The new Sinn 104 St Sa I MG ensures its time for watches to turn green with envy
Editor’s note: Like you, we are also excited for all the new 2021 releases. Before we get to dive deep into the releases and go hands-on with as many of these as the two of us here can, here’s our preview and the Gut Reaction Review (Grr…) of the new Sinn 104 St Sa I MG. For our other detailed hands-on reviews, please head to our dedicated reviews section here.
Gut Reaction
That shimmering metallic-green dial has to be the star of the show here. But my first reaction was to marvel at how balanced the design looked; legibility is spot on, the hands don’t look out of place, the bright green works exceptionally well with the bi-directional black bezel, and the day-date complication only makes this even more perfect. Add to the mix a decently decorated movement for the price, an outsourced but trusted calibre, sapphire crystal, screw-down crown and case-back, and 200m water-resistance, and you have for yourself a beast of a sturdy, handsome pilot’s watch.
The next reaction I had was how practical and daily-wearable it appears to be. Looking at the specs — below in detail — only confirmed that reaction. But even aesthetically, the new Sinn 104 St Sa I MG has a great chameleon-like quality where it changes its personality easily based on what strap you put it on. We have done some mock-ups with official Sinn straps below and I am amazed by the versatility of this timepiece.
The Watch
Sinn presents the new 104 St Sa I MG ref. 104.0131 in a polished stainless steel case. Retailing for 2’200 AUD — we are not sure about this as the brand hasn’t confirmed this to us, but I am going off the retail for the Sinn 104 St Sa I RS Special Edition — regular production release features the SW 220-1 movement which is a 25.60mm diameter movement that comprises of 26 jewels, beats at the frequency of 4Hz, and offers a 42-hour power reserve.
Sinn, Oris and Eterna fairly regularly use this movement in their watches, so rest assured, it’s tried and tested. The movement is encased inside a 41mm diameter and 11.9mm thick case that weighs 73 grams without a strap, features a sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both sides and a captive bezel, and for those who like to change their straps often (like myself), the good news is that it makes use of 20mm interhorn lug-spacing.
The case is waterproof and pressure-resistant to 200m (20 ATM or 20 bar) and meets the technical requirements for waterproofness, as set out in standard DIN 8310. The securely attached pilot’s bezel with minute ratcheting is bi-directional and makes use of a legible and distinctive luminous triangle as a key mark.
Landscape
What happens when you take two of the best 2020 limited-edition releases from your brand and combine them? The new Sinn 104 St Sa I MG is the perfect baby of the 1000-piece LE blue dialled 104 St Sa A B E and the 500-piece LE 103 Sa G. If you don’t believe us, see the pictures below for yourself. The new offering takes the best of both watches and thankfully presents them in a non-limited avatar. If there is one Sinn watch now on my personal radar, then this is it.
It is also very similar to the 2019 Sinn 104 St Sa A G (shown above right), that again featured the same dimensions. But those who bought that limited edition (of 500-pieces) watch, don’t fret; there are a few differences to maintain the novelty factor: it used the ETA 2836-2 movement and featured Arabic numerals instead of stick indices.
Quotable
The brand describes it succinctly as: “A traditional pilot watch designed in true, traditional SINN style. Accordingly, our 104 St Sa I MG model presents a clear structure, thus offering optimum readability of the time, date and day of the week”.
Wish List
The power-reserve should be a bit more. Other than that, I love it.
That’s All Folks!
So there you have it: for about 2000AUD, you get a stunning timepiece that is marked by the beautiful, shimmering, metallic green dial. Personally, it was love at first sight and perhaps is the best Sinn release this year IMHO.
It’s modern, in-trend, youthful but the best part is that it is unmistakably Sinn. On the whole, it’s a well-built, German pilot’s watch that challenges the status quo without rebelling against what the brand stands for.
To find out more about the new Sinn 104 St Sa I MG and other Sinn watches, please head to their website here. All images unless otherwise specified are © Sinn / Copyright Sinn Spezialuhren. Make sure to check out our reviews of other 2021 releases here.
