Tuesday, December 8, 2009

World's first premieres in Singapore!

We are back!
Keep your eyes peeled for the newer and bolder of the U series- The Ultimate U.
>

The Sinn signature U series like you’ve never seen before. Bigger, bolder, un-missable - The Hour Glass is honored to present the world premiere of the largest ever watch made by Sinn, created exclusively for The Hour Glass. Aptly named the “Ultimate U”, its grander size is encased in an imposing un-missable 47mm case, crafted from the same German U-boat submarine steel from which it derives its name. Following hot on the heels of two prior limited-editions for The Hour Glass – the “U Black” and the “Tempus U1”, the U Series legacy continues with the “Ultimate U”. Limited to only 200 pieces in total worldwide production.

A Wartime Odyssey
The limited-edition “Ultimate U” is shrouded with a rich and intriguing history.
The first German U-1 submarine was launched and commissioned into the Imperial Navy during World War I. A couple of decades later during World War II witnessed the introduction of the Monsun U-boats, a type IXD2 U-boat that were larger and more arresting than their predecessors. At more than 500 tons heavier and almost 10 meters longer than the other U-boats, these long range Monsun U-boats operated very successfully in the Indian Ocean and South African waters during World War II.

Singapore’s pivotal role in U-Boat history
A little known fact was Singapore’s role in the developmental history of the much feared German U-boats. One of the most decorated Monsun U-boats, the U-181, operated from Singapore as its key base and fought and ended its last days on the island of Singapore during World War II.

The “Ultimate U”, with its large casing diameter of 47mm, is a befitting creation, inspired by the original Monsun U-boat’s imposing size.

The ‘U Series’ Legacy ContinuesThe background and exceptionally sturdy case of the German submarine steel, unparalleled in its remarkable resistance to seawater and anti-magnetic quality, sets the inspiration and creation of the U Series. Exclusively for Sinn, the steel supplier of Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft and Nordseewerke Emden GmbH shipyards are supplying the watchmaker with smaller amounts of exactly the same steel of which the world’s most modern non-nuclear submarines are made – the new submarine class 212 of the German Navy. A technical marvel of unparalleled reliability, it can be tegimented especially well. The rotating bezel’s minute scale for dive time reading is milled directly into the steel to assure safety, legibility and accuracy. Tested by Germanischer Lloyd, the global authority in pressure testing of submarines, the Sinn U Series is the ultimate indispensable equipment for professionals and sports divers.

With key distinction in its new oversized case, with a larger crown, the “Ultimate U” has a special dial embossed with the outline of a submarine. Its date marker on the dial presents the 30th day in each month in white, as a distinction to The Hour Glass’ 30th anniversary this year. Its caseback is engraved with “The Hour Glass Limited 200”. Each watch is also accompanied by a certificate that is personally signed-off by Mr Lothar Schmidt, CEO of Sinn.





(Photos are courtesy of Mr Su Jiaxian)

The Sinn “Ultimate U” is exclusively available at The Hour Glass and retails at
S$7,300.

Please click here for Ultimate U's technical details

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

The Hour Glass Celebrates 30 Years!

To thank you for supporting The Hour Glass through these 30 years of success, we are making a timely offer on ALL watch purchases from now till 15 December 2009.

Own your dream watch now with our easy 30-month payment plan* – The Hour Glass will undertake to absorb the interest. So, for a significantly lower monthly repayment sum, owning that desired timepiece has never been easier.

*Applicable to participating banks: Citibank, DBS, OCBC and UOB credit cards only.
Other terms & conditions apply.

Available at:
ION Orchard Tel : 65-6509 9268 • Takashimaya S.C Tel : 65-6734 2420 • Tang Plaza Tel : 65-6235 7198 • Raffles Hotel Arcade Tel : 65-6334 3241 • Millenia Walk Tel : 65-6339 4870 • Lucky Plaza Tel : 65-6733 1262 • Orchard Central Tel : 65-6337 8309
Rolex Boutiques : ION Orchard Tel : 65-6509 9282 • Raffles Hotel Arcade Tel : 65-6334 3241

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Sinn Club Exclusive: Sinn celebrates Oktober Fest!

We love any excuse to celebrate - so Oktober Fest it shall be!

