# Sinn UX Black (GSG9) - first impressions



## danielmewes

Today I received my Sinn UX EZM 2B GSG9 Black from WatchBuys. I picked the UX because I find its technology exciting. It is almost unique with its features, and I like the concept of a watch design that's driven so much by function, while still remaining esthetically pleasing. Where other watches with depths ratings beyond 1000m tend to be bulky and come with thick, heavy cases and crystals, the UX has almost none of that.

I'm not going to go through the basic specs, but you can find them on Sinn's website.

Help, my UX got the bents!
When the watch arrived, I was quite surprised. Negatively. My UX had a bubble!







(you can see it at the 55 minute marker in the picture)

While I had read about UXs with a bubble on this forum before, I was concerned. After all the UX's pressure resistance relies on having as little (compressible) gas inside the case as possible. I suspect that the piston on the case-back can compensate for a bubble under compression up to a certain size, but I was worried that the bubble might be an indicator of a bigger problem with the watch's seals.

So I wrote an email to WatchBuys, asking for a replacement. Rob from WatchBuys responded very promptly (< 30 minutes, amazing service!). He suggested that cold temperatures during transport could be responsible for the formation of the bubble, and that I should let the watch sit in a warm place (ideally sunlight) for 8 hours. What I ended up doing was just holding it in my hands for about 10 minutes to warm it up. I could see the bubble shrinking, until it eventually disappeared entirely. Great news!

The watch
I love it. It feels and looks great, and everything feels well finished and super solid. I removed the Sinn silicone strap that it came with and put it on an Isofrane. I prefer having an adjustable strap for when I wear it over my neoprene diving gloves or drysuit arm. Without further ado, here are some initial pictures:














(serial number redacted)















Looking at the UX from an angle looks unreal. It's super clear, and the dial and hands look like being at the level of the crystal. Love it.















It also has the characteristic "UX bounce" when holding it upright. It's one of those quirks that I think give this watch a lot of extra character. On the downside, the second hand doesn't always line up with the markers. It's usually slightly off, thought this seems to depend a bit on the watch's orientation.





One the wrist:















A few words about the bezel: It definitely has some play. But it still feels solid. The play is of a very consistent, predictable kind if that makes sense. If I push against the bezel at the top, it has exactly the same play as at the bottom. As some others in this forum have mentioned, the play is apparently intentional, to allow for the bezel to still function once dirt gets under it.

In fact I really really like this bezel. Its 60 clicks have a nice deep sound and feel to them. It is also supremely easy to use even with diving gloves on (most diving bezels I've tried are not!):





Once I get a chance to actually take it diving (hopefully some time in the next couple weeks), I will try to post an update. And hopefully some underwater pictures as well.

"But it's a quartz"...
I like mechanical watches. However the UX appealed to me with its quarts movement for the following reasons:

thanks to the "UX bounce", I actually think that it has a lot of character. In fact I think it has a lot more of it than most mechanical watches. It's very unique, and the watch in a way reacts to its environment (specifically to its orientation).
it's super precise. The specs say +- 10 seconds a year. A nice feat of engineering and technology.
with its 7-year expected battery life and service interval, you can use the UX for quite a while without service. I've seen mechanical watches where the manufacturer recommends a 1-year service interval, and something like a service every 5 years seems realistic (though I haven't personally owned any mechanical watch for that long). Even though you have to send the UX to Sinn in Germany for the battery change, the costs don't seem any higher than a full service for a mechanical movement. As a great bonus, you don't have to get the UX pressure tested every 1-2 years as would be the case with an air-filled watch. In fact the manual describes how you can check it for any sealing failure yourself at home, simply by letting it sit and looking for bubbles. Overall I expect this to translate to lower service costs.

Photos in full resolution: https://flic.kr/s/aHsm8s8pyQ


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## danielmewes

Lume shot:








The lume seems to work very well, but I'll have to wait until tonight to see how long it lasts.


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## bazza.

Its a great watch i'm lucky to have both models


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## pizza_nightmare

Very cool.

What exactly is the "UX bounce", I see it in the video but I'm not sure what it is...

