The Sinn 809 Aut has developed a bit of a cult following and generates plenty of interest when spotted on Instagram or various watch forums. Although the exact production dates for this Sinn model may have been lost in the annals of history, it likely dates back to the early 1990s with a lot of influence from 1980s sport watches and even the Heuer 980.004 from the late 1970s.
Sinn produced a Feuerwehr (fire department) version of this watch with the accompanying logo on the dial and a quartz day/date variant known as the 809q, and though these are equally rare it is the regular automatic version (Aut) that has the most clean, balanced dial and looks the most appealing. From watching the used market over the last few years it?s safe to say two things: it doesn?t come up for sale too often, and the prices are on the up (you can currently get them for around $1,000). So what makes it so desirable"
One of the first things to notice is the strong design connection between case and bracelet, typical of sport watches of the 1980s and often inspired by the works of Gerald Genta. The bead-blasted case follows one shallow curve from the bottom lug to the top with a straight edge across the lug ends. As a result, the lug-to-lug length is only 39mm?the same as the case diameter?so it will be wearable on small wrists, but the flow from the case to the bracelet reduces the distinction of having such a short case and avoids it looking too diminutive compared to modern sport ...