A week on the wrist with the Sinn EZM 13, Part 2.

And now for Part 2 of our Week-On-The-Wrist review of the Sinn EZM 13 / 613.  Part 1 of this entry reviews the Sinn EZM 13's features and characteristics, so if you arrived here from somewhere else, you might want to go back and read Part 1 first.  Our week-on-the-wrist review took place mostly over the course of a Spring Break ski trip, book ended by normal life at home and typical travel experiences.  

Certainly one of the watch's most noticeable and purposeful features is its left-handed controls.  And before setting off on our ski trip that was the actual test of the watch, there were a few errands that had to be taken care of that nicely illustrate why this particular feature might be appreciated.  Here we see Juniper the Flying Wonder Dog all leashed up and ready for her bike ride.  The Sinn is a handy tool for this activity; it makes a great timer for our ride and the crown and pushers don't dig into your wrist at all while you're riding.   

Juniper is ready for me to start the chronograph so she can start running. 

The chronograph is much more easily read at a glance than the conventional 30-minute register of a typical Valjoux 7750-powered watch.  For measuring intervals of time longer than 60 minutes, I sometimes set the bezel to the hour hand's position and use it to track elapsed hours.  

Fast forward a couple of days and we have arrived at our hotel in Park City, Utah.  One of the first things I do is change out the two-piece strap I normally wear the EZM 13 on for a one-piece shell strap that can be worn over the sleeve of a ski jacket or right on your wrist.  When not worn over the coat sleeve, the floating keeper will keep the extra-long tail under control.   

The two-piece strap has been changed to a more versatile one-piece strap. 

When worn on the wrist, the extra-long tail is kept with a floating keeper.  

I find it very handy to have my watch readily accessed while skiing.  On longer runs, it can be fun to time your way down the mountain using the chronograph.  It's also just plain handy to know the time of day without having to dig under your sleeve and glove cuff for your watch.  

An extra-long one-piece strap makes it easy to wear the Sinn over a coat sleeve.  

The pushers on the Sinn 613 are very smooth and easy to use.  Personally, I don't like screw-down pushers because I feel they make the chronograph harder to use spontaneously, so I really appreciate that the Sinn's pushers are easily operated, even with ski gloves on.  Likewise its bezel is very handily gripped and turned with gloved hands.  

Of course, after a day on the slopes few things are as welcome as a soak in a hot tub or pool.  After a quick strap change to spare the shell strap the ravages of water and chlorine (made trivially easy with one-piece pull-through design), the Sinn is just as at home in the water as it is on the mountain or in the airplane.  

The Sinn EZM 13 has an impressive water resistance of 500 m.  

And unlike just about any other chronograph, even dive-rated watches, the EZM 13's pushers can be used under water to a depth of about 15 feet.  

And so it went all week.  The Sinn never lost a beat, literally, kept very good time, and was a handy tool for measuring elapsed time on several occasions.  One such use was unexpected but would be appreciated by parents.  There comes a point in the week when you've had enough skiing but your kid is still keen to make a few more runs.  This is when I find the slope-side bar and take a load off.  Rather than worry or wonder when exactly it was I last saw my teenage ski partner, I just use the chronograph to know exactly how long it's been.  Now all I have to do is make a quick estimate, start the chronograph, and allow my thoughts to wander.  "10 minutes up on the lift, 8 minutes back down.  I'll call Ski Patrol if he doesn't show back up after that..."  

The Sinn EZM 13, an essential parenting tool.  

Macro photography reveals the Sinn EZM 13's beautiful design and superior build quality.   Riding around on the outside of my coat sleeve you could imagine the watch encountered some incidental collisions with things.  After each of these I'd check the watch but never saw any damage. This kind of durability is designed into the Sinn, and appreciated by those who use a tool watch as a tool.  

And so to the question posed in Part 1 of this post on the Sinn EZM 13.  Does this Sinn make a good watch for those who contemplate a One Watch life?  Let's identify the things about the watch I wish I could change.  First, the little running seconds hand at 3 o'clock is silly and superfluous.  I suppose it could make a good indicator of whether the watch is running or not, but it's so small that you have to stare at it for a couple seconds just to see if it's moving.  On the other hand, it's also true that it's so small that it's easily ignored or not noticed at all.  Next, although the lume on the watch is excellent, it would be that much more useful if the chronograph minutes dial were also lumed.  Even just the hand itself and the 15, 30, 45, and 60 markers would be an amazing improvement.  Another minor nuisance is the hollow feeling of the bezel's action.  There is a little play in it as well, such that I actually set it past the minutes hand by one click and then take up the play by moving it back to align with the minutes hand.  When I first got the watch I was annoyed by this but I must say that I'm totally used to it now and it doesn't bug me.  It may even be adjustable, although I haven't tried fiddling with the captive bezel retaining screws.  Finally, the Sinn's heavier weight and taller height must be considered by the person considering the EZM 13 as a One Watch watch.  While not ignorable, I have become perfectly accustomed to the Sinn's size so although this doesn't bother me, it might bother you.  

Omit the running seconds hand at 3:00 and lume the chronograph minutes dial and this watch would be perfect. 

Countering these minor quibbles are the Sinn's incredible durability, smart looking design, useful and practical features, rock-like Sinn build quality, and excellent time-keeping.  Speaking of which, I promised in Part 1 the results of the 7-day average time-keeping trial.  After wearing the watch round-the-clock for everything we did all week, I am happy to report that 7 days and 15 minutes later the EZM 13 had gained a whopping 4 seconds.  That's not 4 seconds per day, that's 4 seconds total.  Perhaps this is the greatest argument any watch has going for it in terms of evaluating its suitability for a One Watch life.  

Thank you for reading my blog.  If you have an EZM 13 I'd love to hear about your experience with it!