While we did think about offering our members copious amounts of german beer and get everyone jolly, we reckon there must be another way to prolong joyousness beyond just being nicely inebriated on too much beer... plus, minus the hangover. So, we have sent a lttle Oktober offering to your email address registered with us. Do check your emails!

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

The Hamburg - Berlin Rallye 20.08.09 - 22.08.09

Fans of classic cars, this entry will "pop" your eyes. The month of August was yet another exciting month for Sinn with the Hamburg-Berlin Rallye - even more so in fact, as they got right into the heart of action - by racing in it!

An annual classic-car rallye (also known as "oldtimer" car race) that spans over 3 days and across 650km, the rallye starts in the seaport city of Hamburg on 20 Aug, ending in Berlin, the capital city of Germany on 23 Aug.


One of the drivers is a man who appreciates classic design and loves masterpieces of mechanical engineering: Lothar Schmidt, owner of SINN Spezialuhren in Frankfurt am Main.

Mr Lothar Schmidt, together with fellow colleague Mrs Simone Richter, gamely participated in this special "oldtimer-rallye" together with 186 other participants and their old and young-timer cars.

Check out the SINN-Team ride: A Mercedes-Benz 220 SEL/B Cabriolet (Classified: Oldtimer). (Some "old timer" - I will gladly trade in my cookie-cutter Jap car for some of that shiny chrome!)



Mrs. Richter was the Pilot of the car while Mr. Schmidt was the Co-Pilot. His role is to navigate, while abiding to the rules and tricks during the race, maintaing optimal speed and to manage all the chicanes and different challenges. After 3 zestful days, the SINN team came in at No.82 out of 186 challengers, a commendable result indeed!
The only tool Mr. Schmidt used for this race was the NEW RALLYE chronograph Model 917 GR, one of 3 new models that were specially launched during the car rallye.
Model 917 GR

Model 917
For more details of the watch please click here http://sinntimepieces.blogspot.com/2009/09/chronograph-watch-model-917.html
Dashboard clock 4.917

We leave you now to enjoy these delightful pictures of a very unique event held under beautiful skies, picturesque towns and gorgeous gorgeous classic cars.




Little fun facts about the rallye:

The three-day classic car rallye from Hamburg to Berlin in August 2008 was a spectacular success when it was introduced nearly a year ago. This year, the magazine AUTO BILD KLASSIK brought back the event – and succeeded in mobilizing more than 150 extravagant classic cars to participate.

AUTO BILD KLASSIK is a germany car magazine that is all about classic vintage automobiles that are older than 15 years old. As quoted from the magazine: “The young magazine for old cars”.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Sinn wins 3rd place - Aviation Watches Category

We are delighted to learn that Sinn has bagged the 3rd place in the Aviation Watches Category for "Best Brand of 2009" in “Aerokurier”, a specialist German aviation magazine. Below is a short release about the award:


Readers vote for SINN Spezialuhren

Third place in “Best Brand 2009” poll

In its April 2009 edition, aviation magazine “Aerokurier” invited its readers to select the “Best Brand of 2009” in various categories. In the category “Aviation Watches,” 38.9% of the magazine’s readers chose SINN Spezialuhren, making it the third most popular brand. Readers recognized the company’s outstanding performance in the areas of quality, technology and precision. The magazine awarded a commemorative certificate to SINN Spezialuhren on July 18 during the Tannkosh meeting, Europe’s largest “fly-in” that was held at Tannheim Airfield in Germany’s Illertal region.


Chosen from a group of 19 watch companies including famous international brands such as Breitling, Lange & Sohne, Omega, IWC etc, winning 3rd spot is indeed an honour and recognition for a fiercely independent niche brand such as Sinn. With little advertising and no famous ambassadors, Sinn simply lets its watches do the talking. Our heartiest congratulations.




Since we are on the subject of aviation, catch a glimpse of the Sinn aircraft here:



"Aerokurier" is a monthly magazine founded in 1957 covering international civil aviation published in the German language http://www.aerokurier.de/

Monday, August 3, 2009

L'Atelier by The Hour Glass

Have you gone to ION Orchard? The shining new kid on the (Orchard road) block, we estimate that about a quarter of the Singaporean population has already passed through its glass doors since it opened to public officially in end July.

