Thought's, opinion's and recommendations on my next purchase 🙏🏻

Great choice, mate! Congrats and enjoy! 🍻 As for recommendations, I'm not so much into dive watches, but try checking out Squale or Wise. Or perhaps the Seiko Prospex line. 

I love this watch, although I shouldn't.  I think that it is too big for me and I have already scratched the diver itch recently. However, I want other people to like it too.  There is variety in the Ocean Star line. Everyone overlooks Mido.

Thanks my friend. I've owned 3 Wise divers and also their dress watch, the ADAMASCUS AD9 with the Meteorite dial watch, flipped them all. As for Seiko Prospex watches I've owned so many I've lost count to be honest, my last was this one, again flipped it.

As for Squale, I'm not sure so I really need to check out their line up. Most I have seen are a bit blingy, if that's a word, so I just skip them. But I will have to have another look, maybe somewhere like Gnomon who carry a lot of Squale's in stock.

Cheers for taking the time to read my long and boring post and coming up with some recommendations, appreciated my friend 🙏🏻

My man!  Based on your preferences, I can't think of anything better than that Sinn.  Only question now is have you tried it on wrist?  Does it fit well?  What's it like in person?  

THAT should be the deciding factor!

Thank you my friend. 

I've looked at the Mido line up on Gnomon Watches a number of times and I must be looking at another one from their line up, I watched some reviews and they all had high polished cases, so a big no no for me, I'm to rough with my watches, so all those little micro scratches start showing up from day one. It was a particular bug bear of mine with the Sinn 104 LE I owned and as a consequence sold it. Such a shame, it was a gorgeous watch.

But you could definitely be onto something there with the Mido, I will have to waste another 4 hours of my days off to do some further research. 

Case looks brushed, but not the crown. It is very hard to tell with renderings.

No unfortunately, alas to try one on I would have to jump on a plane and visit Melbourne, which wouldn't be a bad thing, coffee and lunch with a good friend Peter Kotsa and looking at watches all day sounds like a great day out.

But a good friend who owns a Sinn AD in Melbourne and whom I've purchased off a number of times now contacted me after I showed some interest in the watch through his website said, that it wears exactly the same on wrist as the Sinn 104 I owned. So if I like the shape, feel and size of that watch I just have to imagine it with a bead blasted case and a crown at the 9 o'clock, also I trust his judgments and recommendations as a friend. Plus I have the option to sending back within 14 days if it's not what I was after.

If it fits like my 104, it would definitely be a winner 💯

If the 104 came with a brushed case, that would probably be the one I would go for

I've done a very quick search on Gnomon's site and their sitting at 43.5mm in diameter, so rather big for my dainty 7 inch wrist. I would have to see if I could try one on, something I would like to do with a brand I've not purchased before.

Pretty perfect choice for what you are looking for. I think you found your next watch.

I'm sure you are probably already aware of the Watchbuys site, it is a good reference for all things German in watches:

https://www.watchbuys.com/store/pc/home.asp

Good to hear you tried Wise and Seiko Prospex. Your experience with them surely has honed your criteria. 👍 Yup, check out Squale. 
I also looked at my old list, and you can check out the following: 
1) Astor+Banks Sea Ranger
2) Formex Reef
3) Halios Fairwind
4) Nodus Retrospect
5) NTH Odin
6) Orion Calamity
7) RLG Atlanticus & Odyssea
8) RZE Endeavor
9) Traska Freediver
10) Vero Ridge Trail
11) Zelos Mako 

Happy hunting! 

Living in Australia I must admit I'd never bothered to look at this site or any sites for that matter which are located overseas, import taxes and customs fees, like I'm sure you are forced to pay when purchasing outside of your home country add quite a bit to the overall cost of any particular watch. That being said if the price is considerably cheaper than one located in Australia it may very well turn out to be a good buy at a reasonable price.

Thanks for the link, I will definitely be having a look 🙏

Wow what a list mate, there's definitely a days worth of research there and a good way to spend my days off work.

Cheers and thanks for taking the time to reply with all the info 🙏

Have you considered a Rado Captain Cook? I looked at them over this past weekend. I was very impressed. 

