Can’t post the link due to forum rules, but he passed on Valentines Day, Feb 14th after a short illness.
Remarkable Life
Remarkable Life
Vne
The end of one of the most remarkable careers in watchmaking.
When Helmut Sinn retired for the first time, selling his eponymous watch brand, he was well past the retirement age at 78. That retirement, as it turned out, was much too early, for the maker of aviation watches and instruments passed away on February 14, 2018 - at the age of 101. He died after a short illness, according to a statement issued by Guinand on Facebook
Mr Sinn was born in 1916 in Metz, Lorraine, an area now in Northern France that then belonged to Germany. He trained as a pilot and flew for the Luftwaffe during the Second World War, where he was shot down over Russian territory, losing both his little fingers in the process. He spent the rest of the war as a flying instructor, but had to give up the vocation post-war due to a ban imposed by the Allied authorities.
His next calling was racing, and in 1953 he took the chequered flag in a rally from Algiers to Cape Town in a Volkswagen Beetle. However, he had to make a living, so he began selling cuckoo clocks to Americans stationed in Germany. But it was only in 1956 when he was approaching middle age, did Mr Sinn establish Sinn Spezialuhren in Frankfurt.
Speaking to newspaper on the occasion of his 100th birthday in 2016, the practical Mr Sinn explained his reasons for going into the watch business: "I did not have a job. I was looking for something that did not need much space or material."
Those prosaic reasons nevertheless led to the formation of a successful enterprise. Starting out as the German importer of Heuer chronographs and stopwatches, Mr Sinn eventually went on to specialise in producing low-cost, no-nonsense timekeepers for professionals. Though Sinn is best known for its wristwatches, the company also produced cockpit clocks for German Air Force fighters.
Amongst its accomplishments during Mr Sinn's ownership included supplying the German military with the ref. 156 chronograph. His company also had the contract to refurbish Heuer and Leonidas Bundeswehr chronographs used by the German armed forces. And in 1985 a Sinn 140 chronograph made it into space on the wrist of a German astronaut on the Spacelab mission.
Sinn watches were produced in Switzerland, they had a distinctively functional German air about them, a crucial factor in the brand's appeal even today. The unique Sinn style clearly had transnational appeal, for when Bell & Ross was set up in 1992 by a pair of French designers, they turned to Helmut Sinn to manufacture their watches. Also novel was Mr Sinn's direct to consumer model, which allowed the public to buy watches from the catalogue via mail order or fax, helping keep prices low.
His company was successful enough that Mr Sinn was able to acquire a substantial portion of the assets flogged off by an insolvent Breitling in 1979, explaining when Sinn today makes watches that are nearly identical to its Swiss rival's Navitimer and Cosmonaute.
The modern day Guinand line-up
Mr Sinn's ownership of the company he founded lasted nearly 40 years, until he sold the firm to former IWC production engineer Lothar Schmidt in 1994. It was said that Mr Sinn wished to continue working at Sinn even after selling the company, but a fallout with Mr Schmidt and subsequent lawsuit put paid to that. Sinn continued to be successful under Mr Schmidt, albeit with a lot more technology incorporated into its gradually pricier products.
Two years afterward, Mr Sinn began his second act in watchmaking, setting up Jubilar in Frankfurt, which he later merged with Guinand, a defunct Swiss brand he acquired in 1995. Eventually the two were merged, and the company was renamed Guinand.
With Guinand, Mr Sinn stuck to his original formula, practical and affordable watches with a military bent. Though he no longer made watches for the military - issued mechanical watches are essentially non-existent in the German armed forces today - Mr Sinn continued to sell watches direct to the customer, now aided by the internet.
He continued until 2014, and in 2015 retired for good, selling Guinand to its current owner. Mr Sinn is survived by a son and daughter; his eldest daughter passed away in 2015.
When Helmut Sinn retired for the first time, selling his eponymous watch brand, he was well past the retirement age at 78. That retirement, as it turned out, was much too early, for the maker of aviation watches and instruments passed away on February 14, 2018 - at the age of 101. He died after a short illness, according to a statement issued by Guinand on Facebook
Mr Sinn was born in 1916 in Metz, Lorraine, an area now in Northern France that then belonged to Germany. He trained as a pilot and flew for the Luftwaffe during the Second World War, where he was shot down over Russian territory, losing both his little fingers in the process. He spent the rest of the war as a flying instructor, but had to give up the vocation post-war due to a ban imposed by the Allied authorities.
