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‘Orange is the happiest colour’ – Introducing the new Sinn 105 St Sa UTC W

Sinn is the king of combining uncompromising function and high-quality design in a decently priced package. It is released as part of Sinn’s latest 105 design collection

‘Orange is the happiest colour’ – Introducing the new Sinn 105 St Sa UTC W

Editor’s note: This is a Mind (stats), Body (design features) & Soul (what’s special) review of the new Sinn 105 St Sa UTC W watch. For our detailed reviews, please head to our dedicated review section here.  

new Sinn 105 St Sa UTC W

The legendary Frank Sinatra once said, “Orange is the happiest colour”. When it comes to the new Sinn 105 St Sa UTC W, its subtle use brings about a sense of contemporary warmth to the wrist that is both appreciated and welcome.

What is it: The new Sinn 105 St Sa UTC W ref. 105.021

Why: Because Sinn is the king of combining uncompromising function and high-quality design in a decently priced package. The new Sinn 105 St Sa UTC W is released as part of Sinn’s latest 105 design collection

When released: November 2020

Where: Available globally, not a limited edition release. In Australia, it is available through Define Watches

Who is it for: It is for those who would like to have a no-nonsense, functional  GMT timepiece

How does it do: Clean layout, no fuss, utilitarian and highly legible

Missing: For what it is worth, I would have preferred if Sinn used the Chronomètre grade version of the outsourced movement (with Glucydur balance wheel and COSC criteria) rather than the base Elaborè movement that seems to have been used. Also, the misalignment, or rather the ‘chewing off’ of the date window with the 6’o clock marker is bothering both my architectural background knowledge and my OCD.

new Sinn 105 St Sa UTC W

The Mind 

The reference 105.021 features the outsourced Sellita SW 330-1 automatic-winding movement that is anti-magnetic as per DIN 8309 movement and features 25 jewels and beats at the frequency of 4Hz (28,000 vph). The 26.20mm diameter and relatively thin 4.10mm thick movement usually provides with an okay 42-hour power reserve and a date complication at 3’o clock that’s been modified here by Sinn to be at 6’o clock instead. The SW330-1 is essentially a clone of the ETA 2893-2 and is used in Sinn offerings a fair bit. 

new Sinn 105 St Sa UTC W

The Body 

The movement is encased inside a 41mm diameter — 47.4mm lug to lug —and 11.9mm thick bead-blasted stainless steel case with a band lug width of 20mm and a screw-fastened case-back along with a screw-down crown and crown guards. The 200m water-resistant (and pressure resistant) case meets the technical requirements for waterproofness, as set out in standard DIN 8310. It’s a decently weighted watch coming in at 73 gramme weight sans strap. 

Sinn Watches 2020 17

The case frames a matt white dial — or matt black as a second variation — with indices and hands coated with luminescent colour. The pristine look of a white dial with legible indices and orange accents is both stylish and utilitarian.

The restrained use of colour adds to the class adding to the clean, cluster-free look we have gotten to love and expect from Sinn.

new Sinn 105 St Sa UTC W

The Soul 

Another standout feature of the new Sinn 105 St Sa UTC W is the rotating bidirectional captive 24-hour ratcheting bezel with a black hard coating that makes use of the brand’s TEGIMENT Technology that not only hardens the bezel surface for heavy-duty wear but also makes it scratch-resistant. 

new Sinn 105 St Sa UTC W

Enthusiasts who like to get the maximum out of there timepieces would also like to know that besides the GMT function, the arrow-shaped UTC hand can also be used to roughly determine cardinal points, when the current position of the sun is visible. If you’re located in the northern hemisphere, position the dial horizontally and turn the watch so that the 12-hour hand (ignoring daylight savings time) points to the sun. The 24-hour hand then points to the north.

I am going to end this with a note: comparisons of the new Sinn 105 St Sa UTC W with the Rolex Explorer II ref. 216570 are inevitable, and I have a fair share on social media and forums. The latter retails for 11’700 AUD while the former for only 2’700 AUD. The Rolex version is iconic and bold, and the Sinn is utilitarian and minimalistic. The Rolex has an in-house beast of a movement, the Sinn has an outsourced Sellita base movement. The bezel on the Explorer II is fixed, and on the Sinn in rotates. But there also a plethora of differences: the colour/material of the bezel, location of the date window, the case design and the cleaner (with less text) dial. So go on, take a breather, accept the new Sinn 105 St Sa UTC W for what it is.

It’s a simple no fuss timepiece, abides by the form follows function mandate, is highly legible, and is just a great under-the-radar GMT beater. For the market position it is placed in, the new Sinn 105 St Sa UTC W works. 

To find out more about this and other Sinn watches, please head to their website here. All images unless otherwise stated are © Sinn / Copyright Sinn Spezialuhren. To buy this and other Sinn watches, please head to the brand’s official watch dealer in Australia, Define Watches website here.

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