We've become big Sinn fans here at WatchReport, and today I learned of a new model, the 657. Available in black chromed steel (shown) or stainless, this update to the 657 adds some features of interest:

• Updated bezel design, more durable and more readable markers
• Size increased to a more modern 40mm by 12mm
• Added a black chapter ring around the dial for readability.

Those are just the new features! In addition, it's a bulletproof watch for extreme environments:

• Anti-magnetic to 80,000 A/m, which works out to about 1000 Gauss, or 0.1T, the same as the Rolex Milgauss. As with the Milgauss, Sinn used an iron dial and soft iron movement casing inside the watch to achieve this.
• Double-sided anti-reflective-coated sapphire crystal, very scratch resistant.
• Waterproof to 200m (660ft), which is exceptional for a pilot's watch.
• Very unusually, it's rated for low pressures too, again for pilots in unpressurized cockpits.
• Stainless steel case, about 77g without the bracelet or band.

The movement is based on the tractor ETA 2824-2, a well-known and reliable Swiss automatic. The product page, auto-translated from German, is here via Google, and the original is here at sinn.de.

Street price for the stainless version is about 1600USD, I would expect that the black chrome version would be a few hundred dollars more. I really like this one, and after Christian's review of the 856C I'm dying to see one of these in person.

View the Sinn 856 UTC photo gallery.

In my tireless search for unique, robust, and beautiful watches, it was inevitable that I would someday be wearing a Sinn. I chose the 856 UTC as my first Sinn because it represents a very nice balance between functionality and design.

Before I get into the specifics of the 856, I want to provide a little background on the Sinn brand. Sinn is a German watch company that has been making mechanical watches since 1961. Sinn is owned by Lothar Schmidt who, in addition to having been with IWC and A. Lange & Söhne in the past, happens to be an engineer. I mention this fact because Schmidt's background in engineering clearly manifests itself in the design of many Sinn watches, including the 856 UTC.

Features of the Sinn 856 UTC include:

View the Orient CFT00004B Photo Gallery.

The Orient CFT00004B is a handsome, semi-dressy sport watch which incorporates Orient's own 46R40 self-winding automatic movement. It has a great looking polished case and bracelet, a power reserve indicator, a slide rule, and an "open heart" skeleton dial that shows the balance wheel and the crown and stem assembly.

The Case

This is a well balanced watch with a 43.7mm case that sits 12.1mm off your wrist. The case is polished and has a pleasant shine to it that compliments the fixed bezel and the nicely shaped dual crown system. The 9 o'clock crown is for setting the time while the 4 o'clock crown operates the internal slide rule. As a side note, before you decide to buy a watch with a slide rule, I recommend that you read up on how to use it, and make sure it's something you really want. They are complicated and difficult to use, and tend to make the dial much busier than a simple dive-style timing bezel. The slide rule on the Orient CFT00004B is unique in that it's internal (below the crystal) which means it's operated by a crown rather than rotating it directly. Internal rotating bezels, or reflectors, are usually reserved for dive watches since you don't want the bezel to get bumped and inadvertently adjusted; this is the first time we've seen one one a pilot style watch.

The dial and movement are sandwiched between twin sapphire crystals to give you a view of both the time and the technology behind it. The dial is cluttered but easy to read, thanks to the exaggerated arabic markers at the twelve and six o'clock positions as well as ample markers and long, wide hands. All the markers and hands have decent lume that lasts long enough to be usable, but don't quite give Seiko or Ocean7 a run for their money. The Orient CFT00004B does not have a date feature which is one of my few complaints.

This is the second Orient I've owned. The first was the "Red Beast", a boisterous diver that crowded your wrist and screamed out with its bright red face and massive hands. The CFT00004B seems to be more accurate than its diver cousin, and bears less resemblance to the Miota automatics found driving Invictas and automatic Citizen divers. This is a nice watch with an asian movement that keeps better time then one might think, given the price.

View the TX 730 photo gallery.

When we think of Timex, we usually think of the king of the American bargain bin. Timex is known for inexpensive "drugstore" watches sold in places like Walmart and Target. But they are good inexpensive watches, and because they are such a good value, we like Timex. Besides, any company that has put over a billion watches on wrists over the years deserves and gets our respect.

And now, with their new TX line of premium quartz watches, Timex deserve even more respect. The TX 730 Flyback Chronograph is a watch to stand against the canons of Asian elites like Seiko and Citizen. Like Ford beating Ferrari with the GT40 in the LeMans in 1966, Timex is showing the world that even a good old-fashioned American staple can rise to the occasion.

Features of the TX 730 include:

• PVD coated stainless steel case, and PVD coated bracelet with solid end links (SEL).
• 46mm case.
• German designed 6-hand quartz movement.
• Sapphire crystal.
• Analog time, retrograde GMT, retrograde chronograph, and compass.
• Date between the 2 and 3 o'clock positions.
• 100m water resistance (about 330 feet).
• Retail price of $550.

Case and Hands

Given the price point, the case is very good, and the finish is on par with the Seikos and Citizens that tend to dominate this price range. The crystal is flat and sits over an inky black dial with inlaid markers that are too small to glow brightly in low light. The hands are interesting, unique, and nicely fashioned, however they, too, do not glow as brightly as I would have liked. This is one area where TX has some room for improvement.