His next calling was racing, and in 1953 he took the chequered flag in a rally from Algiers to Cape Town in a Volkswagen Beetle. However, he had to make a living, so he began selling cuckoo clocks to Americans stationed in Germany. But it was only in 1956 when he was approaching middle age, did Mr Sinn establish Sinn Spezialuhren in Frankfurt.
Speaking to newspaper on the occasion of his 100th birthday in 2016, the practical Mr Sinn explained his reasons for going into the watch business: "I did not have a job. I was looking for something that did not need much space or material."
Those prosaic reasons nevertheless led to the formation of a successful enterprise. Starting out as the German importer of Heuer chronographs and stopwatches, Mr Sinn eventually went on to specialise in producing low-cost, no-nonsense timekeepers for professionals. Though Sinn is best known for its wristwatches, the company also produced cockpit clocks for German Air Force fighters.
Amongst its accomplishments during Mr Sinn's ownership included supplying the German military with the ref. 156 chronograph. His company also had the contract to refurbish Heuer and Leonidas Bundeswehr chronographs used by the German armed forces. And in 1985 a Sinn 140 chronograph made it into space on the wrist of a German astronaut on the Spacelab mission.
Sinn watches were produced in Switzerland, they had a distinctively functional German air about them, a crucial factor in the brand's appeal even today. The unique Sinn style clearly had transnational appeal, for when Bell & Ross was set up in 1992 by a pair of French designers, they turned to Helmut Sinn to manufacture their watches. Also novel was Mr Sinn's direct to consumer model, which allowed the public to buy watches from the catalogue via mail order or fax, helping keep prices low.
His company was successful enough that Mr Sinn was able to acquire a substantial portion of the assets flogged off by an insolvent Breitling in 1979, explaining when Sinn today makes watches that are nearly identical to its Swiss rival's Navitimer and Cosmonaute.
The modern day Guinand line-up
Mr Sinn's ownership of the company he founded lasted nearly 40 years, until he sold the firm to former IWC production engineer Lothar Schmidt in 1994. It was said that Mr Sinn wished to continue working at Sinn even after selling the company, but a fallout with Mr Schmidt and subsequent lawsuit put paid to that. Sinn continued to be successful under Mr Schmidt, albeit with a lot more technology incorporated into its gradually pricier products.
Two years afterward, Mr Sinn began his second act in watchmaking, setting up Jubilar in Frankfurt, which he later merged with Guinand, a defunct Swiss brand he acquired in 1995. Eventually the two were merged, and the company was renamed Guinand.
With Guinand, Mr Sinn stuck to his original formula, practical and affordable watches with a military bent. Though he no longer made watches for the military - issued mechanical watches are essentially non-existent in the German armed forces today - Mr Sinn continued to sell watches direct to the customer, now aided by the internet.
He continued until 2014, and in 2015 retired for good, selling Guinand to its current owner. Mr Sinn is survived by a son and daughter; his eldest daughter passed away in 2015.
Re: Helmet Sinn Flys West at age 102
An amazing and remarkable life. I have owned many Sinn watches, including quite a few from the Helmut era, and will continue to be a fan for life.
Rest in peace, Herr Sinn.
Myron
An amazing and remarkable life. I have owned many Sinn watches, including quite a few from the Helmut era, and will continue to be a fan for life.
Rest in peace, Herr Sinn.
Myron
Re: Helmet Sinn Flys West at age 102
Wow, what a full life well lived. RIP, HS.
I was proud to buy my first [and only so far] 757 UTC on Helmet Sinn's 100th birthday.
dP
Wow, what a full life well lived. RIP, HS.
