Sunday Morning Showdown: Ice-Cold Stunners — Sinn Vs. Fortis
In our Sunday Morning Showdown, two of our writers go head-to-head in an epic showdown for the ages. Strong opinions and hysterical hyperbole are welcome (so feel free to join in with the fun in the comments section below). And don’t forget to let us know which watches you’d like to see torn to shreds/effusively exalted next week. We’ll try and feature as many of our readers’ choices as we can. For this week, two cold-as-ice chronographs face-off in a scintillating sub-zero showdown. The Sinn 206 Arktis II and the Fortis Official Cosmonauts Amadee-18.
But before we start exploring the two chronographs facing each other this week, let’s look back at last week’s Showdown. Our readers were undoubtedly vocal about their preferences between the Omega Speedmaster X-33 and Breitling Aerospace Avantage. Very fitting for the theme of rock concert watches, with many fans screaming as loud as Rob Halford during a live show. In the end, the Speedmaster X-33 won the battle of the bands at 58%, with the Aerospace Avantage coming in at 42%. Still, it didn’t feel like a substantial victory for the Omega as both pieces brought up mixed feelings from a few readers.
We get it; analog-digital quartz watches are not for everyone. No matter how valiantly our writers fought their case for each quartz beater, there is still a stigma around the provenance of quartz. Especially those timepieces on the pricier and, some may say, the quirkier side. Even so, choosing “neither” was, unfortunately for some of you, not an option. We need a winner, after all! I think we can win some of you back with this week’s match-up, though. Mechanical? Check. Chronograph? Check. Solid dials? Check. Triple-axis tourbillons in asymmetrical diamond-encrusted cases with straps made from a fermented shark? Nowhere to be seen. You could say we are dialing down the quirkiness this time.
Chrono Vs. Chrono
That doesn’t mean these two chronographs follow the beaten path, though. Each watch strives to withstand brute forces while being highly wearable. Both watches are special edition chronographs powered by the legendary Valjoux 7750 movement and come in at a price of just over €3,000. So far, so equal. The Sinn 206 Arktis II takes us to the great depths of the ocean with a 300-meter rated chronograph — without screw-down pushers. Its contender is the Fortis Official Cosmonauts Amadee-18, created to honor the exploration of life on Mars. I think we all yearn for those days in the future, considering our Earth’s current state.
So both of these watches are built to withstand the extremes of conditions, whether temperature or pressure. Later on, it’s up to you to decide which fires you up or leaves you out in the cold. But before we get to that, let’s hand it over to our writers to explore why they picked their preferred chronograph.
Ben — Sinn 206 Arktis II
The level of requests to feature a Sinn watch in a Sunday Morning Showdown was deafening. Did some of you think it was the SINNday Morning Showdown? Well, we hear you, watchfam! Loud and clear. It’s not that we ignore your suggestions, but with so many watches lined up in this series, it takes time to find the appropriate slot. There have been many brands, and specific watches Jorg and I wanted to cover in the first part of this year. But Sinn was a brand I couldn’t wait to get around to. Simply as my first exposure occurred recently. More importantly, the brand earned my instant admiration.
A watch that can be disinfected might come in handy these days.
The watch I first came across was the Sinn EZM 12 “PulsRotor,” designed for search and rescue paramedics. It was the level of care and attention to each element that astounded me. The Tegimented steel case with smooth texture indeed takes a beating from leaping in and out of a helicopter. But also, the bezel can be easily removed to disinfect it for re-use. It’s a considerate feature, especially for today’s cleanliness routines. The difficult thing with Sinn was finding a suitable adversary. Even with today’s 206 Arktis II, a generic chronograph was not going to cut the mustard. Only when we began taking notice of the rejuvenated Fortis and its similar focus on functions that we had our match.
Tool watch ingenuity
The intense approach Sinn applies is to deconstruct a watch to its core, only to rebuild it tougher. It’s what the German brand is renowned for. From oil-filled dive watches for the armed forces to the clinical EZM 12 mentioned above. Somehow each watch serves some professional function. In 2019, Sinn celebrated 20-years since the 203 Arktis, a diving chronograph released in 1999 with a temperature tolerance of -45°C to +80°C. This was the first watch of its kind to harbor this level of extreme temperature resistance. When I saw the 206 Arktis II, I felt it was the best kind of re-issue as a watch of this caliber was missing in Sinn’s portfolio.
