Used to sell Hamilton and handled a few 556's, the "feel" of the Sinn was in a much higher league.

 

Thanks so much. Am I safe to assume that means the quality of the parts appeared to be better? The case, dial, hands, etc?

 

The 556 is worth it, but keep in mind, it is a gateway into further Sinning.

 

Agreed. I actually got another Sinn on order after getting my 556. On the other hand, I do like my Khaki Field, but somehow the 556 is more confidence-inspiring. For me, the screwdown crown, antimagnetic and antishock properties makes the Sinn worth it. It wasn't compared to the Rolex Explorer for nothing.

 

Seeing as both models use the same movement, I can't see spending literally twice as much on the Sinn. Frankly, it looks boring as hell. Plus there are several variants of the Hamilton field watches which seem more interesting and classic looking to me.

Save the 500 bucks and get yourself another Hamilton!

 

Strap on a Sinn and you'll see the error in your thinking.

 

Don't know anything about the Sinn, but I do have a Khaki Field. It's a nice cheap watch. It does feel cheap. You will be under no illusion that it is an expensive watch.

 

I disagree with this assessment. I have the Hamilton, as well, and it's never felt like a cheap watch to me. Perhaps some people may think this because it's light and relatively thin, but that doesn't make it cheap. I've had zero problems with my Hamilton, and it's been in use for many years.

By the way, I think this whole "feel" thing is very overblown. People tend to think that heavier watches are well-built. An absurdly heavy Invicta or Renato watch will feel heavy and well-built, too; it won't be.

 

Nothing against Hamilton - glance through WRUW threads and they're extremely popular for good reason -- but the Sinn is worth every penny.

 

Well I happen to own both a Sinn 556 on a bracelet and a Hamilton Khaki King on a strap. If you are wondering if the price difference is worth it, I would say that is all personal opinion. Both watches do use the ETA 2824 although the Hamilton uses the elaboree grade where the sinn is top grade and has a much higher level of decoration. Build quality is definitely much higher on the sinn, including a screw down crown which gives it WR to 200m. The lume is also much stronger on the sinn, but not as strong as a seiko diver or anything. The Anti-reflective treatment on the crystal of the sinn makes the crystal just disappear. Once you get used to looking at the sinn, you notice a ton of reflections on the hamilton. I would say overall build quality is better on the sinn as well. So whether those differences are worth it are a matter of personal opinion. I think both watches are great and each represent a good value at their respective price points. I would not disqualify the sinn as over priced because it uses a ETA-2824 movement. There are many watches costing even more than a 556 using that movement. Best of luck with your decision, they are both lovely watches!

 

+1. Just about everything that I was thinking and couldn't have stated it better.

Just to add that the Sinn has dramatically risen in price over the last few years. There was a time when it could be had for a couple of hundred, if that, over the Hamilton. Still, even with the price difference these days, once you see one in person or better yet, handle it you'll experience why it's is superior.
I still think that the Hamilton is a nice VFM, especially the hand wind version.

 

Personally, I was disappointed when I held a Khaki in my hands. It feels "entry level". Which is fine for what it costs, but if you're comparing it to the Sinn it will come out wanting every time.

 

If you like a sparkly crystal get the Hammy. If you prefer to actually see the dial get the Sinn.

 

lack of anti reflective coating on those khaki black dials is probably what keeps me from picking up one of those

 

I have two Hamilton khaki fields, a hand winder and a auto-chrono, I also have a Sinn 104. The hand wind khaki field was by far the cheapest of the three at $250 and you can tell quality wise. That being said I'm not sure the difference in quality of the Sinn justifies the $1000 premium. It really depends what you are looking for and how much you are willing to spend, but both are great watches and offer good value for their respective price. Don't over think it between the two you really can't go wrong

 

I have the 556i and hammy handwind. Unfair comparison, two different types of watches.

Hammy's a good watch, Sinn is a luxe watch. Not top end, but certainly more than you need.

Hammy gets the job done, Sinn gets the job done with a lot left over.

I suspect you'd be happy with either.

How's that for scientific analysis?

 

I've owned both. Would take the Sinn 556 over the Khaki any day, it's a much more refined watch in every way.

 

There's nothing wrong with a Hamilton, but Sinn all the way and twice on Sunday...

 

Is nobody else bothered by the flat crystal of the 556? or the lack of a hardened case? I have a 356 and a non-utc 856, and if they made a 38.5mm hardened-cased with either the "A" or "I" 556 dial I'd buy it in a second.

Also, I've handled plenty of Hamiltons and think they're nice for the price. Sinn used to only use the top-grade ETA's but I think they're moving to Sellita now, is that right?