Lume pic not working, but we'd all like to se it!


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## danielmewes

pizza_nightmare said:


> What exactly is the "UX bounce", I see it in the video but I'm not sure what it is...
> 
> Lume pic not working, but we'd all like to se it!


Just re-uploaded the lume shot. It should appear in the post above now (I hope).

I'm also not entirely sure what causes the UX bounce. (what I mean by it is the effect that the second hand moves slightly too far, and then slowly settles back into position.)

Sinn sent me the following explanation:


> The "bouncing" is an interplay between viscosity of the oil and the gravity of the hand (depending on the Position / orientation you are wearing / Holding the watch). If the second hand has to "climb" upwards this effect is visible, no matter if you hold the watch upright (12 o'clock on top) or upside down (6 o'clock on top). The climbing second hand tends to bounce back a little when moving thru the oil (a kind of resistance). If you hold the watch level / even position, you will notice no "bouncing".


My best hypothesis is that the density of the oil is adding additional momentum to the second hand. When the second hand moves, it accelerates the oil around it. Then, when the stepper motor stops driving the second hand, the kinetic energy in the oil keeps pushing the second hand a little further. Eventually, that energy is absorbed by the stepper motor (which should have a stable "resting position" I think) and/or general friction, at which point gravity helps pulling the second hand back down until it settles in the stable position of the motor.

I'm not sure if that's right though, I'm not too familiar with the physics and mechanisms at play here.


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## GreatScott

I also received a UX today so it's a great day to be a UX owner! I purchased mine on this forum, it was a few years old but I am super stoked because it has the "chronometer " movement and is market on the dial. I got the SDR and everything you said is absolutely true. Mine arrived with a bubble due to the the cold but went away quickly once on the wrist.

I would like to add that when viewed at an angle the hands almost seem projected onto the crystal, like an LED screen smart watch. It is really cool. Also, I noticed the back is super flat making it very comfortable on the wrist.

This is is the first quartz watch I have purchased in 17 years and it is absolutely blowing my mind.


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## danielmewes

GreatScott said:


> I also received a UX today so it's a great day to be a UX owner! [...]
> 
> I would like to add that when viewed at an angle the hands almost seem projected onto the crystal, like an LED screen smart watch. It is really cool. Also, I noticed the back is super flat making it very comfortable on the wrist.


Nice one! Congrats on your new watch!  How do you like the bracelet?

I agree about the look of the dial. It's such a cool effect. I also feel like the black of the dial is somehow "blacker" than on other watches. Probably because there's so little reflection due to the oil?

Having the actual COSC Chronometer certification is a nice touch for sure as well. Though I'm sure the new ones are still equally precise, despite no longer going through the formal certification process.


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## Spring-Diver

Congrats to both of you. Those sharp angle dial shots look killer :-!


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## dmcutter

Nice watch. I've done a lot of diving with my U2 SDR. The black bezel is very easy to read underwater. I think you'll find it does what a dive watch is supposed to do, except it's readable at oblique angles that other watches wouldn't be. But we always like action dive photos....


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## CFK-OB

Congratulations to both of you. The UX is a spectacular watch. I have mostly mechanical watches, but when it makes sense, quartz is great. I have quartz on my two Seiko Tunas, because it works for them. I'd happily have a UX, but I chose the U1 for the hands and they're so close to each other that I haven't pulled the trigger. I still consider the UX regularly because of its amazing tech though. Love it!


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## ffemt

Congrats on your UX! I also just received mine within the last week from Sinn for maintenance (super happy it's back but I can't even use it yet due to a new tattoo on my arm :/ ). But beforehand it was my daily user and had never let me down.



















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## GreatScott

danielmewes said:


> Nice one! Congrats on your new watch!  How do you like the bracelet?
> 
> I agree about the look of the dial. It's such a cool effect. I also feel like the black of the dial is somehow "blacker" than on other watches. Probably because there's so little reflection due to the oil?
> 
> Having the actual COSC Chronometer certification is a nice touch for sure as well. Though I'm sure the new ones are still equally precise, despite no longer going through the formal certification process.