Escape the crowds to the 3rd floor, let your eyes adjust back to normal after all that ritz and glitz of mammoth stores and shiny chrome, and you may just be caught a little surprised by a cosy little store that looks somewhat like a cross between an antique tools store and ...hold on, is that The Hour Glass??

L’Atelier, french for "workshop", is a brand new horological heritage boutique by The Hour Glass that celebrates horological genius - be it the true classics of A Lange and Sohne or Breguet, or the truly innovative, such as De Bethune and MB&F.



Designed to slow down the selling process, allowing our customers to truly relish in the luxury of time, L'Atelier's décor exudes an old world charm coupled with a warm ambience. Aside from the obvious creme de la creme of contemporary horological art on display, your attention will also be drawn to the smattering of 200 year old watch-making tools and little mechanical curios to tinker with, from 19th century music boxes to the rarest Patek Philippe electronic Nixie Time-Code generator from the 70's.

While you may not see the Sinn brand corner in L'Atelier, please feel free to enquire about Sinn watches - you will see the same familiar faces from The Hour Glass. At the same time, enjoy a visual feast in this elegant soothing abode on a selection of renowned brands such as Ulysse Nardin, Daniel Roth, Audemars Piguet, Hublot as well as progressive brands Urwerk, Gerald Genta etc. Also available is Roland Iten, the world's first mechanical handmade accessories for men, featuring moving belt buckles and card holders that flip open like a lighter.

L’Atelier is not about selling watches; it is a conducive environment for budding watch enthusiasts and avid collectors to meet together to freely exchange ideas, flip through rare books and discuss about exquisite timepieces.

Curious at the very least after all that talk above? Drop by L'Atelier for a visit and judge for yourself on what is probably the world's first luxury watch retailing and "horologic institute" rolled into one.

Image by courtesy of Dr Wong Ju Ming, also known as "Decksurgeon". To see his viewpoint (and more photos of L'Atelier), visit his postings at
http://home.watchprosite.com/show-forumpost/fi-17/pi-3267466/ti-535326/s-0/
http://horomundi.com/forums/main/read.php?2,6832,6832#msg-6832
(Thanks Doc!)

While you are already at ION, do visit The Hour Glass’ stand-alone Rolex boutique on level 1 (beside Prada). Built completely in accordance with Rolex's international guidelines, step into this unmistakably Rolex environment to view one of the most comprehensive collection of Rolex watches in South East Asia - a new mecca for Rolex lovers!

Thursday, July 16, 2009

The New Limited Edition UX Sansibar

What is a Sansibar? For those who are hearing it here for the first time, Sansibar is the most famous restaurant situated on Sylt, a top notch island off the coast of Germany and Denmark, right by the North Sea. Sited on sand dunes and facing the coast, Sansibar greets its visitors that include German dignitaries, with a pirate flag and the ubiquitous crossed swords emblem. http://www.sansibar-sylt.de/


If you are curious about where Sylt is, or how to pronounce it (as we were), visit http://en.sylt.de/ to see why Sylt deserves to be crowned "Queen of the North Sea".


Mr Seckler, owner and founder of Sansibar Sylt, receiving the 1st ever UX Sansibar on 21 May 2009. With him is Mr Lothar Schmidt, CEO of Sinn.



While I may not have been to Sylt, or the North Sea for the matter, the Crossed Swords emblem on a UX is definitely covetable...there is something wickedly rakish about it, dont you think?


The UX Sansibar

Limited Edition of just 500 pieces

- Hand-made Sterling silver appliqués in the shape of crossed swords, branded with the logo of the Sansibar on the island of Sylt
- Case made of German submarine steel
- Captive diver’s bezel with TEGIMENT technology
- Reflection-free under water thanks to HYDRO technology, readable from any angle and completely free from fogging
- Temperature-stabilized chronometer quartz movement, functionally reliable at temperatures between –20 °C and +60 °C
- Movement pressure-resistant to 5000 meters, case tested to a diving depth of 12,000 meters, certified by Germanischer Lloyd, Hamburg
- Tested based on the European standards for diving equipment and certified by Germanischer Lloyd Hamburg

Please click here for more details.