quote:

Originally posted by flashguy:
Enjoy! I took off my watch (inexpensive) the day I fully retired and have not worn one since. I rely on clocks located around my house and in my car.

flashguy

I can understand that in your situation, you feel freedom by not having to wear a watch.
I on the other hand, love that I can now wear my better watches with no fear of them being broken. I do enjoy wearing my better watch's, now that I am retired.

quote:

Originally posted by Warhorse:

quote:

Originally posted by flashguy:
Enjoy! I took off my watch (inexpensive) the day I fully retired and have not worn one since. I rely on clocks located around my house and in my car.

flashguy

I can understand that in your situation, you feel freedom by not having to wear a watch.
I on the other hand, love that I can now wear my better watches with no fear of them being broken. I do enjoy wearing my better watch's, now that I am retired.

I have been wearing watches since I was 11 years old. I really enjoy them and it's a part of who I am.

I enjoy my Sinn watches. Have had them since 2002-3.
All are Lemania 5100 powered which remains a favorite.
Never took to chronos with the Valjoux 7750. Had several most notably a Kobold Endurance A which I sold.


142 St S flanked on each side by a 156 Military

What a nice watch, it's a stunning timepiece.

quote:

Originally posted by 220 Smudge:
MDS, Sinn may look like a luxury watch, but many of their models are built hell-for-stout. Definitely give them a look!

That's what I'm looking for; hell-for-stout. I'm looking for a Mad Max desert wasteland End of Times timepiece. Thanks for the advice!

quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:
...

Sinn has a few 103 Chronographs that I find quite tempting. Thin, (for a chronograph) small 41mm case, easy to read Flieger style dial, German build quality paired with a fantastic Swiss automatic mechanical movement.

Ooooh! Nice! I really like that Flieger style of dial. Yeah, at this point I'm thinking about an auto chrono tool watch, and that particular style of Sinn checks a few boxes for me.

I've read about the Valjoux 7750 automatic mechanical movement, it seems almost iconic (and ubiquitous) to many watch aficionados.

Tell me about your experience with this movement. I haven't owned an auto in decades and my last one (Seiko dive) was not a good experience. What kind of accuracy are you getting from the 7750? Reliability? How frequently do they require maintenance?

You can probably plan on an overhaul every 6-8 yrs for Sinn. I had a U2, a 757UTC and an 857UTC. They all had copper sulfate capsules for the humidity control, but I live in AZ, so not really an issue here. AFAIK, only RGM in PA can service them in the US. Otherwise they have to go back to Sinn HQ in Frankfurt. Lots of ADs in Germany can service them if you happen to be in Germany. I had my U2 overhauled by an AD in Cologne, but made arrangements long in advance. The 757UTC went back to Sinn, took about three mos. and ran $630.

quote:

Originally posted by Modern Day Savage:

Ooooh! Nice! I really like that Flieger style of dial. Yeah, at this point I'm thinking about an auto chrono tool watch, and that particular style of Sinn checks a few boxes for me.

I've read about the Valjoux 7750 automatic mechanical movement, it seems almost iconic (and ubiquitous) to many watch aficionados.

Tell me about your experience with this movement. I haven't owned an auto in decades and my last one (Seiko dive) was not a good experience. What kind of accuracy are you getting from the 7750? Reliability? How frequently do they require maintenance?

I have had very good experiences with the Valjoux 7750. It’s quirky sure but it is beautiful, reliable, accurate and tough. My Sinn Arktis is keeping about 1-2 seconds a day average so time keeping is exquisite. I have a few watches from various brands that use the 7750 Movement. In my experience it’s a very consistent movement with the majority keeping around +4-6 seconds a day. They are tough movements!

I crashed a mountain bike at good speed while wearing a Ball Chrono with a 7750. Thankfully I didn’t hit the watch case on anything but the leather strap got a few light scuffs. That leather Ball uses is TOUGH. My legs, hip and elbows are not as tough and received some road rash. It was a close call and I don’t ride with my chronos anymore. Now a Sunto Core or Seiko Kinetic is my dedicated riding watch. The sunto has survived some gnarly crashes.

