# Day One Review of the Sinn 856 Non-UTC



## nebulight

I've been eyeing Sinn for quite a while and finally picked up an 856 for it's smaller 40mm case size as well as it's clean and simple design. Here are some quick observations and a few copy/pastes from the Sinn website.










Case:

I've found that I prefer a smaller watch (by today's standards anyway) but more importantly a thinner watch. The case measures a comfortable 40mm wide by 11mm thick and a 20mm lug spacing. It is made of Tegimented stainless steel. Sinn's tegiment technology provides an increased hardness to the steel to prevent scratches (this is especially useful on the 856 due to it's bead blasted case). TEGIMENT Technology provides highly effective protection against scratches. The method is not, however, based on the application of a coating. Instead it is the surface of the material itself which is hardened by means of a special process, thereby creating a protective layer ("tegimentum" in Latin). The surface of any watch hardened using TEGIMENT Technology has a significantly greater level of protection against scratches than that afforded by the hardness of the base material. The Tegiment logo can be found on the clasp of the bracelet (not pictured).










In addition to the hardened steel, the 856 also features Ar-Dehumidifying Technology. This is comprised of three elements:


The drying capsule on the side of the case. This is the most important as the capsule is filled with copper sulfate that absorbs moisture from the air should it enter the case and permanently bind it to the capsule. It's located on the outside of the case so you know when it needs replaced (it turns blue with the level of saturation). It is covered with a small sapphire crystal to protect it from getting moisture readings from outside of watch case.
All seals/gaskets are made from their EDR (extremely diffusion-reducing) material to minimize the exchange of atmospheric air and the inside of the case. These seals reduce the infiltration of moisture in the case to as little as 25% of the value permitted by conventional case seals made of nitrile rubber (NBR).
The Ar-Dehumidifying Technology is completed by a superior protective gas filling. This creates an ideal climate for the Ar-Dehumidifying Technology to function in. Only moisture diffusing from the air now has to be bound in the drying capsule. This avoids the humidity which is otherwise locked in during conventional assembly.



















Along with those other technologies, the solid case back is nickel free (for allergic purposes) and also provides anti-magnetic protection up to 80,000 A/m (around 1000 gauss). Sinn's anti-magnetic logo is featured on the dial (the screw looking logo) and on the case back. The case comes with a sapphire front crystal with double AR coating and is water resistant 200m.

Technical stuff aside, this is one well made watch case. The lines of the case work beautifully and the finish on the bead blasting is top notch. It's no wonder Sinn makes the cases for Lange.

Dial & Hands:

The dial is obviously designed for readability with high contrast between the large numerals on the dial and hands. While the daytime color of the lume is bright white with C1 SuperLuminova, it does not stay are bright as the slightly green C3 that I've got on my Stowa. Still, the lume is more than adequate and I prefer the stark white with this dial/hand design.



















Movement:

Sinn originally equipped this watch with an ETA 2892-2. However with the crack down on availability from ETA, Sinn has switched over a lot of it's watches to Sellita. The Sellita equivilant is the SW300-1 and Sinn uses the top grade. Due to the Gas filled case, I wasn't' able to open it up to take pictures but did find some generic SW300-1 pics on the internet:



















On the wrist:

I've been wearing my Stowa Airman almost daily for the last three years only have minor breaks here and there. I've gotten used to the 40mm width and 10-11mm height so this watch fits on the wrist perfectly. The watch came on a bracelet, but I'm not a fan of the Sinn bracelets design so I've got it on an OEM rubber strap which should work well for the summer:




























And a few glamour shots with it's cousin, the Stowa Flieger:


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## LH2

Great photos! Congrats on the 856, and thanks for sharing.


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## nebulight

Thanks! I'm pretty excited to finally have a Sinn. Next stop on the german railway is Nomos I think. 


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## Takemusu

Nice photos and information. I have the UTC version of the 856 and love it. Your qualitative observations are spot on!


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## LockedUp

Great review!


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## valmak

great review. it looks really good on the silicone strap because the colors of both look subdued. is it true that Sinn makes the cases for Lange? Lange has amazing looking cases so that would be really cool.


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## gaopa

A nice review accompanied by fine photos! Congratulations on your new Sinn! Cheers, Bill P.


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## nebulight

valmak said:


> great review. it looks really good on the silicone strap because the colors of both look subdued. is it true that Sinn makes the cases for Lange? Lange has amazing looking cases so that would be really cool.


Not all of them, but there are a vendor for some of them:










I think it was a strategy for sinn to place the case factory in Glashütte as 60% of the watch production has to stay in glashütte in order from watch companies to use the name glashütte. Remember when nomos sued muhle?