I was proud to buy my first [and only so far] 757 UTC on Helmet Sinn's 100th birthday.
dP
Attachments
Re: Helmet Sinn Flys West at age 102
https://www.guinand-uhren.de/home-en.html
[emoji1431]
Instagram: ten13th
https://www.guinand-uhren.de/home-en.html
[emoji1431]
Instagram: ten13th
Re: Helmet Sinn Flys West at age 102
From our homepage: Helmut Sinn 1916 - 2018 - watchuseek.com
In the past few years Herr Sinn would jump into his old blue Mercedes wagon and drive himself to BaselWorld just to surprise the employees at the Sinn booth. Everyone treated him like a Rock Star, and when you think about it, he was a Rock Star...the original Most Interesting Man in the World.
Here's to a life very well lived...rest in peace Herr Sinn!
![]()
From our homepage: Helmut Sinn 1916 - 2018 - watchuseek.com
In the past few years Herr Sinn would jump into his old blue Mercedes wagon and drive himself to BaselWorld just to surprise the employees at the Sinn booth. Everyone treated him like a Rock Star, and when you think about it, he was a Rock Star...the original Most Interesting Man in the World.
Here's to a life very well lived...rest in peace Herr Sinn!
Re: Helmet Sinn Flys West at age 102
![Image]()
Helmut Sinn is a former airplane pilot and watch manufacturer. He was was born 1916 in Metz, Lorraine on 3 September. The former pilot, flight instructor and rally driver founded the company Sinn Spezialuhren GmbH & Co. KG 1956 in Frankfurt am Main. Especially pilot's watchwere produced.
After he had led this enterprise to success, through the novel concept of watches direct sales, with good production quality and competitive prices, he sold it in September 1994 to the former IWC-staff and engineer Lothar Schmidt. He later, at the age of more than 80 years, took over the rights of the watch manufacturer Guinand and launched the brands Chronosport, Guinand and the pocket watch brand Jubilar. Source: Watchwiki
Below is an edited recount from a former WUS member JohnF who recalls meeting with him back in 2012...
I recently received a rather nice invitation from Flying-Time, a German-language forum for aviation watches, to spend an evening with Helmut Sinn. While he doesn't have anything to do with Sinn these days, I thought I'd pass along some of the things he said and post a few photos of the man behind the name.
While walking to where we all met, I spotted him and watched him head towards the meeting spot. While certainly slow and careful in how he moved, he walked from his home to the meeting place, around 2km, and is rather spry for his age. No glasses, just a hearing aid. I should be so lucky!
He was born in Metz, Lothringen, now part of France, on 3 Sep 1916. I won't go into the entire history of his life, as this has been documented well elsewhere. He is a very dapper man and had the nickname of "Fast Helmut." I learned from him that during his service in the military, the phrase "you watchmaker" was an insult, aimed at describing someone who was being too complicated and pedantic about an issue, and was considered to be a rather robust insult indeed amongst pilots.
First of all, he's had an unique life. He was fascinated by flight from an early age - he said around 4 years of age - and became a pilot in the German military because that was, basically, the only way to become a pilot in Germany in the day and age. He ended his career as a Lieutenant and, after the war, declined to re-enter military service, saying he had enough of war and of serving under authority in general. While he now regrets perhaps not having returned to active duty - they offered him the rank of Captain and he would have been able to fly planes that are only available to the military, and would have probably retired a Colonel or higher - the fact of the matter is that he decided not to return to service, pursuing instead more peaceful activities.
![Image]()
However, his love of flying never left.
![Image]()
142 space chronograph
The start of his career as watchmaker was through the many former fellow pilots that came through Frankfurt, where he ended up, looking him up after the war to see how he was doing.
He started designing the new generation of pilot watches to meet the needs that he saw after a career of flying: easily readable, accurate, capable of measuring time, robust and, above all, for a fair price by cutting out all middlemen. In many ways he really was the first internet company, well before the internet was ever invented: he did not advertise, he only had one place to buy the watches, and he undercut prices of established pilot watch suppliers by a substantial margin, with word of mouth - before there were search engines to help find things - driving his business. While he did make series of watches that were resold by other manufacturers - anyone remember Bell and Ross by Sinn? - the classics that he designed, such as the Sinn 103 or the Sinn 365, remain in production today.
![Image]()
Limited edition 103
Basically, that he never wants to stop doing what he is doing. While theoretically retired, he himself said that he needs another 7 years before he can even think about semi-retirement, and he never really intends to retire at all.