We've never covered a Wenger watch before, but with the introduction of the AeroGraph Countdown Chrono at Basel this year, with it's interesting combination of style and functionality, we figured it was finally time.

At first glance, the Aerograph Countdown Chronograph seems like a pretty standard watch: quartz movement, stainless steel case, 3-dial chronograph, and a date visible at the 4 o'clock position. However, take a closer look at the bezel, and you'll see that the numbers count down instead of up! We've only seen this on a very unusual Seiko dive watch, the Kobold Phantom, and the Sinn 103 UTC.

Most bezels count up. In other words, you rotate the bezel until the 0 is aligned with the minute hand, and as the minute hand moves, it counts up to a maximum of 59 minutes. With a countdown bezel, on the other hand, you rotate the bezel to a start time, and then when the minute hand hits zero, time is up. Simple, useful, quick, and honestly, probably more useful than a traditional bezel since you don't have to remember the target time once the bezel is set.

Wenger is marketing the AeroGraph Countdown Chrono to pilots, but it's equally handy for (light) diving, cooking, parking meters, or simply "call me back in 25 minutes".

Here are the specifications:

• 316L stainless steel case.
• Quartz movement.
• Three-dial (60sec/30min/12hr) analog chronograph.
• Date at the 4 o'clock position.
• Waterproof to 100m (330ft).
• Four versions:
  • Brown dial with a leather strap.
  • Black dial with a bracelet.
  • Black dial with a leather strap.
  • PVD-coated black with a black and orange strap.
• "'Scratch-proof" crystal (almost certainly mineral glass).
• Unusual count-down bezel (our favorite feature).
• SuperLuminova-coated markers and hands (should be very readable at night).
• List price of 450 - 530 Swiss francs (about the same in dollars right now).

For a change, I actually really like the brown-dial version, but I suspect the PVD-black version (which we couldn't find a picture of) would be gorgeous. The price isn't bad, either. We promise to keep more of an eye on Wenger in the future.

By Paul Hubbard

There aren't a lot of people who need a watch that can survive the airless void of space, but Richard Garriott happens to be one of them. He's headed for the International Space Station and some extra-vehicular activity (spacewalking). Garriott could have just chosen to wear the vacuum-rated Omega Speedmaster, or maybe a Fortis Cosmonaut, but instead he turned to one of my favorite watchmakers: Seiko.

Seiko has a long tradition of creating limited-edition watches for explorers in extreme environments. They've made some extraordinary watches, and routinely use the lessons learned in later production models. For example, they made Landmasters for trips to both poles (the GMT hand goes counter-clockwise for the Landmaster South Pole!), an amazing shrouded diver for commercial divers, a ceramic and titanium masterpiece for Mt. Everest, and even a watch specifically designed for hikers of Japan's mountains. As most of these are limited editions, they are tragically hard to find, and rarely even seen.

For Garriott, Seiko has designed a true masterpiece introduced this year at BaselWorld: the Seiko Spring Drive Spacewalk. Have a look at these features:

• Spring Drive 5R86 movement for accuracy under the extreme temperature swings of space (-20° to +70° Celsius, or about -4° to 160° Fahrenheit).
• Titanium case with the sides etched out by a new CNC (computer numerical control) machine that Seiko built in order to help get the weight down to only 92.5 grams.
• Completely air-tight case capable of surviving direct exposure to space.
• Oversized buttons for use while wearing space gloves.
• Domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating.
• Waterproof to 100m, or 330ft (in case of a water landing, I guess).
• 12-hour chronograph.
• GMT hand for 24-hour UTC time (which is used in both space and aviation).
• New luminescent material that Seiko says is three times as bright as a typical luminescent watch.
• A special dial and hand design for maximum readability.
• 53mm by 15.2mm which is huge.
• Limited edition of just 100 watches (price not yet announced).

They made some interesting design decisions on this one, and I'm smitten by the results. The dial is ultra-readable, with unobtrusive chrono hands, a subtle but still readable "there if you need it" blue skeletonized GMT hand, and bold white hour and minute hands reminiscent of the 6S37 Flightmaster. The power reserve subdial is subdued, and the date window is symmetric with the 9 o'clock marker. Blue makes a low-key accent, carefully placed to be non intrusive. The sculpted case and top-mounted buttons and crown (referred to as a "bullhead" design) make for a stunning and unique timepiece.

The Seiko Spring Drive Spacewalk is to space what the new Rolex Sea-Dweller DEEPSEA is to the ocean. Even at 53mm, I'd happily wear it. It's gorgeous, functional, and built like a titanium tank. Let's hope Seiko introduces a production model soon.

Update (June 15): Richard Garriott gives us an update on how the Seiko Spacewalk is performing so far during training.

Today I'd like to introduce you to another maker of fine aviation watches that we think you'll like: Fortis. Meaning "strong" in Latin, Fortis was founded in 1912 by Walter Vogt in Switzerland, and has made a strong resurgence since 1987. Specializing in flight and space watches, Fortis is the official supplier to the Russian space program and the International Space Station. They have a strong design aesthetic of clear faces, instrument-themed hands, and high-contrast dials. Very functional, and with their ETA/Valjoux movements, quite reliable as well. I'd like to pick a few out of their lineup to go over in detail.