I love the bracelet, it is very comfortable. The clasp works fine, but is a little bit of a let down because it feels like a cheaper stamped clasp and not milled. I am sure there will never be an issue, it is just the one thing that does not feel over-engineered. It is submarine steel which will add to the longevity as well. Another thing I noticed is it is a true grey. My other Sinn had a tegimented bracelet which added a touch of bronze to it. I did not realize there was a difference until seeing this one.

as for the face, it does appear like a darker black, just like you said, I am not sure if that is an illusion due to the oil or is it is actually darker, but it does appear that way.

Day 2 today, still loving it!


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## sticky

The UX looks great on the Iso. Congratulations.


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## danielmewes

Update after night 1 with the Sinn UX: In direct comparison, the lume on the UX is significantly less bright than for example the Superluminova BGW 9 on the Steinhart Ocean Titanium 500 (that watch has fantastic lume IMO!). It also looks a little unevenly applied when looking closely. In particular, the lume on the hands has some sort of "grain" to it, with some spots seemingly having less lume than others. I was a little sceptical at that point.
However, the good news is that the lume *did* last through the whole night. After 8 hours or so, I was still able to read the watch in the dark. That's the part that actually matters to me, so all good here.


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## longstride

Well done danielmewes a good write up!


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## danielmewes

First dive with the Sinn. It did get the bubble almost as soon as I got in the water (water temp was about 52 F). I am still quite concerned about the bubble, and wonder if it impedes pressure resistance. If the explanation in this post https://www.watchuseek.com/f49/air-bubble-silicone-oil-filled-watches-13803.html is correct, then the bubble means that the membrane has reached its limit. So at that point, while the bubble is present, any pressure differential is no longer equalized by the membrane, and the case could get damaged. I asked Sinn if this explanation is indeed correct. Will report back when I get a reply.

Anyway, it did survive the 60ft / 20m that I took it to today, and worked well underwater. You don't get quite the crazy reading angles in water, but still much better than the usual air-filled watches.


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## danielmewes

Another quick update: I've been trying out the OEM silicone strap that came with the UX for a day now. I liked the look of it, and was actually looking into buying the red version to add some more color to the UX.

However I'm already noticing some abrasion along the edge of the PVD-coated tegimented deployant clasp after just one day of wear at the office. I feel like it's going to look worn pretty quickly. Given the ridiculous price that Sinn and/or Watchbuys charges for the deployant clasp (currently $370.00 at Watchbuys, including the $90 strap), I think I'm going to stick with the Isofrane for now. It also fits over my dive gloves more comfortably.


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## CFK-OB

I've actually stopped wearing bracelets to work anymore. Desks just kill whatever part of the watch touches it - even hardened surfaces seem to get hurt. Who'd have thought desks were so tough!


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## danielmewes

Yeah, my bet is on the slightly textured aluminum surface of my work Mac Book.


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## Beedoo

danielmewes said:


> First dive with the Sinn. It did get the bubble almost as soon as I got in the water (water temp was about 52 F). I am still quite concerned about the bubble, and wonder if it impedes pressure resistance. If the explanation in this post https://www.watchuseek.com/f49/air-bubble-silicone-oil-filled-watches-13803.html is correct, then the bubble means that the membrane has reached its limit. So at that point, while the bubble is present, any pressure differential is no longer equalized by the membrane, and the case could get damaged. I asked Sinn if this explanation is indeed correct. Will report back when I get a reply.
> 
> Anyway, it did survive the 60ft / 20m that I took it to today, and worked well underwater. You don't get quite the crazy reading angles in water, but still much better than the usual air-filled watches.


The bubble problem shouldn't occur in newer versions of the UX (Sinn improved the sealing of the crown a couple of years ago to prevent oil loss). I fear that your watch has not been properly filled. On one of your pics it can be seen that the piston in the middle of the caseback seems to be slightly recessed. I also bought a UX S in December 2017 and in my watch the piston is absolutely level with the rest of the caseback (when the watch is warm, it even seems to slightly stand out). I also used my UX S for a couple of dives in the cold Swiss lakes (usually around 6 degrees Celsius water temperature in winter) and hence the watch had to experience drastic temperature changes several times (from the heated car to the cold water...) and I never noticed any gas bubble formation. It always performed flawlessly.