False screw-down pushers…
The 206 Arktis II was blown up to 43mm from the original diameter of 41mm. For the dial, black made way for blue. But I prefer the fresher cool blue dial in a utilitarian watch — it gives it some much-needed vibrancy. Weirdly, it is the chronograph pushers that equally confuse and delight. The original 203 Arktis chronograph had screw-down pushers to maintain water tightness and to avoid accidental activation. On the 206 Arktis II, the pushers appear as though they screw down, but they don’t. The D3-system ensures that even at 300 meters depth, activation of the chronograph does not compromise the resistance to water or pressure. However, the primary purpose of the D3-system is actually to support another technology.
Not too hot, not too cold
In extreme environments, the Sinn 206 Aktis II will not be affected by condensation. I don’t know about you, but when I think my watch needs a clean, I take it in the shower with me. Good old gentle soap and water seems to do the trick when the case and crystal start to look a little grubby.
Jorg: Soap and water? Are we still talking about watches?
Sorry, I phased out there, back to my point. Invariably I tend to notice how the crystal fogs up in a hot shower, no matter the watch. Well, due to the Ar-Dehumidifying technology implemented between the dial and sapphire crystal of the Sinn 2016 Arktis, this won’t happen.
It’s not about letting water in; it’s about stopping gas from being let out.
The long-life EDR seals ensure the gas filling remains beneath the sapphire crystal. In combination with the titanium drying capsule, micro-droplets cannot form. This is why having chronograph pushers that do not allow water ingress is so essential. More so for not releasing the gas than allowing water in when actuating the timing pushers, but that is surely a bonus. Sinn even implements an indication on the bottom-left lug that enables you to monitor the capsule’s health. White to light blue is all good. When it shifts to dark blue, it’s time to replace the drying capsule, depending on your use.
It’s still a dive watch
The 60-minute scale on the bezel still offers useful compression timing information for divers. Often dive chronographs eschew the traditional dive functionality for a tachymeter scale, a bit like the Tudor Black Bay Chrono. But Sinn still provides a unidirectional dive bezel alongside fully luminescent hands, lume pip, and bright indices, as you can see from the header image. Now on to an element I am not too keen on. I’m confident in mentioning this as the watch Jorg defends below has the same mechanism — the Valjoux 7750.
The Valjoux 7750 brings new meaning to the term “beating heart of the watch.”
Don’t get me wrong, the Valjoux 7750 has been and still is the backbone to many of the greatest chronographs of all time since 1973. But a drawback of the mechanism is the single direction winding rotor. It winds one way with some resistance but spins freely in the other rotation. And with wearing on the wrist, there is no way to determine which way it goes. This leads to a wobbling effect, or from my personal experience, it feels like a gyroscope. Occasionally, I would notice it pulsating on my wrist for few seconds even if I only lift my wrist to my mouth to drink. This was most prevalent with my hands-on experience with the Norqain Freedom 60 Chronograph.
Jorg: I agree, it’s a potential craft beer spiller, and we can’t have that the next time we go drinking Ben.
No compromise
Even with my gripes, the Valjoux 7750 movement is viewable through the sapphire case-back. This article’s images display the blue silicone strap, but the watch is also available on a steel bracelet with center links that resemble Patek Philippe’s Nautilus. A design flourish that slightly breaks with tool watch traditions is the concentric circles on the sub-dials with a matching blue sunburst finish.
Jorg, I am still here bubbling under the depths of the deep blue. As Arnie would say, “get your ass to Mars” with the Fortis.
Jorg – Fortis Official Cosmonauts Amadee-18
Before I get into today’s battle, it was great to see the Speedy X-33 take the victory in last week’s contest. Following our match-up, I have proudly worn my first-generation X-33 quite a bit over the previous week. Once again, I was reminded just how special the X-33 is. And I needed the Fratello reader’s votes to remind me of that. But as I said, pretty high up on my list of future purchases is the Breitling Aerospace, so that I can experience the same sensibilities in an alternative approach. Hopefully, I may even drag my theoretical Breitling to a theoretical live gig at some point.
It’s the story of space exploration.