He finally gave up his pilot's license at the age of 87 (after 64 years of being an active pilot!) and he continues to drive today, albeit only during daytime, since his night vision isn't what it used to be.
![Image]()
Sinn EZM1
He has turned over Guinand to Mr. Hassler and is only occasionally in their shop in Rödelheim, rather than being there each and every day as was his habit. While I won't go into detail, consider simply that this is a man who lives his life with passion, simply deciding to do what he thought was right and proper, never looking for a handout or a subsidy, never demanding that someone do something for him that he wasn't willing to do himself. His disdain for those who look to live off the system, rather than contributing positively to economic activity and creating value for everyone was quite clear and just as understandable. He never had any advantages: his father was a 100% invalid from WW1, he lost everything after WW2 (including his marriage), but he saw demand, created supply to meet that demand and saw to it that the human dimension to what he did was never missing. He also said that if you don't take the risks, you can never, ever reap the rewards.
There were only around 15 people all told there, but that gave the meeting with Helmut Sinn a real sense of intimacy that really helped him open up as well.
...so there you have it a very personal encounter with the great man as told by JohnF. Not much more to add except to say...
Rest in Peace.
Regards,
Helmut Sinn is a former airplane pilot and watch manufacturer. He was was born 1916 in Metz, Lorraine on 3 September. The former pilot, flight instructor and rally driver founded the company Sinn Spezialuhren GmbH & Co. KG 1956 in Frankfurt am Main. Especially pilot's watchwere produced.
After he had led this enterprise to success, through the novel concept of watches direct sales, with good production quality and competitive prices, he sold it in September 1994 to the former IWC-staff and engineer Lothar Schmidt. He later, at the age of more than 80 years, took over the rights of the watch manufacturer Guinand and launched the brands Chronosport, Guinand and the pocket watch brand Jubilar. Source: Watchwiki
Below is an edited recount from a former WUS member JohnF who recalls meeting with him back in 2012...
I recently received a rather nice invitation from Flying-Time, a German-language forum for aviation watches, to spend an evening with Helmut Sinn. While he doesn't have anything to do with Sinn these days, I thought I'd pass along some of the things he said and post a few photos of the man behind the name.
While walking to where we all met, I spotted him and watched him head towards the meeting spot. While certainly slow and careful in how he moved, he walked from his home to the meeting place, around 2km, and is rather spry for his age. No glasses, just a hearing aid. I should be so lucky!
He was born in Metz, Lothringen, now part of France, on 3 Sep 1916. I won't go into the entire history of his life, as this has been documented well elsewhere. He is a very dapper man and had the nickname of "Fast Helmut." I learned from him that during his service in the military, the phrase "you watchmaker" was an insult, aimed at describing someone who was being too complicated and pedantic about an issue, and was considered to be a rather robust insult indeed amongst pilots.
First of all, he's had an unique life. He was fascinated by flight from an early age - he said around 4 years of age - and became a pilot in the German military because that was, basically, the only way to become a pilot in Germany in the day and age. He ended his career as a Lieutenant and, after the war, declined to re-enter military service, saying he had enough of war and of serving under authority in general. While he now regrets perhaps not having returned to active duty - they offered him the rank of Captain and he would have been able to fly planes that are only available to the military, and would have probably retired a Colonel or higher - the fact of the matter is that he decided not to return to service, pursuing instead more peaceful activities.
| Click this bar to view the original image of 953x533px. |
However, his love of flying never left.
|
| Click this bar to view the original image of 1018x679px. |
142 space chronograph
The start of his career as watchmaker was through the many former fellow pilots that came through Frankfurt, where he ended up, looking him up after the war to see how he was doing.
He started designing the new generation of pilot watches to meet the needs that he saw after a career of flying: easily readable, accurate, capable of measuring time, robust and, above all, for a fair price by cutting out all middlemen. In many ways he really was the first internet company, well before the internet was ever invented: he did not advertise, he only had one place to buy the watches, and he undercut prices of established pilot watch suppliers by a substantial margin, with word of mouth - before there were search engines to help find things - driving his business. While he did make series of watches that were resold by other manufacturers - anyone remember Bell and Ross by Sinn? - the classics that he designed, such as the Sinn 103 or the Sinn 365, remain in production today.
|
| Click this bar to view the original image of 820x547px. |
Limited edition 103
Basically, that he never wants to stop doing what he is doing. While theoretically retired, he himself said that he needs another 7 years before he can even think about semi-retirement, and he never really intends to retire at all.