Hence, if I were you, I would send the watch back to Sinn for a proper refill.


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## ffemt

The wear on your buckle gives it character  Here are pictures of my old buckle from a Sinn Military II. He coating held up pretty well imo from being worn daily for about half a year (and it was well used, never a safe queen). Hefty and nice, but it also came a price during a training exercise and a fall down a flight of stairs. Now I just use Zulus



















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## Baumaxe

WRT to abrasion of the clasp: maybe ist is not really abrasion, but just a little polished spot which makes the surface a bit shiny.


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## danielmewes

Beedoo, thanks for your thoughts on the filling / bubble issue.

I think you are probably right that mine wasn't filled sufficiently.
I've also found other pictures online in the meantime where the membrane on the case back is at least flush or even slightly stands out at or slightly above room temperature, which is consistent with what you describe about your UX. I've put my UX in ~50 C hot water to see what happens, and the best I can get is for the membrane to be almost flush with the caseback, but never stand out.

I'll get it on the way back to Sinn. Not looking forward to the shipping costs though...

*Edit: *Aaand it's back on its way to Frankfurt. Rather than paying the equivalent of a decent Seiko on shipping fees, I decided to skimp on insurance. Will see how that works out


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## ten13th

danielmewes said:


> Beedoo, thanks for your thoughts on the filling / bubble issue.
> 
> I think you are probably right that mine wasn't filled sufficiently.
> I've also found other pictures online in the meantime where the membrane on the case back is at least flush or even slightly stands out at or slightly above room temperature, which is consistent with what you describe about your UX. I've put my UX in ~50 C hot water to see what happens, and the best I can get is for the membrane to be almost flush with the caseback, but never stand out.
> 
> I'll get it on the way back to Sinn. Not looking forward to the shipping costs though...
> 
> *Edit: *Aaand it's back on its way to Frankfurt. Rather than paying the equivalent of a decent Seiko on shipping fees, I decided to skimp on insurance. Will see how that works out


You purchased this via Watchbuys. Give them a call and let them work with Sinn. If it's a warranty repair, all the shipping and duties will be covered by them.

Instagram: ten13th


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## danielmewes

ten13th said:


> You purchased this via Watchbuys. Give them a call and let them work with Sinn. If it's a warranty repair, all the shipping and duties will be covered by them.


That is not my understanding. From their FAQ How do I return my Sinn watch to Germany for repair? :



> If the watch you send to Sinn was purchased from WatchBuys, is under warranty, and the repairs are determined by Sinn to be included in the scope of their warranty, those repairs will be made at no charge to you *other than the cost of mailing the watch to Sinn.*


Sinn will cover the shipping back to me though.

Has WatchBuys covered shipping costs to Sinn for you in the past? It's probably too late for me now since I've already mailed it, but curious to know for the future.


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## ten13th

danielmewes said:


> That is not my understanding. From their FAQ How do I return my Sinn watch to Germany for repair? :
> 
> Sinn will cover the shipping back to me though.
> 
> Has WatchBuys covered shipping costs to Sinn for you in the past? It's probably too late for me now since I've already mailed it, but curious to know for the future.


Yes. My EZM1.1 had misalignment on the dial printing. I notified WB about the issue, and supplied pics for them and Sinn verify the issue. From the pic they concluded it was an problem. WB provided FedEx label to ship EZM1.1 to WB, then they ship it back to Sinn. It will go through the reverse route when it return to me.

Just be aware this route is much longer, think 2-3months. If you elect to deal with Sinn directly, it will be faster 4-6 weeks, but you will be saddled with the shipping to Sinn and possible import duty on the return.

Instagram: ten13th


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## ffemt

Just an FYI I sent mine back directly and they received it August 7 - overhaul completed September 25 (not counting the shipping time both ways).

