# Sinn 656



## OddE (Nov 21, 2007)

*The watch in a sentence:* _A minimalist timepiece with classic looks and excellent performance, adequate water resistance and near immunity towards magnetic fields._










What keeps the Sinn 656 ticking is an elabouree grade ETA2824-2 movement, which ought to be well known to anyone with an interest in mechanical timepieces. It is not COSC certified, but very well regulated - more on that later.

The case (and bracelet) is made from stainless steel with a sand-blasted finish. The back is of the screw-down type with the most important features of the watch as well as the model and serial # engraved.

The case interior is lined with a soft iron cage, giving the 656 high resistance to magnetic fields - supposedly, it can take 80kA/m without performance being affected.

The crown is on the right-hand side of the case, and is of the screw-down type. Crown edge is rifled for good grip, and well-shaped, discreet guards protrude from the case to protect the crown when screwed in place.

Bracelet is very comfortable to wear, it has not grabbed hairs a single time since I got it. Links are solid steel - no cheap steel plate wrapped around to make a hollow bracelet, here! Finish on the inside is the same silky matt, sandblasted as on the outside. Clasp is of the normal fold-down type with a locking clasp over the main clasp. All edges are rounded and carefully finished to ensure a comfortable fit.

The clasp appears to be made from a softer alloy than the bracelet+case - after a few weeks of light use, scratches in the finish of the clasp was visible, whereas the case and bracelet still looks like new. This is a bit disappointing, and I had expected better from Sinn.

So far, the metal parts. How about the rest?

The face is covered by a sapphire crystal with AR coating on both sides. The outer AR smudges very easily, but appears to be tough - I have not been able to make any permanent marks in it, and it is very simple to clean. The AR is among the best I've seen - from most angles, it truly is as if the crystal is not even there.

Speaking of the face, it is the most legible of all watches I've ever seen in daylight and low light conditions - in pitch dark its performance is sub-optimal due to the Luminova C1 used. (C1 glows for a much shorter period than C3, but is bright white as opposed to the yellowish-green of the C3)

The dial itself is matt black, with minute markers (non-lumed), hour markers (lumed) and numerals at 3, 6, 9 and 12. (lumed). Both numerals and hour markers are over-sized. The date window is at the somewhat uncommon 4:30 position, and is very - perhaps a bit too - discreet, the date numerals (White against the same matt black background as the rest of the dial) being maybe 2.5mm tall or so. Apart from the abovementioned, the only things to grace the dial is the manufacturer's logo in white beneath the 12 and a discreet, glossy black symbol denoting the watch's resistance to magnetic fields above the 6.

Hour and minute hands are large and attractively spear-shaped. The bulk of them are C1 lume coated, whereas the innermost few mm are matt black. The second hand is not lume coated.

The C1 appears to be chosen for aesthetic reasons - the contrast between the black dial and the white markers, numerals and hands is striking, but the price you pay is poor performance in darkness - after only an hour or so in darkness, the watch is all dark. However, the excellent contrast means that only very, very weak light is needed to make out what time it is - I've never had any problems reading the time while outdoors in the dark; only when in a completely dark room is the choice of lume a real drawback.










The packaging is excellent for a watch in this price range. You get an outer, black cardboard box embossed with the text 'Sinn - Spezialuhren zu Frankfurt am Main' in white, containing an imitated black leather box (With the same text embossed on the lid, only this time in black), a small leaflet containing instructions (in German) and the warranty certificate (The ubiquitous plastic card). A minor drawback for those not understanding German is that the manual is only made available in this language - but then again, how complicated is a watch with date display as its only complication to figure out?

Open the box, and you'll find your Sinn 656, a tool for removing links from the bracelet or changing bracelet/straps and a small bottle of screw-locking glue. Only thing standing out in the all-black interior is the 'Sinn' logo embossed in white on the inside lid.










The case and bracelet are both covered with transparent, adhesive plastic to protect them while in transit - the case doubly so, first a film has been put on the sapphire and the caseback, before a thicker piece of plastic has been wound around the entire case. Most thorough!

Accuracy-wise, my 656 ran approx. 6.5s/24h fast fresh out of the box. After about a week and a half, the watch gradually settled into the pace it has kept ever since - +1.5s/24h. Normal 24h cycle is being worn for 17h and resting on my nightstand (face up) 7h.

Overall impression - the reason I bought this piece to begin with, was the incredible legibility of the dial. It is even better in real life than the images I had seen before taking the plunge suggested. The finish of the case & bracelet was even better than anticipated, especially the bracelet earns bonus points for being of a quality quite unexpected in this price range.

