U50 Watch: One Year Review & Reference Guide

Here’s a quick review of my year with the U50, or the story of a watch which wasn’t supposed to join the collection, a feeling most of you will have experienced if you are old enough. I find it quite interesting that two of my most recent purchases fall into this category, including my freshly acquired Casablanca, to be covered in a separate post.

Growing around water I have always gravitated towards dive watches from a functionality point of view and like many I started with a Seiko SKX. While I am fortunate to be able to enjoy entry to mid-level luxury models on occasion such as my PAM25 submersible, my primary zone of interest is at the intersection of functionality, affordability and quirkiness. This has resulted in Doxa and Yema entering the collection on several occasion. The same guiding principles resulted in my first chronograph being a Sinn 103 ST, after a lengthy comparison with the Speedmaster:

I have very clear recollections about the design language of the Sinn U1 with its blocky and childish looking dial and handset being over the top and gimmicky even as someone on the side of quirky dive watches. The U1 is also a monster of a watch and I was looking for something more compact and versatile. I had read many positive reviews about the U50 but my experience with the T50 looking too similar in size to my Doxa made me wonder what to expect. I had also seen photos of the limited edition U1 DS and while I liked the monochromatic look of the watch the Dekorschliff (Decorative Cut) dial sounded like a weird idea at best. 

(U1 DS, credits: ablogtowatch)

I was initially aiming for an EZM3 (50bar WR) or the slightly thinner EZM3F (20bar WR) for their simple, toolish design, at the same time I had read extensively about Sinn’s Tegiment treatment and was curious about checking its advertised benefits first-hand. The U50DS mix of high specs (50bar WR), excellent anti-reflective coating, fully tegimented case, bezel, bracelet and restraint in the use of colors proved to be an irresistible combination. Sinn have been coming up with a flurry of new models over the past few years and significantly increased their physical retail presence which allowed me to check many models in person. I wrote a quick post about it here.

While being a limited edition of 1000 pieces (500 for the U1), finding a U50DS is still relatively easy. I found a dealer with a few in stock and was able to select a dial of my liking, each one having unique dials with different cut patterns.The mix of bead-blasted and tegimented steel feels soft, almost velvet-like to the touch, with a tiny bit of sparkle under early morning or late afternoon natural light.

Scratch resistance has proven to be outstanding, despite taking a beating at work where desks use a very abrasive and resistant material. One year separate the two pictures below, Tegiment treatment seems to work best with steel, I have seen old titanium clasps in particular start to show blemishes after years of abuse.

Tegiment treatment is surface hardening - not a coating – but it is its own kryptonite as can be seen below where the safety fold-over rubs against the clasp and shows minor scratches. I had read about it and that’s why I avoid resting the case on the open clasp at night to avoid scratching the caseback:

I am glad that Sinn are now offering a milled clasp for those who had been asking for one for a long time, although I have no issue with the stamped metal clasp. I did remove the useless and sub-par diving extension which has a well-documented tendency to release at the wrong time with little effort and which may result in accidental loss of the watch. My clasp closes with two very mechanical clicks while not remaining slim and not getting in the way.

Lume is a bit underwhelming compared to some of my other watches but the large application on the blocky hands partly makes up for it and allows for easy reading well into the night if needed. Thanks to the high contrast dial and hands, legibility remains excellent in all conditions which is remarkable considering that there is not a single polished surface on the watch.

After a year of daily wear, multiple business trips and airport security checks, the watch looks as good as it did a year ago:

(November 2023 on the left and December 2024 on the right)

The uniqueness of the DS dial has proven to be an immense source of inspiration and satisfaction for the amateur photographer in me. If you are in the market for a slim yet capable dive watch a bit different from the mainstream makers, do yourself and favor and go try on a U50, you may just like it!