Hopefully your's makes it back quicker 

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## harry_flashman

Mac Books can really beat up a clasp.


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## danielmewes

Update from Sinn.

Tl;dr; Current expected repair time for a warranty repair is 4-8 weeks



> Dear Mr Mewes,
> 
> Please be informed that we have received your Sinn watch.
> 
> After the examination of your watch we will apprise you about the works in writing within 6 to 8 weeks.
> Due to the high rate of orders, our workshops are currently fully occupied.
> 
> Therefore we have the following current processing times:
> For a warranty order it takes 4 to 8 weeks.
> For all other orders, including fair dealing orders it takes 7 to 14 weeks after confirmation, in case a confirmation is required.
> 
> The duration of the processing time depends on the amount of work with the repair.
> 
> We are sorry for the actual processing time and ask for your understanding and patience.
> Thank you in advance for your appreciation.
> We wish you a great day.
> 
> Kind regards
> [...]


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## Spring-Diver

Hopefully you’ll see it in 4 weeks, instead of 8 

Cheers
Shannon


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## danielmewes

4 weeks it is! Got my UX back today!

The quick "ice water" test confirms that the bubble no longer appears. The membrane is now flush with the back of the case at room temperature, or even all so slightly sticking out. While it's not great that this happened with a brand new watch out of the box, I'm happy with the end result.

I had to pay $35 or so for customs on the repairs through UPS by the way. Overall this warranty repair did cost me about $80 (shipping + customs), but at least the watch came back with a new fresh set of spring bars. ;-)


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## Steve Allen

danielmewes said:


> 4 weeks it is! Got my UX back today!
> 
> The quick "ice water" test confirms that the bubble no longer appears. The membrane is now flush with the back of the case at room temperature, or even all so slightly sticking out. While it's not great that this happened with a brand new watch out of the box, I'm happy with the end result.
> 
> I had to pay $35 or so for customs on the repairs through UPS by the way. Overall this warranty repair did cost me about $80 (shipping + customs), but at least the watch came back with a new fresh set of spring bars. ;-)


How's it going? We'd love to have an update


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## danielmewes

Steve Allen said:


> How's it going? We'd love to have an update


The UX is still going strong!

It hasn't gotten a whole lot of wrist time with me in the past three months, as I have mostly been wearing my Omega Planet Ocean (thread). Though I regularly use the UX as a time reference to set the Omega after.


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## Salt_Water

Gotta love that 10 o'clock crown...


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## tanzer16

Great thread! I'm looking hard at getting a used UX and I saw a comment earlier in this thread about the newer ones not undergoing the COSC certification. Does that still hold true, and when did they stop doing that?


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## danielmewes

tanzer16 said:


> Great thread! I'm looking hard at getting a used UX and I saw a comment earlier in this thread about the newer ones not undergoing the COSC certification. Does that still hold true, and when did they stop doing that?


Mine definitely did not come with a COSC certificate, but I'm not sure when exactly they stopped sending them in for certification.

That doesn't mean that the movements are any less accurate of course. Mine so far has pretty well stayed within 1 second in between summer-/winter-time changes (which would mean less than +-2 seconds/year).


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## 41Mets

danielmewes said:


> 4 weeks it is! Got my UX back today!
> 
> The quick "ice water" test confirms that the bubble no longer appears. The membrane is now flush with the back of the case at room temperature, or even all so slightly sticking out. While it's not great that this happened with a brand new watch out of the box, I'm happy with the end result.
> 
> I had to pay $35 or so for customs on the repairs through UPS by the way. Overall this warranty repair did cost me about $80 (shipping + customs), but at least the watch came back with a new fresh set of spring bars. ;-)


The thing that bothers me is that you brought up this issue right from the start. Actually they say the bubble isn't an issue, but it usually is not present on new watches or recently serviced ones. I don't think you should have had to pay a cent for shipping when watchbuys heard of the issue from you immediately and told you it wasn't a problem. They were wrong.


