Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Sinn · U1
Sinn U1 42 mm Meteorite Sapphire
Reference 40693OR.83
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Sinn
- Collection
- U1
- Model
- Sinn U1 42 mm Meteorite Sapphire
- Reference number
- 40693OR.83
- Year / era
- 1961 · 1960s — pre-quartz mechanical era
- Complication
- Perpetual calendar
- Movement
- Automatic COSC chronometer
- Case material
- Sapphire crystal case
- Dial type
- Meteorite
- Strap / bracelet
- Jubilee bracelet
- Water resistance
- 300 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 42 mm
- Case thickness
- 12.6 mm
- Case material
- Sapphire crystal case
- Bezel
- Smooth polished
- Crystal
- Box sapphire with AR coating
- Dial
- Meteorite
- Hands
- Rhodium-plated baton hands with luminous fill
- Indexes
- Applied faceted white-gold indexes
- Bracelet / strap
- Jubilee bracelet
- Clasp / buckle
- Triple-folding clasp with safety catch
- Water resistance
- 300 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 53F — Automatic COSC chronometer
- Movement type
- High-frequency automatic
- Frequency
- 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 72 hours
- Number of jewels
- 27 jewels
- Complications
- Perpetual calendar
- Functions
- Hours, minutes, small seconds
- Watchmaker
- Finishing, assembly and timing are carried out in the manufacture's own atelier.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1961 – 1965
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Consistently trades above retail; waiting lists at authorised dealers remain long.
Designer
Jörg Hysek
Jörg Hysek left Rolex and Seiko's European studios to build a design practice in Geneva, giving houses such as Vacheron Constantin, Breguet, Seiko and TAG Heuer their sculptural, architecture-led cases before founding his own brand, HD3.
Historical significance
Sinn U1 42 mm Meteorite Sapphire sits within Sinn's U1 line, introduced in 1961. It carries the house codes established since 1961 — sapphire crystal case case, meteorite dial and automatic cosc chronometer — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The movement's bridges are decorated even where they will never be seen once the watch is cased.
- The bracelet tapers across its length, which is why the profile looks thinner on the wrist than the specification suggests.
The House
Sinn
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1961
- Founder
- Helmut Sinn
- Headquarters
- Germany
- Tier
- Affordable & Tool Watches
- Major collections
- 556, 104, EZM, U1, 903, Hydro
- Signature technologies
- Anti-magnetic silicon escapement · Shock-absorbing movement mounting
- Famous movements
- Automatic, 38-hour reserve · Automatic Powermatic 80 · Automatic COSC chronometer · Quartz
- Notable watches
- Sinn 556 42 mm Silvered 18k (1975) · Sinn 556 43 mm Slate Sapphire (1961) · Sinn 556 36 mm Mother-of-pearl 18k (1976) · Sinn 556 43 mm Ice 18k (1965)
Brand history
Sinn has spent more than 65 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's 556, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Helmut Sinn established Sinn in 1961, working from Germany at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Sinn calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1961
Helmut Sinn founds Sinn in Germany.
1969
The quartz era forces Sinn to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
Sinn enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
Sinn continues to produce 556, 104, EZM and other icons in limited numbers.