Sinn Plunges Into Spring with Three Dive Watches Made from German Submarines

Germany’s Sinn has revealed its Spring novelties this week, which include a limited-edition trio of new U-series divers constructed from hardened German submarine steel. The watches are the U15, U16, and U18, each named after the German naval vessel from which its steel has been harvested. The designs follow the brand’s well-established, modern diver DNA, defined by high functionality; however, these watches boast a decidedly non-functional flourish in the execution of their dial. All three have special dials that reference their respective submarine’s typical operating depth, with a host of ascending bubbles through the center.

If you’re a fan of watches like the U50, or the T1 upon which it’s based, you’ll find a familiar tone being set here. Sinn’s use of interesting and significant materials is well documented — from the Tegiment technology that significantly increases the hardness of steel, to how it sources the material, which is half of the story, in this case. Each of these watches is constructed from German submarine steel, which uses a low alloy Ni/Cu/Fe mix to achieve high strength and elevated corrosion resistance above and beyond your typical steel. Sinn has used the material (originally developed by ThyssenKrupp for the outer hulls of the Type 206 submarine) for 20 years, and with these three watches, the brand even highlights the specific sources. 

Each of these watches is named after the source of their steel, and are imbued with tangible history in the process. The U15, U16, and U18 submarines were all initially commissioned in the mid-1970s, and each tells its own story of distances traveled and locations visited. Mercifully, none were involved in high-profile conflicts (however, they are unfortunately all named after boats that were part of the German Kriegsmarine during WWII), but the era itself represents one of significant technological innovation for submarines, according to Sinn. These three Type 206 subs were all decommissioned around 2010.

The Sinn U15 is the smallest of the trio, measuring 41mm in diameter. This watch shares a platform with the U50, and it wears much closer to 40mm than you might expect, in part thanks to the crown placement at four o’clock. Like the U50, this watch gets a 200-meter depth rating and a captive rotating bezel. Stepping up to 44mm, we find the U16, with a 1,000-meter depth rating, and the U18, with a 2,000-meter depth rating and a set of broadsword hands. The watches get progressively thicker, as you might expect with the increasing depth ratings. The U15 will be the most approachable here, at a hair over 11mm in thickness, with the U18 clocking in at 15.5mm in thickness. 

What sets these watches apart are their unique dials. All three share a glossy, deep blue-green dial meant to mimic the view in the ocean from about 30 meters of depth, which was the typical operating depth of these submarines. Running vertically through the center of the dials is a column of bubbles ascending to the surface, in what I would imagine to be a rather undesirable feature of a clandestine submarine. Sinn isn’t exactly known for adding superfluous details like this to its otherwise function-forward tool watches, but the design doesn’t seem to conflict with legibility. All three of these watches are also limited to 1,000 units planned for production, so this is a bit of an outlier.

The Sinn U15, U16, and U18 all use base Selitta movements from Switzerland, and each is fitted to Sinn’s excellent H-link bracelet. Pricing for the U15 and U16 is set at $3,340, while the U18 is priced at $3,680.