 

Is nobody else bothered by the flat crystal of the 556? or the lack of a hardened case? I have a 356 and a non-utc 856, and if they made a 38.5mm hardened-cased with either the "A" or "I" 556 dial I'd buy it in a second.

Also, I've handled plenty of Hamiltons and think they're nice for the price. Sinn used to only use the top-grade ETA's but I think they're moving to Sellita now, is that right?

Moving to Sellita is no big deal.

 

If I understand correctly they use the Sellita equivalent to Top grade.

 

Thanks so much, everyone. Based on the responses, I feel confident enough to start searching for the Sinn.

 

Not to hijack, but I've been considering the same two watches. Don't like the lack of a screwdown crown on the Hammy. Not huge on the Sinn's looks.
Is the Sinn "prettier" in person? It just looks very dull in photos. I need a tool/work watch, but I'd like something attractive.

 

Look at Damasko's offerings - DA34, DA36 etc.

 

I'm going to give you a different perspective and some other points to consider.

The Sinn is a nicer watch for sure. It looks and feels more expensive in person and certainly sits a notch above. The finishing on the case and bracelet looks more expensive and feels good.

That said, as a field/utility/tool style watch, the Hamilton is a more practical watch IMO. The Sinn finish gets scratched very easily in my experience unless you get the better Tegimented stuff. The finish on the case and bracelet is not a traditional brush finish and hence if it gets scratched its not that easy to fix yourself and it shows clearly compared to marks on a normal brushed finish.

The crystal is AR coated on the outside and is a visible AR coating. While its a very effective coating for reflections, it also tends to get marks on the outer AR coating and is a fingerprint magnet which many dont mind, but I get quite annoyed by.

The hamilton has fewer things to bang up, no outer AR coating to put marks on. The brushed finish is traditional finish which you can easily fix for minor marks with a scratch pen or even Scotch brite. So it really depends on your use case and what you are particular about.

If you dont really care about these aspects, then go for the Sinn, its worth the extra money for the quality, but I personally sold mine because I had to baby it way too much and hardly enjoyed wearing it.

 

The Sinn is a striking watch. A bit austere but that's what I like about it. For me, it's the perfect watch in a daily business or office setting. As the previous poster said, you may have to baby it a little to keep it looking nice but, in my case, an office environment doesn't put it in harm's way.

 

Sinn is a understated elegance. I get compliments from people all the time on it. Hamilton doesn't have a screw down crown and looks like something out of a ll bean catalogue. When I think of ll bean I think of that weird couple from the movie "dog show."


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Sinn is a understated elegance. I get compliments from people all the time on it. Hamilton doesn't have a screw down crown and looks like something out of a ll bean catalogue. When I think of ll bean I think of that weird couple from the movie "dog show."

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Both on their Macs reading the J.Crew catalog in "Best in Show"

I like the large instrument-panel numbers and markers on the Sinn. I'd pick Sinn simply from a uniqueness POV, never seen any Sinn in the wild. I don't think there are wrong choices provided the money is available.

 

I think the Khaki field automatic is a very nice watch, but Sinn makes watches closer to premium standards, and their straps and bracelets are a lot nicer.

What sets it far apart to me is the design of the 556.......that's what is clearly worth it to me for the extra cost.

 

I like the Hamilton just because I love the dial design, and I'm not a big fan of the same on the Sinn. But . . . as a little side note, a 2824 and a 2824 top grade are not really the "same" movement. There is the obvious aesthetic angle, but there are also some parts and performance differences. I can't name them off the top of my head, but you can look it up. Again, I'm very fond of the Hammy, but the movement is just dull looking. I would be happy if it had a closed back. Funny though, mine is very accurate!

 

That's quite true, this is a description of the different grades of ETA movements.

The take home message is that the standard and elabore grades have the same movement components, and the top and chronometer grades have the same components, with differences in the mainspring, hairspring, and shocks, in addition to aesthetic embellishments.

 

My father owns a Hamilton Khaki and I always thought it looked much nicer than the cost would suggest. On the other hand, the Sinn 556 I've seen in the store seemed a bit underwhelming. I'd hold out for their higher level offerings, like the U1.

 

Must be an echo here.

 

The Hamilton Khaki Field was a nice watch for the price but just felt too unsubstantial for me. I didn't mind the 28mm dial, in fact I prefer it, but it was just too cheap feeling for me. Comparing it to the SARB017 the SARB while being 38mm was much more substantial, and felt of a higher quality when you compared the dial and case. I haven't felt the Sinn, but I imagine it feels of a substantially higher quality than the Khaki Field from Hamilton.