Sinn 6100 Classic B
The traditional Regulateur
This review is a follow-up to my review of the Sinn 6100 Technik Regulateur. I would now like to review the replica and compare it to the gen on basis of my own photos that I took at Baselworld 2011 and on official material that I obtained from Sinn directly.
What it is about
The 6100 REGULATEUR Classic B belongs to the successful Regulateur series made by Sinn. In contrast to the 6100 Regulateur Technik, that has a modern look, the 6100 Regulateur Classic B recalls the style of historic predecessors: The look focuses on a single minute hand as the primary time measurement. This timepiece has a guilloché dial with contrasting appliqués and delicate numerals.
Product range
Technical specs of the Sinn 6100 Classic B (gen/rep)
* Movement: Sinn caliber SZ 04; a rebuilt 6478 with added features (rep: Asian 6478)
* Handwind, 17j, 18.000bph (rep: accurate)
* Case material:Stainless steel, polished, satinized (rep: accurate)
* Silver electroplated dial, UV resistant (rep: very accurate)
* Crystal: Sapphire, with anti-reflective coating on both sides (rep: looks accurate to me, stated sapphire)
* Case back: Sapphire, with anti-reflective coating on the inside (rep: looks accurate to me, stated sapphire)
* Water resistant as per DIN 8310 (rep: lol)
* Pressure resistant to 10 bar (rep: lol)
* Low pressure resistant (rep: lmao)
* Diameter of case:44,0 mm (rep: accurate)
* Watch thickness:10,6 mm (rep: accurate)
* Weight:80 g (rep: accurate)
* Band lug width:22 mm (rep: accurate)
History of the Regulateur
Originally the term "Regulateur" described a very accurate clocks, e.g. wall clocks, grandfather type clocks or chronometers, which used regulators for precision time keeping.
The regulator dial was first used in the 1660s by the Dutch astronomer, mathematician and physician Christaan Huygens. As early as 1657, he engineered pendulum clocks with a deviation of just 10 seconds per day.
Heinrich Johann Kessels,a Danish-German clock maker and designer of precision watch instruments, designed the dial around 1810 that we know today as the Regulateur dial: It has a central minutes ring with two subdials for hours and seconds; the minute being the relevant time unit for astronomical observations of that era. This arrangement of the hands and dials at the Regulateur dial provides optimal readability of the time. High quality Regulateur chronometers were accurate to a second per day already already around 1800. The last pendulum Regulateur clocks were manufactured and shipped around 1959.
Because of the precision design today's makers of Regulateur watches wish to imply that their products are very precise and prestigious.
Dial of a Precision Regulateur from Strasse & Rohde, Glashütte, Germany. Around 1880.
Rep vs. Gen
Crown, case, case back, markings, screws, crystal height - the rep matches the gen 6100 Classic B very well.
There has been an IWC Portugese Regulateur replica around which seems to be identical in build. I presume that the rep makers were able to re-use this set-up to replicate the Sinn 6100 series.
Please note: The rep I received initially was faulty. I could not make the photos the way I wanted because the watch had to be returned exactly as it was. I have not received a replacement yet. Therefore the number of pictures is limited. My apologies.
The 6100 Classic B has a very classy look IMO.
The guilloched dial is absolutely stunning and identical to gen. The depth is truly amazing, photos don't do this watch justice.
Gen pics
Crown (6100 Technik, but the case is the same)
Case and crown
I took the photo I made of the gen at Baselworld and tried to match the photo of the rep so you can compare for yourself. All heights match.
Dial
The guilloched dial is certainly what makes this watch and fortunately this replicated very well.
Side-to-side comparison
The squares have identical size for comparison purposes.
Flaws:
Minute hand (center): The ring at the stem is a bit too small at the rep. This is barely noticable and even looks better at the rep IMO.
Sinn logo: The Sinn logo is a bit shorter than the gen. This is barely noticeable - no way to tell it at first glance.
