Sinn 556A or Formex Essence 39

Sinn is more legible...

@AllTheWatches any thoughts on Formex?

Sinn makes some amazing watches, however that crown on the 556 immediately disqualifies it for me, ditto for the 4:30 date.

As far as Formex, they are amongst the best in the sub $2k space and the Essence 39 is a lovely watch with an excellent bracelet through some may or may not like the butterfly clasp, if so, get the strap with the quick adjust buckle…it is excellent.

Regarding discounts, Long Island Watch sells Formex, and they regularly have discount codes. Do with that info what you will. :-).

The crown on the 556? What is hard for me to get past is any watch brand selling a watch over 1K that does not have an on-the-fly adjustable clasp.

From a purely aesthetic perspective, I would choose the Sinn. The fact that it has an excellent reputation for build quality and doesn't cost the earth just seal the deal.

The Formex just looks a bit, well, non-descript.

That said, I've owned neither. So what do I know 😂

I own the 556A, and am a big fan of the watch. I am pretty sure the Sinn uses the top grade movement and regulate it. My runs very accurately, well within COSC standards. The clasp does not bother me, though I do not own a watch with an adjustable clasp. That being said, Sinn just came out with an adjustable clasp, but it has not been released for the 556 yet.

Oh, I will be looking for that. Thanks for the info.

What is with the crown on the 556? I am not aware of this?

Some may like it, some may not, it is their top hat style (same on their 104. It is fine, but it stick out too far for my preference and once you see it, you cannot unsee it.

I see it now. It kind of reminds me of the Dryden heartlander. Great watch for the price, awesome customer service, but the crown sticks out far too much.

And once you see it, you cannot unsee it.

Dang it. Selling mine tomorrow.

I am not a fan of the crown guards. Get rid of them and you could have a shorter crown.

Sorry!

Agreed. I don’t mind crown guards, but are these really guarding the crown or highlighting its length?

Dang you. It is all I can see now.

Haha … indeed.

The simplicity and flatness of the Sinn is exactly what appeals to me. The Formex feels unnecessarily adorned, fussed and over-styled. “Non-descript” was probably a poor choice of words, I meant it only in the sense that so many watches are similarly over-styled.

Anyway, here’s to the full spectrum of human taste. :)

They look very different. Go with the one that you think you'll enjoy looking at more on your wrist; not paper specifications, or others' opinions!

Hey Case,

Personally, I prefer Sinn’s design. The matte black dial with oversized arabics and sword hands just work well for me. The splash of red in the RS version is appreciated but tbh the watch looks great even with the non-RS version.

A big issue of the Sinn is that the clasp sucks. They have a new clasp coming out but I believe they’re charging $150 on top of the $300 upcharge for the H-link bracelet. $450 for a bracelet is steep no matter how you look at it.

So perhaps what could be interesting is to look at after-market bracelets. Uncle Straps sells one for the Sinn 556 for $100 so if you opt for the leather 556 instead of the bracelet, you could get the Sinn’s price for quite a bit lower than Formex’.

Something to consider :). It’s a possibility I’m entertaining myself as I love the Sinn 556 but I have issues dropping almost 500 bucks for a steel bracelet.

The Sinn is iconic and unique while the Formex looks like a lot of watches out there. Both use top grade SW200

Formex is a cleaner look

Sinn!

Sinn

I'm going to look at Uncle Straps. Thank you.

Don’t have any experience with Sinn, as for my Formex it’s my most recent purchase and it’s been an incredible success. Perfect dimensions for a sports watch. It works on multiple bands for any occasion. Highly recommend!

Is that the 39?

Yes it’s the 39! I tried on the 43mm in store and it also had great look and finish. I was more personally drawn to the 39mm case size.

That's part of the tough choice. 39 vs 43

Okay too much discussion to read it all so there may be some redundancy here.

I own the 556A RS and am wearing it as we speak. I happen to quite like the crown guards, though I see at last some people don't. Odd.

I've also tried on the Essence 39 at a local AD. They are actually really quite nice. If I hadn't had my heart set on the Oris Pro Pilot X Calibre 400 that I ordered finally later the same day as I tried on the Formex, I might have bought one. (I was looking for a less expensive option I'd love just as much, and didn't quite get there.)

I'm not sure why you would think the suspension system would make it less comfortable to wear. If anything, it improves the comfort. It's a really nice watch. I'm partial to the white dial version as I didn't like the vertical brushing marks alongside the horizontal lines (I do like these), and on the darker dials those vertical brushing lines were quite apparent. For me that was a non-starter, but I nearly bought the white dial version.

Here's a pic of me trying on the Essence 39 that I nearly bought (and probably should have, at less than half the price of my Oris, sigh):

All that said... I'd probably still get my Sinn first if I didn't already have it. It's my first mechanical watch and I still love it to death (about 20.5 months into owning it).

Have owned both and gave both away to my two daughters. Then bought a 556 I.B.

Cannot go wrong with either.

Ok so while I like the way both of these look I think that there is a very clear answer correct answer here.