In my opinion, the 656 is the most attractive Sinn watch - its low-key, minimalist design makes it appropriate in almost any conceivable context. At way less than EUR1000 w/bracelet, it is - still, in my opinion - a bargain, definitely on par with watches costing twice as much. In two words - highly recommended!


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## EROKS (Mar 12, 2008)

was wondering how durable the black pvd bracelet for the sinn 656S is? Does anyone out there have any imput on this bracelet?


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## Crusader (Apr 30, 2005)

EROKS said:


> was wondering how durable the black pvd bracelet for the sinn 656S is? Does anyone out there have any imput on this bracelet?


You are mistaken. The 656S is not PVD, but galvanized. Only tegimented Sinn watches get PVD (like 75x, 85x, U1000 ...)


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## eltejano (Mar 2, 2006)

Nice review and pics OddE
The Sinn 656 is the watch that got me in to watches in a way-- even though I still don't own one (yet).

:-!


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## Dave I (May 9, 2008)

Great review, so good I ordered one today, should arrive tomorrow, so will post some photos when it arrives, got to admit, cant wait.


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## Recht (May 8, 2006)

Nice review. If I didn't already have one, this would make me want one


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## flame2000 (Jun 27, 2007)

It's easily one of the most recognisable Sinn. The big number dial really sets it apart from other watches. |>


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## Red Horn (May 17, 2008)

*Re: Sinn 656 Black Bracelet*



> wondering how durable the black bracelet for the sinn 656S is? Does anyone out there have any input on this bracelet?


Or would the sand-blasted standard be better for longevity?


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## sammers (Dec 19, 2008)

Hi everyone - I agree this looks really nice! I'm new to the forum and have just taken the plunge and ordered a 656 on strap from Neil at Chronomaster. Should be here in a few days... Bought it because I don't want to wear my IWC all the time as it's more fragile (and expensive) so reckoned I needed something for tougher use like when I'm hiking and canoeing.


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## HenryLouis (Nov 30, 2008)

Nice review! I like this watch!


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## Lester Burnham (May 9, 2008)

I LOVE the tiny date-window... That's really cool, the lume looks pretty spectacular as well :-!


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## HenryLouis (Nov 30, 2008)

I wish the lume would last longer though.


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## Canadian Jim (Jun 28, 2007)

I find the lume ok: this winter it was still dark outside when I strapped the watch on in the morning, and I was able to tell the time in the pitch-black bedroom.


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## donbee0512 (Jul 15, 2009)

nice watch~it has a clean look, kinda tempted


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## timefleas (Oct 10, 2008)

I owned both this watch and the Damasko DA36--very similar in many ways, but the Damasko beats the 656 hands down for several very simple reasons. The DA36 is 2mm bigger, which actually seems rather trivial, but actually in hand is quite significant--while not ever appearing over-bearing. The neon yellow seconds hand of the DA36 is a real eye-catcher, while the 656 is a model of understatement. The ice-hardened case of the DA36 is even more impervious to damage than the case of the 656, and finally, the DA36 is a couple of hundred dollars cheaper than the 656. Kind of a no-brainer, for me. The 656 seems outdated, while the DA36 looks into the future. Decide for yourself.


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## purebred08 (Jun 11, 2009)

dam i wish i had mine yet


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## por44 (Dec 21, 2007)

Thanks for the review / I should have kept mine.


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## seankendall (Nov 24, 2016)

Well. I've been remiss in not seeing this forum/thread before. I have had my Sinn 656 on strap for quite a long time. At least five or six years or so. Sinn watches in general are the most task oriented and easily viewable of all the watches I own or am aware of.

My 656 keeps excellent time; around 30-40 seconds or so a month. Let's see. How good is that? Well, my Rolex Sub is very tight at around 25-30 seconds a month. Over a month the difference, if and when the EMP hits, is negligible seeing as how we'll all be resetting our working watches by a reference sun dial in our back yards every week or so . . .

Anyway, the Sinn 656 is the most wearable watch I own and I love it.

Oddly, my Rolex Sub is number two.

My Sinn U1 would be number two if it's bracelet had and easy micro-adjust and didn't pull my hairs at every opportunity . . .


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## WatchCases (Dec 24, 2010)

Thanks for the review looks nice.


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## 1984JPS (Jan 31, 2017)

Nice review! Lume looks good!


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## donnytron (Feb 12, 2017)

Nice review. As soon as I opened the link that watch jumped off the page. Never owned a Sinn but it feels like an inevitability at this point.


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## champ13 (Jul 31, 2017)

beautiful watch. great review
love the lume


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