Sinn is celebrating its 65th anniversary with a limited edition of one of its most peculiar watches. Not peculiar in terms of design, but because it feels like an outlier to the rest of their catalog, though in some respects, it’s also the most recognizable. The Sinn 903 is a pilot’s chronograph with an internal slide rule bezel that bears a striking resemblance to another famous watch, the Breitling Navitimer. But it’s important to note that it’s not a copy of a Navitimer. Rather, Sinn has owned the rights to this design since the late 1970s.
A cult classic, it stands out aesthetically from Sinn’s other instrument watches, which tend to have a toolish, stripped-down look. By comparison, the 903 is more elaborate and, given its associations with the design, a more Swiss-luxury aesthetic. With that said, as Sinn is Sinn, they bring their engineering flair, while also keeping the price relatively approachable. This is true for the general 903 models, but even more so for the 65th anniversary model, the 903 Ti II Anniversary.
Interestingly, you’ll see the number two in the name, because Sinn actually made a previous version of a 903 in titanium for its 35th anniversary. Why the 903 and why titanium? Well, we don’t know, but it’s certainly a welcome metal for this watch, and, as it’s been 30 years, a welcome return. Sinn uses grade five titanium for the case and the five-link bracelet, which has a bright, steel-like look that can be polished, while still benefiting from titanium’s light weight.
Reflecting the highly sought-after 35th anniversary edition, the new 903 65th anniversary features a silver internal bezel and a bright blue sunray dial with rhodium-plated subdials. It’s a clean, classic look that pairs well with the brightness of the grade 5 titanium, especially on the bracelet. The case is sized fairly nicely at 41mm in diameter, 48.5mm lug-to-lug, and 14.5mm tall, including the crystals. It also has a 22m lug width.
In terms of engineering tech, Sinn’s 903 utilizes DSP technology, which stands for Dynamically Sealing Material Compound, Special Lubricating Grease, and Precision Pairing. What this means is that the bezel, which is an internal bezel that rotates via an external grip, still offers 200m water resistance. This is a big improvement over another brand’s Navitimer, which is limited to 30m. Additionally, Sinn is using a ceramic luminous compound for the hour markers and hands, which should glow very brightly.
Powering the 903 Ti 2 Anniversary is a column wheel chronograph from La Joux Perret. Decorated with blued screws, a blued column wheel, perlage, and Geneva stripes, the La Joux Perret movement also features a frequency of 28.800 bph and a 60-hour power reserve. Priced at $4,950 and limited to 500 units with a serialized rotor, the Sinn 903 Ti II Anniversary comes as a box set that includes the bracelet, an additional shell cordovan strap, and a strap-changing tool.
While the 903 Ti II Anniversary Edition sits towards the top end of Sinn’s chronograph catalog, at $4,950 for a grade 5 titanium case with a grade 5 titanium bracelet, an additional shell cordovan strap, a nicely decorated, Swiss-made automatic column wheel movement, Sinn’s well-regarded build quality, and engineering, it’s a very compelling offering for that iconic aesthetic. It’s also priced at about half of what an entry-level Breitling Navitimer costs.
In addition to the Anniversary Edition, Sinn has also released two new colors of the 903: a bright green sunray dial and an anthracite gray dial. Both are available with a leather strap for $4,260 or a steel bracelet for $4,680. Sinn
