Sinn 104 St Sa A B E Limited Edition

Sinn has a long reputation for no-nonsense, well-priced, military-spec watches with functional design, instrumental technical solutions and, overall, a sense of durability. This resulted in great, technical-looking watches but also in a certain lack of coolness. The brand has, however, recently shown some evolutions by introducing more “fun” into the design, yet without forgetting its roots. This was clear with the recent 158 “Bundeswehr” Chronograph, and this is also true with the brand’s latest pilot’s watch, a vintage/military-inspired version of an icon. Meet the Sinn 104 St Sa A B E Limited Edition.

The Sinn 104 St Sa is the essential pilot’s watch of the brand, an icon that was created some years ago and that has quickly become a signature model. Not only is it one of the brand’s more accessible options (but it isn’t cheap, at all) but it has all the cool elements of its chronograph counterpart, the 103 St, with a simpler movement. It is a watch that Sinn names “Die Klassische Fliegeruhr”, or in English the classic pilot’s watch. And as such, it succeeds. However, as good as it is, the standard version with black dial and black bezel (here) is maybe lacking a bit of cool factor (at least, let’s say it is very classic).

However, for the past couple of years, the brand has decided to add some colours and retro touches to some of its most technical watches. Without compromising on the instrumental look and specs, it launched, for instance, a green version of the 104 St Sa. Today, the brand goes military and vintagey with a new version of this classic watch, the Sinn 104 St Sa A B E… Not the sexiest name for sure, but the watch itself has some appeal.

Technically speaking and regarding the specifications, no evolutions here. This watch shares all its attributes with the standard black version of the 104. This means a robust 41mm stainless steel polished case, a screw-down crown protected by shoulders, sapphire crystals front and caseback and a more-than-sufficient 200m water-resistance. Also, like all Sinn 104 St Sa, it features a bi-directional pilot’s bezel with aluminium insert and 60-minute countdown graduation.

What’s new here are the colours and straps. The dial of this “A B E Limited Edition” is presented in dark blue, with a sunray-brushed pattern. The same colour can be found on the bezel’s aluminium insert. The retro touch is given by the cream colour on the Arabic numerals and the hands (all luminous). The overall result is cool without feeling too gimmicky.

To complement this military-retro style, the Sinn 104 St Sa A B E Limited Edition is delivered with two straps, with a leather base and a canvas insert. One is grey, the other is light brown. Under the sapphire caseback is a well-known engine, the automatic Sellita SW 220-1, with day-date complication.

price and availability

The Sinn 104 St Sa A B E is a Limited Edition of 1,000 pieces. It will be available as of March 2020 and can be pre-ordered now on Sinn’s website. It will be priced at EUR 1,290 (compared to EUR 1,180 for the standard black model, with only 1 strap delivered). More details at www.sinn.de.