He finally gave up his pilot's license at the age of 87 (after 64 years of being an active pilot!) and he continues to drive today, albeit only during daytime, since his night vision isn't what it used to be.
Sinn EZM1
He has turned over Guinand to Mr. Hassler and is only occasionally in their shop in Rödelheim, rather than being there each and every day as was his habit. While I won't go into detail, consider simply that this is a man who lives his life with passion, simply deciding to do what he thought was right and proper, never looking for a handout or a subsidy, never demanding that someone do something for him that he wasn't willing to do himself. His disdain for those who look to live off the system, rather than contributing positively to economic activity and creating value for everyone was quite clear and just as understandable. He never had any advantages: his father was a 100% invalid from WW1, he lost everything after WW2 (including his marriage), but he saw demand, created supply to meet that demand and saw to it that the human dimension to what he did was never missing. He also said that if you don't take the risks, you can never, ever reap the rewards.
There were only around 15 people all told there, but that gave the meeting with Helmut Sinn a real sense of intimacy that really helped him open up as well.
...so there you have it a very personal encounter with the great man as told by JohnF. Not much more to add except to say...
Rest in Peace.
Regards,
Re: Helmet Sinn Flys West at age 102
Incredible watch visionary among other things. A long life that was well-lived. You'll be missed, Mr. Sinn, but your legacy will always live on!
Incredible watch visionary among other things. A long life that was well-lived. You'll be missed, Mr. Sinn, but your legacy will always live on!
Re: Helmet Sinn Flys West at age 102
He certainly made good use of his time - what an inspiration. Ein Heute ist besser als zehn Morgen. Er ruhe in Frieden.
He certainly made good use of his time - what an inspiration. Ein Heute ist besser als zehn Morgen. Er ruhe in Frieden.
Re: Helmet Sinn Flys West at age 102
What a full and inspiring life journey, one of the few that kept on getting up and having a go every day....I believe Mr Sinn woke up every day with his glass half full.
What a full and inspiring life journey, one of the few that kept on getting up and having a go every day....I believe Mr Sinn woke up every day with his glass half full.
Re: Helmet Sinn Flys West at age 102
It was a shocking news to hear Mr. Sinn passed away. He felt like an immortal to me
I always enjoyed wearing my 356.
Rest in peace Mr. Sinn.
It was a shocking news to hear Mr. Sinn passed away. He felt like an immortal to me
I always enjoyed wearing my 356.
Rest in peace Mr. Sinn.
I took delivery of my first Sinn, a day after his passing. Interesting life from what I’ve been reading. RIP.
RIP Herr Sinn.
Sinn wasn't known for discussing his wartime experiences as a pilot in the Luftwaffe. Unsurprisingly, many Germans of his generation were circumspect about the war, and their role in it.
As a fan of horology and military history, I did a little online digging concerning his service. This was for no other reason than genuine curiosity. From what I can gather (and there is relatively little open-source material out there), Helmut was a reconnaissance pilot. He flew Dorniers and Heinkels on the Russian Front before being shot down and injured, whereupon he became an instructor on night-fighters (which apparently were often based on the Dornier / Messerschimdt 110 airframes he would have been familiar with).
The man lived an extraordinary life, of which the war was a small but probably formative part.
Sinn wasn't known for discussing his wartime experiences as a pilot in the Luftwaffe. Unsurprisingly, many Germans of his generation were circumspect about the war, and their role in it.
As a fan of horology and military history, I did a little online digging concerning his service. This was for no other reason than genuine curiosity. From what I can gather (and there is relatively little open-source material out there), Helmut was a reconnaissance pilot. He flew Dorniers and Heinkels on the Russian Front before being shot down and injured, whereupon he became an instructor on night-fighters (which apparently were often based on the Dornier / Messerschimdt 110 airframes he would have been familiar with).
The man lived an extraordinary life, of which the war was a small but probably formative part.
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