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## 74notserpp

I recently bought a used UX, originally purchased Jan 2015.
It had the bubble present upon opening but then dissappeared once it warmed up. I haven't noticed it since, but I'm not exposed to great change in temp environments. 
The membrane is slightly recessed as shown in my picture.
Do they recess over time or are they supposed to be flush with the case all of the time?









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## danielmewes

41Mets said:


> The thing that bothers me is that you brought up this issue right from the start. Actually they say the bubble isn't an issue, but it usually is not present on new watches or recently serviced ones. I don't think you should have had to pay a cent for shipping when watchbuys heard of the issue from you immediately and told you it wasn't a problem. They were wrong.


I didn't really feel like going back to Watchbuys (repair was entirely through Sinn), so not sure if they would have paid for my shipping or not.

That being said, there were at least three failings here: 1. Sinn QA letting the watch out with insufficient filling 2. Watchbuys QA shipping it out to me with insufficient filling 3. Watchbuys not recognizing that this was an issue when I wrote to them after receiving the watch.
Certainly not ideal.


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## danielmewes

74notserpp said:


> I recently bought a used UX, originally purchased Jan 2015.
> It had the bubble present upon opening but then disappeared once it warmed up. I haven't noticed it since, but I'm not exposed to great change in temp environments.
> The membrane is slightly recessed as shown in my picture.
> Do they recess over time or are they supposed to be flush with the case all of the time?


They are not supposed to be flush with the case all of the time. In cold temperature, the membrane is supposed to recess into the case.
However if you took that picture at room temperature, and are able to observe a bubble in some conditions, then I think it's quite possible that you have a slight underfill as well. It's not going to matter if you don't plan to actually expose your watch to high pressures, or only use it in warm conditions.

I have heard that Sinn at some point changed how they fill the watches, and that earlier models more commonly had bubbles stemming from dissolved gas in the Fluorinert coming out of solution at cold temperatures. That effect is different from the underpressure-related bubble that you get from an underfill (like in my case), and should not pose a problem for the watch's pressure resistance, as long as the membrane has enough range to move in further to make up for the loss in volume when the bubble collapses under pressure.

I suggest you reach out to Sinn. If you're lucky, they will know what they're talking about and give you the correct explanation for why you have a bubble and whether or not any actions are needed to achieve the full rated pressure resistance of your watch.


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## 74notserpp

Thanks Daniel.
In the mornings there is a bubble, but once on the wrist for a couple of minutes it disappears.
It keeps perfect time, so I won't worry about it until battery change time. 


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## danielmewes

74notserpp said:


> Thanks Daniel.
> In the mornings there is a bubble, but once on the wrist for a couple of minutes it disappears.
> It keeps perfect time, so I won't worry about it until battery change time.


Yea, unless you expose it to extreme pressure in cold water, the bubble (/underfill) shouldn't do any damage.

On an unrelated note, after mostly wearing an Omega for the last months, I'm currently rediscovering my UX. I'm about to take my first steps into technical diving. Rather than buying a second dive computer, I'm planning to use a dive watch + depth gauge as a backup for timing decompression stops. The UX is simply the ultimate in readability and underwater usability, and there's no concern of water leakage with it. The fact that manufacturers of air-filled dive watches typically recommend a yearly pressure test doesn't exactly instil confidence. Nothing like that with the UX.


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## Glengooligan

danielmewes said:


> Yea, unless you expose it to extreme pressure in cold water, the bubble (/underfill) shouldn't do any damage.
> 
> On an unrelated note, after mostly wearing an Omega for the last months, I'm currently rediscovering my UX. I'm about to take my first steps into technical diving. Rather than buying a second dive computer, I'm planning to use a dive watch + depth gauge as a backup for timing decompression stops. The UX is simply the ultimate in readability and underwater usability, and there's no concern of water leakage with it. The fact that manufacturers of air-filled dive watches typically recommend a yearly pressure test doesn't exactly instil confidence. Nothing like that with the UX.


Daniel,

I'm curious if you ended up going forward with your dive training and whether or not you stuck with your UX while doing so. How was your experience? I've also been dipping my toes into tech diving and have been contemplating the same issue.

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## HeadedToTexas

The UX is so slick. Someday.


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