In the photo below I tried to overlay and match rep and gen. I could not remove all distortion but it is obvious that the dial is perfect in terms of font, placement of markers and even Guilloche (these wavy concentric rings).
Edit: The rep dial only has a single line along the minute markers, the gen has a double line (thanks, levelmanroger).
I had the rep before I saw the gen and I must say the dials look practically identical to me.
Dial overlay (you see the double line in the lower left corner)
Movement
Gen movement
Replica (still with sticker on, sorry)
Comparison between rep (to the left) and gen (to the right).
Note the difference in screws (blued on the gen vs. completely blue on the rep). Slightly different plates to the right. Shock absorber is different.
Correct engravings on the movement, very nice CdG finishing.
Sinn has added a Glycodur mainspring and has visibly modified the movement in that area.
Caseback engravings are identical (with one exception where the type number is wrong: 6800 instead of 6100 :facepalm
but all are in the correct positions. It looks like the gen has deeper engravings (not sure).Overlay
CdG bridges in comparison to a rep Pam 177 (pictured here 6100 Technik rep)
Strap and clasp
The rep 6100 Classic B comes with a blue PU leather strap with white stitching, lined with genuine leather underneath and a polished stainless steel butterfly clasp with an engraved (not etched) logo. The PU leather feels like plastic and looks artificial. This is a big minus for me, but what do you expect for this price. However, the rep strap at least looks very much like the gen strap.
Engraving on the clasp (pictured here on the 6100 Technik)
Butterfly clasp
The quality of the PU strap is low.
The PU leather even broke at the fake Alligator scale print (see enlargement to the left).
Back lined with leather (at least that is genuine)
The gen has a number of different straps available (more than pictured here). The straps offered by Sinn are conservative. With a convenient lug width of 22mm replacements are easy to find, however.
For me, the best match is still with the blue croc strap.
Lume
The gen has no lume at all. Nothing. Nada. Nichts.
The rep factory faithfully replicated no lume to 100 percent. Therefore no lume shots.
Manual and advice from Sinn
(excerpt from the manual) "General advice
To preserve the water resistance for as long as possible, the watch should be rinsed whenever it has been in contact with seawater, chemicals, etc.
If your watch is frequently worn in/under water, we recommend having its water resistance checked at yearly intervals. The watch is designed to withstand high levels of mechanical wear and tear and is shock resistant as per DIN 8308. Nevertheless, it goes without saying that continual mechanical stress in the form of impacts or vibration will affect its durability. Care should therefore be taken to protect your watch from unnecessary wear and tear.
It is only possible to judge how well the watch keeps time after it has been in operation for approximately eight weeks, since it takes that long for the working mechanism to become adjusted, especially in view of the fact that everybody has different lifestyles and habits."
How does the replica wear?
Very well
It has the same size as a Panerai (without the crown guard). It is not as high, making the 6100 Classic B comfortable to wear with a shirt and suit.Refer to my 6100 Technik review for a picture with a suit. I could not make a picture with my sample and I have not received my replacement yet. Therefoore please accept this as a temporary substitute.
How big is this watch?
(Photo to be inserted once I get my watch back, sorry). For comparison please refer to my Sinn 6100 Technik review.
The Sinn 6100 Classic B is 44mm wide (without the onion crown). The elegant small rim gives it a very good presence.
Pros and Cons
Pro:
The dial, casing, hands and crown are very well replicated, with minor flaws.
The movement and the caseback are close. The movement itself is solid (I had 48 and 49 hours power reserve on two models) and it is nicely finished. The decorations (Sinn logo and "SZM04" and "seventeen jewels") are engraved on the movement.
Crystal is claimed to be sapphire both front and back including AR.
Overall appearance is very good.
Cons:
The minute hand should have a slightly larger disc at the base but it is not evident.
The typo on the caseback (6800 instead of 6100) is annoying, because everything else is perfectly correct.
The dial is missing one hairline.
