How do you protect a wristwatch from shocks, scratches, extreme temperatures and water" Sinn has discovered innovative solutions and integrated them into most of its watches. The developmental work was costly, but the watches remain accessible. Discover how the brand does it in this feature from our May 2019 issue.
When mechanical engineer Lothar Schmidt took control of the Frankfurt-based Sinn watch brand in 1994, he planned to use his technical knowledge and add innovative technologies to Sinn?s watches to enhance their functionality. The brand was founded in 1961 by pilot Helmut Sinn and sold pilots? watches using Swiss private-label products. Schmidt renamed the firm Sinn Spezialuhren (Special watches) and the new company developed its first watch, manufactured with its own tools, in 1994. Model 244 had magnetic-field protection and a freely oscillating suspended movement. In 1995, Sinn premiered a 22k gold watch fabricated from a newly created alloy that made the precious metal as scratch resistant as stainless steel. That same year, Sinn introduced its complex Ar-Dehumidifying Technology for divers? watches in the 203 Ti Ar. Other innovations soon followed. Schmidt transformed the brand into a company with its own technology, its own tools and its own development department. The private-label era was over. As an engineer, Sinn CEO Lothar Schmidt values innovation.
Schmidt entered the watch industry in a roundabout way. After earning a degree in engineering and se...