Was about to pull the trigger on a Sinn (probably a U1 or UX) but then saw EJ have a sale with some heavy discounts on Ball (looking at a Hydrocarbon). Both brands are new to me but i'm veering towards the Sinn despite the available discount on the Ball. How do these compare on movements, build quality, etc. Is one considered a better quality brand than the other & if so why? Ball seems to be the more expensive but in my experience this does not always mean better quality. Interested in your informed advice/opinions before making a final decision.
Billyloves2boogie
That's a tough one. I've owned a Sinn UX but never a Ball. If you're looking for a hardcore diver, I'd go with the Sinn. The UX is really neat with the oil filled case. No matter what angle you look at the dial, it always appears to be at the top just under the glass. The U1 is great as well. But, if you like the idea of Trit tubes then I'd lean towards the the Ball HC.
I've not handled a Sinn, but I have owned several Balls. They are extremely high quality watches - great bracelets, very nice finishes, both their cases and their dials. I ended up selling what I had, but honestly missed the lume, so have acquired a few to fill some gaps. Once you've had a watch with tubes it's hard to go without.
Both make good watches but I think Ball make better automatic watches in term of lume and shock-resistance.
I'm into dressier and more refined pieces so I would go Ball, but if you want an industrial/tool watch then go for Sinn. Both are quality watches so go for the watch that most appeals to you.
To my knowledge Ball has many physical outlets whereas Sinn only has an online vendor (shipping from Germany). Servicing is much easier when you don't have to mail your watch to Germany.
To my knowledge Ball has many physical outlets whereas Sinn only has an online vendor (shipping from Germany). Servicing is much easier when you don't have to mail your watch to Germany.
You will not be disapointed if you go with Sinn - great quality, innovative tech, a good bang for your hard earned money. My both Sinn watches (U1 and 857 fully teg.) are keepers. I do not own a Ball, neither I've handled one so I cannot speak about their qualities.
Overall, you should go with what appeals most to you - Good Luck with your choice!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Overall, you should go with what appeals most to you - Good Luck with your choice!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
857 UTC fully tegimented. :-!
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Product Details
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To create this watch, Sinn built on the extremely popular design of the Sinn 856 UTC dual time zone watch and a new case size and bezel.
On a frequent basis we receive client praise for Sinn's "Tegiment" (hardening) technology, and have heard quite a few stories of watch cases scraped against metal railings, car doors, metal desks, and other more interesting objects with little to no damage to the case.
Standard steel used by most watch companies has a hardness of between 200 and 240 HV (Hardness Vickers is a common scale used to measure material hardness). The Tegiment layer has a hardness of 1,200 Vickers which is up to five times harder than standard steel.
The Tegiment layer is not a coating consisting of a foreign material, instead the steel itself that has been hardened using a special engineering process that creates a hardened barrier. The base material is a type of stainless steel also used for surgical implants, and the stainless steel resistance to corrosion is even further improved by the Tegiment hardening process.
The case back is nickel free, perfect for those with allergic reactions to case metals. Other features include protection from magnetic fields of up to 80,000 A/m, sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both sides.
Another Sinn engineering feat is the creation of a bezel that is secured by screws. The inlaid aluminum ring featuring numerals and markers is anodized black for optimal legibility, while the triangle reference marker at 12 is applied with special paint for visibility.
The case features a copper sulphate capsule which reacts with moisture to diffuse and absorb humidity in the watch. This capsule may be viewed through a porthole in the left lug, and over time will turn a deep blue as humidity is absorbed. This technology not only provides a more stable environment for the movement, but also helps to prevent fogging of the crystal when going from hot to cold environments or from humid to non-humid conditions (such air conditioned buildings).
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This watch has a second time zone displayed by a skeleton yellow tipped hour hand. The second time zone can be set directly through the second position of the crown and uses a 24 hour indication to differentiate AM and PM.