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## toolkit21

Its quite an interesting review. Loved reading the way its told. Keep it up.

The buckles on your OEM rubber strap is different from the usual curved 18mm sized found on its leather option. And I must say the rubber does look as a very nice fit to your 856.

Mine's the UTC version, sitting on a leather strap, saying welcome...


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## Crow

Thanks for your great review !


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## unsub073

That looks sharp with the rubber strap. I would've never thought about doing that.


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## ten13th

Mine 856UTC says hi...


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## Waser

Hi there. Wondering if the original poster can comment on where he obtained the rubber strap with that buckle? Is that buckle tegimented or just a brushed finish from Sinn? I'm trying to source the same strap and buckle for a 856 in the uk and the authorised Sinn dealer initially said its only available with a polished buckle. Although he's checking with Sinn directly. 


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## nebulight

Waser said:


> Hi there. Wondering if the original poster can comment on where he obtained the rubber strap with that buckle? Is that buckle tegimented or just a brushed finish from Sinn? I'm trying to source the same strap and buckle for a 856 in the uk and the authorised Sinn dealer initially said its only available with a polished buckle. Although he's checking with Sinn directly.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I got it from watchbuys here in the US. I think they only ship to the US though. You're dealer should be able to get it or you can order directly from Sinn. The buckle is NOT tegimented however.


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## Waser

nebulight said:


> I got it from watchbuys here in the US. I think they only ship to the US though. You're dealer should be able to get it or you can order directly from Sinn. The buckle is NOT tegimented however.


Thank you for the reply.

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## DrGonzo

I have had my non-utc 856 for only a couple of days now but I'm so happy with it that other watches might be falling out of the rotation. It's very comfortable, tough enough and plenty water resistant enough for work, and completely clear and readable. The crown is substantial and easy to operate and never feels like the threads might strip.

Aesthetically it doesn't exactly remind me of cockpit instrumentation, if that was the intent. I'm not really a pilot but I logged some hours in a 1968 Cessna 150 back in early '80s. I also spent some time in dark rooms back then, and that is what this watch evokes for me - dark room timers. It is a pleasant association. Some say the face is boring in comparison to the UTC version but I love it.

I am an occupational therapist in a hospital, which is very physical work in terms of patient handling. Any watch is inevitably going to get banged against a bed rail or an IV pole so tegimenting is a good thing. Also I have to wash my hands repeatedly throughout the day and the higher water resistance of this watch compared to some other fliegers is comforting. We are measured by the amount of time we spend with patients and are constantly making note of time-in and time-out. This means I am constantly glancing at my watch throughout the day. I probably need but don't yet wear reading glasses, so the amazing clarity of the 856's face is better than anything I can think of besides digital.

I really like this watch!


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## freeman4ever

Great pics and review.


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## Tempusfugitus

If you like a rubber strap on the 856, I can highly recommend the black Isofrane. I have this combo, and, while not an obvious choice, the styling of the strap really adds something to the 856.


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## csmsmarinr

Thanks for the great review. Long time lurker and first time poster here on the forum. Can any 856 owners give an idea of how the watch wears for 40mm. Large or small? Any idea of lug to lug measurement?


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## DrGonzo

csmsmarinr said:


> Thanks for the great review. Long time lurker and first time poster here on the forum. Can any 856 owners give an idea of how the watch wears for 40mm. Large or small? Any idea of lug to lug measurement?


It doesn't wear small but is completely comfortable on silicone strap on my 7.25" wrist. Lug to lug is about 47.5 mm.


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## larthurl

very nice strap. Who makes it and where did you get it?


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## pirelli7467

Nice watch. Great review!


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## Buchmann69

Great write up and photos!
Great watch! I love the clean non-UTC dial, I had to get one myself.

It was a tough decision, in the end I opted for the 856 S. I love how the dial pops.
































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## Vance83

Thanks for the review. I have been eyeing the UTC version.


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## Cauchy

Buchmann69 said:


> Great write up and photos!
> Great watch! I love the clean non-UTC dial, I had to get one myself.
> 
> It was a tough decision, in the end I opted for the 856 S. I love how the dial pops.
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> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I really like that on the Sinn rubber! Very cohesive result.

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## Ruggs

Buchmann69 said:


> Great write up and photos!
> Great watch! I love the clean non-UTC dial, I had to get one myself.
> 
> It was a tough decision, in the end I opted for the 856 S. I love how the dial pops.
> View attachment 8366378
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> 
> View attachment 8366386
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> View attachment 8366394
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> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


That looks great!


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