If you’re just getting into German watches, you’ll be surprised to find out that Sinn actually eschews the typical Bauhaus function-over-form ethos so prevalent with its contemporaries. Balancing assertive designs with utility, the heritage watchmaker was born out of World War II, founded by former pilot and flight instructor Helmut Sinn in 1961. Appropriately, it’s always maintained that spirit of durability with its range of divers and tool watches. This week, it debuts the sequel to its beloved 903 St chronographs, available in three editions.

A Legitimate Homage

Any avid watch enthusiast will instantly notice the similarities between the Sinn 903 St and Breitling’s more iconic Navitimer — but there’s a reason for that. While the Navitimer, debuting in 1954, precedes the 903 pilot chronograph, the advent of the Quartz Crisis in the ‘70s helped facilitate the rights to Navitimer being acquired by Sinn — or at least the design plans, stock parts, and ability to make a watch highly similar to the Navitimer. However, the Navitimer name couldn’t be used. Hence, the 903 was born.

While the 903 has been produced since 1979, it’s gone through several different iterations and updates. For this latest release, however, we get a second generation of the 903 St chronograph, including two permanent residents in the collection and one limited edition.

The 903 ST II Basics

What sets the 903 and the Navitimer apart from your average chronograph is the bi-directional bezel featuring a slide rule function for making calculations on the fly. This has been retained for the update. Keeping the 41mm case diameter and tricompax chronograph configuration as its predecessor, the new 903 St II gets some stylistic and technical updates, which include an increased water resistance from 100m to 200m (the Navitimer is still a mere 30m), the removal of the 11 o’clock crown, and some new dial features like the applied hour markers (which were previously painted) and the metallic Sinn logo. Likewise, the hour markers and hands are now solid blocks of ​​hybrid ceramic luminous material. 

Visible through the caseback, the Valjoux-based automatic chronograph movement returns from the previous edition. Available in three variants, the 903 St II comes in sunburst black and matte blue dial versions, but there’s a sunburst light blue edition that’s limited to 500 pieces. This specific watch is powered by the L112 caliber, which is basically the same movement but ditches the date window. In terms of strap options, the watch comes in a classic pilot-style 5-link steel bracelet or you can opt for an array of options in leather or silicone, with several color choices available as well.

Spec Sheet

Pricing & Availability

Notably cheaper than the Breitling Navitimer, the Sinn 903 St II models will be available on WatchBuys for between $3,730 and $4,170. Deliveries are expected to land this summer for both the limited and non-limited versions.

Sinn 903 ST II

Sinn debuts new versions of the 903 St with some technical and stylistic updates, including one variant that’s limited to 500 pieces.