Sand-blasted stainless steel case with solid back. Dial is matte black with Arabic numerals and offset date display at 4. The design and layout of this watch make it extremely easy to read in virtually all light conditions.
Sapphire crystal with luminous hands, hour markers and the 12. Watch is water resistant to 20 ATM. Watch is fitted with a Tegimented steel bracelet with hex screws and solid end links.
Product Details
On a frequent basis we receive client praise for Sinn's "Tegiment" (hardening) technology, and have heard quite a few stories of watch cases scraped against metal railings, car doors, metal desks, and other more interesting objects with little to no damage to the case.
Standard steel used by most watch companies has a hardness of between 200 and 240 HV (Hardness Vickers is a common scale used to measure material hardness). The Tegiment layer has a hardness of 1,200 Vickers which is up to five times harder than standard steel.
The Tegiment layer is not a coating consisting of a foreign material, instead the steel itself that has been hardened using a special engineering process that creates a hardened barrier. The base material is a type of stainless steel also used for surgical implants, and the stainless steel resistance to corrosion is even further improved by the Tegiment hardening process.
The case back is nickel free, perfect for those with allergic reactions to case metals. Other features include protection from magnetic fields of up to 80,000 A/m, sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both sides.
Another Sinn engineering feat is the creation of a bezel that is secured by screws. The inlaid aluminum ring featuring numerals and markers is anodized black for optimal legibility, while the triangle reference marker at 12 is applied with special paint for visibility.
The case features a copper sulphate capsule which reacts with moisture to diffuse and absorb humidity in the watch. This capsule may be viewed through a porthole in the left lug, and over time will turn a deep blue as humidity is absorbed. This technology not only provides a more stable environment for the movement, but also helps to prevent fogging of the crystal when going from hot to cold environments or from humid to non-humid conditions (such air conditioned buildings).
This watch has a second time zone displayed by a skeleton yellow tipped hour hand. The second time zone can be set directly through the second position of the crown and uses a 24 hour indication to differentiate AM and PM.
Sand-blasted stainless steel case with solid back. Dial is matte black with Arabic numerals and offset date display at 4. The design and layout of this watch make it extremely easy to read in virtually all light conditions.
Sapphire crystal with luminous hands, hour markers and the 12. Watch is water resistant to 20 ATM. Watch is fitted with a Tegimented steel bracelet with hex screws and solid end links.
The Ball watch is a great multi purpose option. The tritium is very cool with great build. While I do like the Sinn...I find it less versatile for everyday use.
This obviously depends on the ultimate use and other watches in the rotation, now or eventually...
This obviously depends on the ultimate use and other watches in the rotation, now or eventually...
It depends on the criteria that are important to you.
Ball used to be an innovative American manufacture.
Nowadays its a name in a corporate holding and not American at all
Sin is German and still proudly so an their materials technology in their cases is interesting innovative and practical.
I agree that they are okay in Build quality, but side by side I don't agree that they are better than Sinn
I've not scratched or slowed either Sinn and one of those is black!
If extremes are your thing then the UX is an amzing achievement with a case that is WR to 12,000m and movement to 5,000m
The Sinn Lume is good - Omega and Seiko would be better - better, but its extremely usable
Ball - I don't know they've just never impressed me in their overall finish, so having gotten close, researched, played with it in the AD, I've always ended up walking away.
To me they seem to have lost their identity and are now a brand that is dictated more by corporate marketing nicjes than any true brand identity with too much being asked for a fairly common movement and too my eyes, nothing-special case.
Maybe I'm just cynical and let that colour my choices too much, as I'm sure that all the big and not-so-big players do similar tricks.
Tritium tubes are nice, if not as initially bright as Superluminova, but there are better-lumed Tritium dive watches for less than both - have a look at Deep Blue's range.
The down side of my Sinn's is the german u-boat steel they are made of means they are heavy particularly for their physical size.,That said the clasp is also heavy so they are well balanced.
