes chapter, is painted the same red as the dial printing, and has a luminova point which describes the same arc as the hour hand, and can’t be mistaken for anything else. If there was a world championship for military watch dials, I’m sure this one would be in with a good chance of the gold!!
Movement:
ETA quartz movement of 7.5’’’, dia 25.6mm, height 4.5mm, 7 jewelled , cal ETA955.612. This movement is anti magnetic to ferocious German DIN standards, and uses a Lithium battery, with a useable life in excess of 7 years.
This movement is not issued with a COSC certificate, but it WILL exceed the specification –4/+6 secs/24hr demanded for mechanical watches by COSC, and will in all likelihood meet those set down for quartz movements.
Strap and buckle:
A very well made and substantial genuine sharkskin black strap, (waterproof to 100m????), and stainless sandblasted and signed pin buckle are supplied as standard, but I ordered the watch with a leather backed carbon fibre dive strap with signed deployant buckle. It is also available with a nylon/velcro wetsuit strap.
Packaging and instructions:
Black card outer, and leatherette inner box, of reasonable quality were supplied as standard. Instructions were a simple piece of folded paper, with instructions printed in German thereon. Perfectly adequate for a simple date watch, but could prove a difficulty for a more complicated piece.
Summary;
For the price, I do not believe this watch has any equals. It is a well manufactured, well finished watch of high quality and design. Most competitor cost considerably more, and few, if any, can surpass it’s depth rating. It may not be the best looking, or most fashionable dive watch available, but who cares???? I like it, and to me that’s the most important factor!!
Some of you, those who have eyes like sh*t house rats, or those who are particularly pedantic, will have noticed the NATO designator 3H on the dial. This is because until recently, the dial and hands were coated with tritium, not luminova.
The watch was purchased from the UK importer, watchworks International, and was priced at £420.00 ($630). www.watchworksintl.com, speak to Sean.. he’s a great bloke, and only too pleased to help.
This watch was also produced in a civilian version, to same specs, but a slightly more conventional design. It is now discontinued, but Watchworks Intl, still has some available.
RATINGS (Scale of 1 to 10)
Overall Value: 10
Operation: 9 (due to unusual location of crown)
Case: 9 (due to flat crystal)
Movement: 8
Wristband and Clasp: 9
Design: 10
Accurracy: unknown quantity at the moment
Comfort: 10
Thanks for looking,
Doug
Thanks to MWR for some of the pics.