The screws in the movement are blue whereas the gen screws are blued (leaving a white slot).
The blue PU leather strap I had for review
Conclusion
At a cost of between 120 and 150 USD I think that you are geting very good value for money with this replica of the Sinn 6100 Classic B. You are getting a closely replicated dress watch at moderate cost. The watch is very classy. The guilloched dial is really a sight to behold if you are into the look. And the big minute hand and the two subdials are something out of the ordinary.
The original received two design awards for a reason - this watch really has potential.
Please consider the gen, too. At the cost of around 1.600 Euro you can get the gen 6100 Classic B - with all the bells and whistles (and a glycodur mainspring).
I sourced my Sinn 6100 series replicas through Replikamake (Lay), but Hont (Hont) and Puretime (Angus) have them as well.
Similar (replica) watches:
During my research for the Sinn 6100 Technik I found a few "classic" regulators. I list them here without without any representation or warranty regarding its completeness, accuracy, timeliness or suitability for any particular purpose.
Coming up next: Comparison of the 6100 Classic 4N to gen (4N pending arrival)
Thank you for reading all this
Now go and order it...... but if you are a [BLINK]VIP[/BLINK]you are not finished yet...
Build your own Sinn 6100 Classic B for (almost) free
Actually I had this idea when Avenger007 wrote me he wanted a Sinn 6100 Technik and I thought how cool it would be to have a quick mock-up to give to him. And it is so sad to read in the sales section "Ordered the rep only to find out it is too big/too small/not my style etc."
So I came up with this paper craft project. It took me a literally a week to produce this. I know there is software that does a better job, but hey - this is pure handcraft. I built the watch around 15 times, eliminating design flaws and improving the model on the go. There is lot of room for improvement, I already have an idea how to make the strap black and the lugs suck a bit, but I consider this as a hack. Please feel free to give me feedback, though, if you have suggestions for improvement.
It is not the 1:1 copy but it is to scale, displays the time correctly twice a day and maybe you have fun building your genuine paper craft Sinn 6100 series watch "made in RWI".
Get the high res PDF file from the VIP section (here) and print it on a color printer (don't be a cheapie like me and print it b/w). Print it WITHOUT scaling to get a 1:1 sample. You need to look into your printer options for that.
You need some paper glue, a cutter or a pair of scissors. For a special FX, you'll also need a needle pin for the crown.
Prepare your tools. General instructions are found on the sheet.
Cut the parts out carefully along the outline. I have provided a spare crown, just in case...
This is what you should get:
This interlocking makes the model more robust. Please cut well into the middle where it says "cut here"
It is important for you to tuck BOTH ends behind. Not in front! Glue them while you are at it.
A look from the inside how it should be done
It should look like this (more accurate of course, sometimes I am a slob)
Glue it to the lid (front and back)
Almost there ... (note the high quality replicated detail
)
Glue the lugs to it. Note the white end, I just glued it straight on, without folding the flap. It should now look like this.
You are almost done!
Now comes the tricky part, the crown. I gave you two crowns, just in case... so if it goes wrong you don't have to reprint it all. I had a nicer looking, rounder crown, too. But it was very complex and you would have had to work with tweezers - this was no fun.
If you wish you can leave the watch at that. The crown is printed at one side.
Nice of you to take the challenge and continue.
Notice the black dotted tabs? If you want to use a needle pin to attach the crown to the watch, you can cut them away. It is easier to assemble and you can even turn the crown. But it might fall apart, who knows.
Cut it carefully at the indicated spot ("cut here" says it all) and interlock it the same way you did it with the body of the watch.
It should now look like this.
Glue the lid to the tabs and press it together for a minute to get a good result.
Then glue the dotted tabs to the place where the crown is printed.
FINISHED! You did it! Congrats!
Now use the same interlocking scheme to size your strap. It works (I just mistakenly interlocked it incorrectly on the photo, but who cares).
Try it on your wrist!
I hope you enjoyed that. Thank you for reading.