As mentioned, you will need to send the UX to German to have the battery changed, as the oil needs to be replaced and resealed at that time
As Divers go I like the Sinn range and they're not unwearable with working attire
Ultimately its your choice, but my Sinns have proved indestructible and that is 4 years and counting.
Ball used to be an innovative American manufacture.
Nowadays its a name in a corporate holding and not American at all
Sin is German and still proudly so an their materials technology in their cases is interesting innovative and practical.
I agree that they are okay in Build quality, but side by side I don't agree that they are better than Sinn
I've not scratched or slowed either Sinn and one of those is black!
If extremes are your thing then the UX is an amzing achievement with a case that is WR to 12,000m and movement to 5,000m
The Sinn Lume is good - Omega and Seiko would be better - better, but its extremely usable
Ball - I don't know they've just never impressed me in their overall finish, so having gotten close, researched, played with it in the AD, I've always ended up walking away.
To me they seem to have lost their identity and are now a brand that is dictated more by corporate marketing nicjes than any true brand identity with too much being asked for a fairly common movement and too my eyes, nothing-special case.
Maybe I'm just cynical and let that colour my choices too much, as I'm sure that all the big and not-so-big players do similar tricks.
Tritium tubes are nice, if not as initially bright as Superluminova, but there are better-lumed Tritium dive watches for less than both - have a look at Deep Blue's range.
The down side of my Sinn's is the german u-boat steel they are made of means they are heavy particularly for their physical size.,That said the clasp is also heavy so they are well balanced.
As mentioned, you will need to send the UX to German to have the battery changed, as the oil needs to be replaced and resealed at that time
As Divers go I like the Sinn range and they're not unwearable with working attire
Ultimately its your choice, but my Sinns have proved indestructible and that is 4 years and counting.
I've three Balls. One of them belongs to the wife. Unfortunate joke potential aside, these are great watches. Fit and finish is not Rolex quality but it's very good. They are highly accurate and unusual enough that they don't have that 'me too' vibe of the Rolex everyone seems to want to do these days. Based on everything I've read, I think I'd give a bit of an edge in quality to Sinn. Would not buy a quartz watch though, especially one that had to be mailed that far away.
Sinn... Anything from the U series. Absolutely spectacular watches for the price. I really do like that Mad Cow Ball though... but still... Sinn
I've owned both.....the Ball has moved on and the Sinn is never leaving. That being said I'm not opposed to owning another Ball someday.
Indeed. My Rolex Hulk will have lume visible from dusk to dawn. Not as pretty as the Ball though and the Ball is the one I'd take in a cave or camping.
I used to own two Balls. The lume were nice for the first few days. After that there is nothing much for me to keep coming back to them. No real heritage. Stock ETA movement. Designs that don't age well. Etc.
Sold them to partially fund my next watch, the Blingtona. And the resale value for Ball is one of the worst. I sold them for less than 40% of what I bought them for. And I bought them with a sizable discount to boot. All in all, Balls in preowned is going for less than 30% of their initial MSRP once they are discontinued for a few years. I dread to think what they will be worth in a decade or so..
Sold them to partially fund my next watch, the Blingtona. And the resale value for Ball is one of the worst. I sold them for less than 40% of what I bought them for. And I bought them with a sizable discount to boot. All in all, Balls in preowned is going for less than 30% of their initial MSRP once they are discontinued for a few years. I dread to think what they will be worth in a decade or so..
I like Ball watches but as others have said the resale on them is terrible for some reason. Sinn on the other hand don't seem to do too bad I guess they are just more popular with the WIS crowd. That being said, the comedy sales pitch of "I want what it owes me" is dying a death it's a buyer's market out there.
I don't think the designs of Ball really age anymore than any other brand every company has some eyesore in the locker.
If you are buying to keep it matters not resale so just go with the one you like at the best price.
I don't think the designs of Ball really age anymore than any other brand every company has some eyesore in the locker.
If you are buying to keep it matters not resale so just go with the one you like at the best price.
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