The Fortis Flieger

Probably the most iconic Fortis is their classic Flieger watch. Built around the well-known ETA 2824-2 automatic movement, it's 40mm wide (also available in a 34mm wide case) and features a screw-down crown and caseback that combine for an unusual (for an aviation watch) 200m (660ft) water resistance. The super-hard sapphire crystal is anti-reflective coated on both sides, and the hands and indices are superluminova-coated for legibility under any conditions. I've actually opened one of these and regulated it; it's well-made and quite sturdy. I was impressed, and enjoyed wearing it for a day. The orange second hand is wonderful, and I really like the uncluttered face and dramatic hour & minute hands. With a street price of around $600, it's a good price for a solid Swiss watch of high function and durability.

View the Citizen Skyhawk A-T photo gallery.

Most pilots and aviation enthusiasts tend to be gadget lovers. Whether it's an entirely new digital avionics package in the cockpit, or one of the most advanced aviation watches on the market, we lust after it. So when the Citizen Skyhawk A-T was announced last year, my interest was piqued. While the Skyhawk line of aviation watches has almost 15 years of history and refinement, the combination of Citizen's Eco-Drive movement with atomic timekeeping technology (as denoted by the A-T moniker in the name), and a new design, this watch not only makes a great companion while in flight, but looks great and gives you something to brag about back on the ground.

Features

The Citizen Skyhawk A-T is the third generation in the Skyhawk line, and represents a major step forward in features. While you do lose one alarm (from three alarms to two), you gain functionality such as atomic timekeeping, perpetual calendar, LCD backlight, and world time pre-programming for 43 cities and time-zones. Additionally, the watch is now rated to be water resistant up to 200 meters (about 650 feet), versus the 100 meters of the previous generation.

Features of the Citizen Skyhawk A-T include:

Say Hi to the Omega Speedmaster X-33. Introduced in 1998, this is one amazing watch. Omega literally flight (and crash) tested it with NASA and military pilots, experimenting with several design iterations before settling on and shipping two commercial versions. It was designed for pilots and space flight, and is rated by NASA for the mission to Mars. Without a doubt, this is one of the coolest and most interesting analog-digital watches ever made.

But of course, something this good just couldn't last. Unfortunately, the X-33 was made unavailable to the general public last year, and now you can only buy them if you work for NASA, or you're in the military. And if that weren't enough, rumor has it that you need to assemble an order of ten or more at once.

Features of the Omega Speedmaster X-33 include:

• Titanium case and bracelet (for light weight).
• Domed anti-reflective sapphire crystal, coated on both sides.
• Omega quartz movement developed specifically for this watch (caliber 1666), temperature compensated, rated to ± 0.1 seconds per day.
• 26-month battery with low-power indicator.
• Water-resistant to 30 meters (about 100 feet).
• 80dB alarm — incredibly loud for use in a cockpit environment. (Finally, a watch that you could actually use for an alarm clock.)
• 8 lux backlight — practically flashlight-bright.
• 42.25mm diameter case.
• Day, date, stopwatch, GMT, and a countdown timer.
• Standard daily alarm, and a second programmable alarm.
• Mission elapsed time (up to 999 days).
• Mission time alarm.
• Shipped in a box covered with spacesuit material (nice touch).
• Bidirectional 120-click ratcheting bezel for timing with the analog hands.
• Luminescent "bezel pearl" for night visibility.
• LCD "stealth" mode. (Clean up the dial by turning off the curved LCD display.)

List price for the X-33 was about $2,600, and they show up on eBay and on watch forums every now and then for about $1,500 - $2,000, depending on their condition.

Additional Resources:

• The Omega X-33 Product Page.
• A Pilot's Impression of the Omega X-33.
• Review of the Omega Speedmaster Professional X-33.

By Paul Hubbard

The Breitling Emergency has got to be one of the most unique watches I've ever seen. Breitling primarily makes watches for aviation professionals, and therefore outfits them with appropriate functionality like chronographs, circular slide rules, multiple time zones, etc. But these are all features designed to keep you in the air, on course, and on time. What about a feature designed to offer pilots and crew members assistance when they encounter the unexpected? That's where the Breitling Emergency comes in.

The most salient feature of the Breitling Emergency is its ability to broadcast an emergency distress signal. Unscrew the protective cap on the right side of the case, fully extend the antenna, and the Breitling Emergency will broadcast on the 121.5 MHz aircraft emergency frequency for a full 48 hours. The range of the transmission is about 100 miles, which seems reasonably impressive for a watch. An interesting technique might be to outfit an entire crew with these watches, then in the event of an emergency, spread out to create a combined coverage area of several hundred miles.

Be careful when showing the Breitling Emergency to your friends, however. Apparently, the FAA will slap you with a $15,000 fine if you broadcast a false distress call which will probably result in you having to sell your expensive watch.

For more information, check the Emergency out on Breitling's site.