Sinn 556i Review

Sinn watches hardly need an introduction here on w&w. Generally a favorite amongst tool watch fans, military watch fans and affordable watch enthusiasts; Sinn’s pack incredible craftsmanship, over-engineered tech and restrained style all into generally accessibly priced packages. From their newest offerings every year at Basel, to reviewing some of their classics, to an exclusive interview with brand founder, Helmut Sinn, we’ve got the brand pretty well covered. If you need a refresher, or this is your first time encountering them, check out our Sinn archive.

Today, I’ll be taking a look at the entry-level Sinn, the 556i. Along with its fraternal twin, the 556a, these two watches represent the least expensive new watches available from the brand, coming in at $1090 on leather*. Since the review will talk about everything the watch has going in its favor, here I will talk about what it doesn’t have: Sinn tech. Sinn is known for it’s various technologies, most notably Tegimented cases (hardened to 1200 vickers surface), copper sulphate capsules (de-humidifying), anti-magnetic shrouds and others you can read about here. The 556’s lack any of that, as do other models, such as the 356 and 103. So, the 556i is less about engineering and more about aesthetics and execution. Essentially, it’s just a very straightforward, well-made German sport watch featuring an ETA 2824-2 and sapphire crystals front and back.