I've only viewed them online as there is no AD that I'm aware of in Sydney. So from what I've seen online they look outstanding and very well made. At $3103 AUD plus import taxes is pushing my 3K limit and unfortunately they only seem to come with highly polished cases from what I have seen, so a scratch magnet.

But I appreciate your input and recommendations, if I could find a model with a brushed finish, Rado would definitely be worth a closer look 

Just 100m water resistance but 40mm with 48mm lug to lug. I think the Oris 65 looks great.

Your secret is safe my friend 🤐 😉

I have an EZM2 (basically the same design, but quartz with an oil filled case like the newer UX) and I love the darn thing. The case design Sinn uses on these EZMs (which is basically identical to the 104) is slim and comfortable and the dial is clear and legible. I think the EZM3 is the best mid sized diver Sinn makes - yes, even over the U50 - and is very competitive with the rest of the market. Other than not being Tegimented, it has every other trick in the book Sinn offers. If you don't want or need a dressier diver, the EZM3 can't be beat. 

EZM2 for reference 

I have a confession. There’s a lot to like, but almost every watch comes up short. 

I just can’t love the hands on the divers with the little squares on the ends. What is that?  I thought the Germans loved precision, but you can’t tell exactly where that square is pointing. And let’s pick a spot for the crown and stick with it. They make watches with crowns at 3, 4, 9, and god help me, 11. What the ever loving hell is that about?  A hundred years of watchmaking has to have thought us the two best places for a crown, so there’s no reason for 4 different locations. 
 

I’m looking to replace my daily wear diver later in the year, and I want to consider Sinn, but they’re doing their best to make it difficult.

Can somebody tell me what I’m missing here?

That is always the case, so I've been a good boy so far and blocked all watch related emails, stopped looking at YouTube reviews to reduce any temptation. I can't say it's the best way to go with getting cold sweats and withdrawals, being a complete pain in arse because I'm becoming irritable, so my wife and boy's tell me. But on the positive side I've now got the cash and so far I'm not divorced 🤣   

Stunning. I'm now officially jealous and green with envy of you my friend 🤢 I must admit I didn't even see the quartz version, unless it's not sold in Australia.

I had a 104 and I loved everything about that watch, the fit, the comfort factor, the size for my 7 inch wrist was spot on, it was very legible at a glance. total strap monster with it's white dial and red seconds hand. All those good points, so why did I sell it, polished case, if it wasn't for that one thing it would still be sitting in my watch box or on my wrist today.

So when a friend showed me the EZM, I was like, why didn't I ever notice this model in the first place, I'm such a fool 😩 It has everything I love about the 104 but with loads of spec's that the higher end Sinn's offer. 

I traded my 104 ST SA I W RS Special Edition for a Tutima Seven Seas, which was a great watch, but with it's yellow dial it was only really suitable for summer months really and also the case was rather large at, I think 44mm, but very comfortable on wrist due to the amazing strap.

I've also just been offered a 104 Limited Edition Matt finished Sinn, complete with box and papers ect at 1K off retail, which is only 1 month old. It's a great looking watch and has all the looks I'm after but I just can't get the EZM out of my mind now and I don't want to buy a substitute watch that I may regret later on.

The 104 is lovely, but it doesn't have the magnetic resistant cage or inert gas case fill. They're useful features that I think elevates the EZMs above the 104 and 105. The matte finish models sure are cool though. 

Thanks about the EZM2! They've been out of production since 2006 or 2007, so I had to search one out on the used market. It wasn't easy to find, but not impossible. The UX was it's replacement and is a better watch from an engineering perspective, but it's too big for my taste. Tracking down the EZM2 was worth it. 

I'm going to have a stab here and I may very well be wrong, I'm only guessing what be the reasoning behind the crown positioning. 

The watches are made with special groups in mind, like special forces, land, sea rescue groups and pilots of course, if the crown is at the 3 o'clock, you really need to take the watch off to adjust anything and for some the crown can tend to dig into the back of the wrist or hand, depending on where you wear your watch. At the nine o'clock it would be suitable for lefties plus for right handed people it would take the crown away from the back of your hand.

The 4 o'clock positioning again it may stop the crown from digging in as much as the 3 position, that's why I believe Seiko and others do the same. The 11 o'clock crown position would probably be for ease of use while the watch is still on the wrist and these models were made with the German special forces in mind.