I love the history behind the movement. To me I value a design that can withstand the test of time. This video is extremely well made and highlights very convincingly why the Valjoux 7750 is a masterpiece.





Rick Lee, The 757 UTC is a sweet watch! As someone from the 757 (Hampton Roads Virginia) its name immediately caught my eye. I eventually came across the UTC version with the extra (12 hr?) UTC hand. What a cool looking watch! Steel caseback?

So far, a family member who can wear out a sledge hammer, Glocks and Benellis, hasn’t been able to hurt his Sinn UX.

(Rolexes and Omegas don’t hold up to him, at all.)

As stickman428 wrote people either love or hate the 7750. Hacking it can be an issue as well. It always annoyed the crap out of me unlike the 5100.

Anyhow for those interested the late horological guru Chuck Maddox wrote extensively about the Lemania 5100 almost two decades ago ( https://www.chronomaddox.com/ ) ( http://chronomaddox.com/why_i_like_5100.html ). It was a favorite of his as well as military world wide.

"In all seriousness I have some strong reasons for preferring the Lemania 5100 movement even though I am also a big fan of the Valjoux 7750 and also a big collector of them as well...

Some of the reasons I prefer the 5100 include:

The 5100 is the only chronograph movement that, because of its construction, can withstand high shocks without the sweep secondhand stopping, as the chronograph functions are powered directly.
I'm not 100% certain (I learned this from a 1999 issue of Chrono's Magazine that was quoted in a post here on TZ....) as Lemania has come out with a new movement that is similar to the 5100 but has a more conventional Tri-Compax layout that also may share this feature.
It can withstand vertical acceleration of up to 7 g, without the accuracy decreasing noticeably.
Its robustness is also legendary, the movement forgives hard blows and has very few claims for servicing. I have heard the 5100 likened to the Soviet T-34 tank or the AK-47 in terms of being able to take abuse and still function properly...
Its extraordinary accuracy is consistent over a long period and the intervals between required servicing are long, 4-7 years are usually quoted.
It is or at has been used by a large variety of manufacturers including:, Sinn, Bell&Ross, Fortis, Tutima, Alain Silberstein, Paul Picot, Orfina-Porsche Design, Hamilton, Tourneau, Heuer, TAG-Heuer, Revue Thommen among others.
It has been in continuous production for over 25 years parts availability is not an issue and likely never will become an issue.
Then there is the aesthetics...
The 5100 has more features than the base 7750. You typically see more 5100's with the full Day-Date Treatment than you do with 7750's. You also have a 24-hour military time subdial which you typically only see on 7751 variants of the 7750 (which typically cost more. Even though there is a special 24/GMT version of the 7750 that has been available to firms who wish to encorporate it in their product line for a number of years:
I also prefer the layout of the 5100's dial... An Illustration from TZ Classic # 321
http://www.timedesign.de/uhrwerke/zifferblatt.html

You'll notice that the main difference between the two is that while the Valjoux uses two of the three sub registers for Chronograph functions the Lemania moves the Chronograph Minute hand to the "SST" on the main pinion. This allows for a much larger and hence more visible and easier to read under duress hand.
Another observation that I have made on my examples is that while Lemania c.321's and c.861's as well as Valjoux 7750 and Valjoux c.72 seem to be susceptible to "Chrono Hour Creep". I have yet to see a Lemania 5100 (or 1342 as used for Omega c.1041 and c.1040 movements) exhibit this behaviour.
That's most of it. I like Valjoux 7750's... Some of my favorite watches are 7750's: Gallet Black PVD, Porsche Design IWC (Both Titanium and Delryn bracelet model's), Heuer Pasadena, and of course the Omega Seamaster Professional Chronograph... But I just really like the 5100's better.