Another watch that would not be out of place during these metal shows is my mechanical chronograph pick for this week. The Fortis Official Cosmonauts Amadee-18 rocks a full black aesthetic that would not be out of place on the wrist of a hard-rocking lead guitarist. But let’s move on from the theme of metal music because the Official Cosmonauts Amadee-18 tells a far more powerful story. It’s the story of space exploration that could eventually lead to humankind setting one small step on Mars.
Ben: I’d like to hope that David Bowie’s Life On Mars accompanies that momentous moment.
Fortis in space
For battling the Sinn, I could have picked quite a few Fortis chronographs from the catalog. The brand is known to create various chronographs that are part of the Space, Sky, and Sea collections. So why pick this one? Besides the fact that both this and the Sinn specs are a close match, I love the looks of the Cosmonauts Amadee-18. It doesn’t often happen that I gravitate to a blacked-out watch as I typically prefer the contrast of brushed and polished steel surfaces. But this Fortis was love at first sight. It was hard to take it off my wrist after wearing it for some time.
Exploring the desolate landscape of Mars.
And the design goes beyond pure aesthetics. Fortis consider the practicalities of exploring the desolate landscape of Mars. A story of exploration that is also close to home for Fortis. The brand took its first steps into the world of space exploration in 1992. In 1994, the brand partnered up with Roscosmos and the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center to supply cosmonauts with Fortis watches. If you are not familiar with the history of Fortis and Roscosmos over the years, it’s worth checking out this article for more detail. In the meantime, I have Showdown to win, so onwards into battle!
Stealth instead of steel
The watch features a 42mm black PVD-coated stainless steel case with a slightly bigger bezel at 44mm. With a thickness of 15.5mm and a lug-to-lug of 53mm, this is by no means a small watch. And considering its functional purpose, it was never meant to be. But with the black coating, the watch looks stealthy, with a couple of excellent hints of color connecting it to the Amadee-18 Project. It keeps the watch from becoming a big chunk of steel on your wrist.
I love the design and the colors of the mission patch.
The red, orange, and brown mission patch is placed in the 9 o’clock sub-dial. The colors remind us of the sunrises and sunsets on Mars and Earth. And the pattern of lines you see represent the experiment that was carried out in Oman. I love the design and the colors of the mission patch. Along with the bright orange chronograph hands, they add a healthy hint of color to the watch. The day-date complication printed in white on black discs also keeps the stealthy character intact.
Amadee-18 for the win
The sturdy but comfortable Cordura strap keeps the watch perfectly in balance on my 18cm wrist. It makes the typical Valjoux 7750 wobble, as Ben mentioned above, easy to deal with. On top of that, it makes it easy to operate the large chronograph pushers and the pull-out crown. I could go on for a while about the details because I love this watch. But I suggest you read Robert-Jan’s review of the Official Cosmonauts Amadee-18 for all the details.
The Fortis Official Cosmonauts Amadee-18 is a great testament to the first Amadee project.
Why do I think this watch is such a winner? Despite its functional character, its incredibly busy dial, and its chunky profile, it looks very cool. I like that it makes no excuses for being practical. And I love that it is a lovely stealthy black with hints of color reminding us of that remarkable story. The next step in space exploration is all about getting your ass to Mars. And the Amadee Project is a great initiative that helps us getting useful information about life on Mars. And if it brings us watches like the Fortis Official Cosmonauts Amadee-18 in the process, I am on board.
The new Amadee-20 mission was postponed to October 2021, but in the meantime, the Fortis Official Cosmonauts Amadee-18 is a great testament to the first project. All this talk of Mars has got me in the mood to watch The Martian again.
Final words
Jorg: I have to say that this week’s Showdown is one of two watches I genuinely like. Both serve a different purpose but end up in the same ballpark. For me, choosing the Fortis over the Sinn is a matter of looks and the great Amadee-18 story. A story that is especially relevant after the NASA-rover Perseverance successfully landed on the Red Planet just last Thursday. Seeing that first picture from the Jezero Crater that was taken millions of kilometers away is just mind-blowing. It brings a greater relevance to this specific Sunday Morning Showdown than we could have ever predicted.
Ben: With such a closely-matched pair, even I am struggling. It comes down to personal preferences, but for me, the amount of technology in the unassuming Sinn is the archetype of modern-day mechanical innovation.
There you have it. Two steel chronographs that explore the extremes our universe has to offer. But which direction do you go? The depths of the oceans or the surface of the Red Planet? Vote below and let us know your reasoning in the comments.