Sinn UX GSG 9 Special Forces Tegiment

There's the Chronographs with a internal rotating bezel so they either put that crown at the 11 or 4 o'clock position, again ease of use while the watch is on your wrist, at the 2 o'clock I can say it's annoying to adjust while on wrist as that's how the Direnzo is positioned.

Sinn 903 St B E

In my opinion I think it's great that Sinn offer a wide range of crown positioning options on the various models, it gives us, the consumer more choices, if they were all at the 3 o'clock certain buyers may be put off and some collectors or even just a one watch person may want a choice for a more accessible crown while on their wrist, like special forces or pilots ect.. Plus some of us like quirky watch designs, so I think their cover all the bases here.

As for the hands, not all the models have the square ends on the hands, only a selected few models. So again if your not into that look, there is other options to choose from.

I've gone through the Sinn catalog and from what I've seen it only seems to be the U1 and U50 models that have these "squared ended styled hands" the majority don't.

In the end Kris we all have different tastes and not all watches are for everyone, I just like Sinn as a brand and love what they do, so I'm not defending Sinn as far as their design choices etc I just appreciate them. 

Each to their own as they say 😉

I'm not adverse to owning a quartz watch, especially one of such great quality, all Sinn's watches are outstanding and I could have a collection of just all Sinn's and be perfectly happy.

I think I'll have to search on Chrono24 for that model and see if I get lucky, if not I'll try a few other sites I know of and see what I can come up with, as I said I'd be happy with all Sinn's in the collection 💯

Maybe Sinn's just not for you.  That's ok.

That may be. It’s just that I like enough of what I see from them that I find a few things disappointing.  If I though their whole way of doing things wasn’t for me, I wouldn’t care. 
 

Thanks for the response. I was half trying to be funny, but those things do annoy me and I appreciate you taking the time to explain your take on them. 
 

I have a Seiko SKX so the 4 o’clock crown is t completely foreign to me. But there’s just something about it I don’t like the look of. I think it’s a symmetry issue. I prefer date windows at 6, but don’t mind 3 too much. But man, the 4 o’clock date just looks like a last minute add on to me. I think the crown is the same, to me it doesnt look well thought out anywhere but 3. Yes, there’s thought in putting it higher or lower to keep it from digging into the hand, but I’ve never had a problem with that so it seems unnecessary. 

I believe the hands are a submarine thing, but they just irk me. 
 

I think what I’m look’ing for is a Sinn diver with sword hands and a crown at 3. With so many choices, it strikes me as odd they don’t seem to make that. 

Yeah I get your point and I suspected that you were just joking around with your comments, like we all do here on WC, we can't help but take the piss, as we like to say in Australia, it's never a personal thing 😉

I have the old SKX and never minded the crown position, it just felt like the norm for me I guess. I'm with you on the date positioning though, I much prefer it located at the 6 or if I have a choice, no date window at all. These days with every electronic device screaming days and dates in your face everywhere you turn I just don't see them point, plus annoying to set the date if your watch stops. The only thing about the date on, in particular the EZM, it's not that intrusive and unless you look for it, it sort of disappears into the dial, which in a way makes it useless but good as well from an ascetic perspective, being red font it hides it even more so.  

Have you tried looking in their back catalog for something that ticks all the boxes for you, I keep finding models on places like Chrono24 that are no longer made and look great, in my humble opinion anyway.

Anyway mate keep the interactions coming and don't stop with the banter, I love it myself and quite often chuck in a cheeky remark here and there, but I do tread lightly until I know the recipient won't get offended or WC blocks me again 🤣

I hear you!  If Oris would do a couple of things differently, I'd be all over them...

A very important factor regarding Sinn watches is they only use top grade movements and regulate them very precisely. This why their watches are very accurate and  perform to COSC. Not all brands do this 

I love the EZM3F you like (with black strap better). Not sure if you‘ll like it but I enjoy since 2016 an 856 B-Uhr which I use specially during the summer and when I need a tough and resistant tool (for travelling or even daily use)

It has 1000 Gauss magnetic resistance which is nice, Tegiment case, 200 m WR, AR coating, date hidden at 4, good lume and a Sellita 300 very accurate.

slim case and versatile with the straps. They still have it in their catalogue for less money than the EZM.