The best car analogy I can find is the Valjoux 7750 and the Lemania 5100 are the Chevy 350 and the Ford 351-C of watches. Both are tried and true designs, nigh bulletproof when treated with a modicum of care, with outstanding parts availabilty and as common as dirt. It is really hard to go wrong in a major way with either one, but some applications are better suited for one over the other. For example, if you wanted to stick either into a Jaguar XKE (just for fun and to shock the hell out of the Cobra Crowd), you'll find the Ford 351c is a much easier conversion because it is about 1-3 inches narrower where there is the tightest clearance around the fuel pump... Because the Jag has such a long snout the frame rails get in the way. However, on a Datsun Z-240/260/280 this isn't a problem, and the Chevy has slightly easier parts availability... I mean when cut I bleed Ford Blue and Silver so I'd want a 351c in either, but I think you get my meaning and analogy...
-- Chuck"


A more current summary / evaluation on this renowned movement can be found here:
[url=https://wornandwound.com/chronography-4-lemania- 5100/]https://wornandwound.com/chronography-4-lemania-5100/[/url]

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As an aside, my very first chronograph was a Zodiac 4557 powered by a Valijoux 72 I bought new in 1968. Sadly long ago lost and one I wish I still had.

My 1969 Longines Chronograph uses the Valjoux 726 and it still runs fine.

bald1, Excellent info!! I haven’t had the pleasure of owning a watch with a Lemania 5100 yet. Eventually that will likely change.

Good point on the issue with setting hands. This is not an issue that is consistent across the board with the Valjoux 7750. I have some that are easy to set the minutes hand precisely and a few others with some “play” that can take one or two tries before the hands align perfectly.

I have a Le Jour MKI (poor man’s Top Gun chronograph), Hamilton diver chrono and Squale Corallo that all have the Valjoux 7750 and exhibit zero play with the minute hand so setting it precisely is simple.

My Sinn, Tissot Professional and even my Omega Seamaster take more effort to set precisely but by no means is it a major issue. I’d rate it as a minor annoyance that probably varies along the production line since some of my 7750 movements don’t have this issue at all. It’s more of learning exactly how to set each specific watch so I’d rate it as a very minor annoyance and one that isn’t exclusive to the 7750 movement in my experience.



I loved your V8 analogy. If the Valjoux 7750 is Chevy V8 of the watch world I would say the Omega Caliber 3330 is the modern equivalent of the GM 6.2 Liter V8 Supercharged LSA. Built from the base of a Valjoux 7750 but sporting some SERIOUS enhancements and improvements such as a column wheel, co-axial escapement and silicon spring that gives it impressive magnetic resistance.

It’s a shame Omega didn’t put a display caseback on the Seamaster Professional until the following generation.

After a few months the honeymoon phase still isn’t over. This Sinn 206 is such a great watch! I finally got around to putting the Sinn and a few other watches on my timegrapher. The Sinn ranged from +9 to -7 seconds depending on position.

When worn on the wrist constantly it averages around +4 seconds a day. If I put the watch crown down over night it is often pretty dang close to being perfect with atomic time the next morning.

I swapped out the Sinn bracelet for a gray NATO strap that works great with the icy blue dial and stainless case.

While researching various Sinn models I came across this video. It is extremely well made and quite the overview on the many unique technologies Sinn utilizes and why among watch enthusiasts Sinn is so highly regarded.



The original post was sort of prophetic in a way. While it referred to one German watch and one German pistol I came across a fantastic deal on a titanium Sinn that you don’t see up for sale all the time. I now have two German masterpieces that couldn’t be more different. One is flashy with polished and brushed stainless steel and a sunburst blue dial while the other is flat gray with off white sub dials and a dull bead blasted titanium case.

The Sinn 203 Ti Ar 45th Jubiläum (Anniversary) of which only 450 were made in 2006.



The titanium bracelet is fantastic the watch is almost as light as a plastic G-Shock! I also love the look and feel of this watch on a khaki/olive colored NATO strap.