Face Off: Das Boot – German Dive Watches

Two manufactures that exemplify German engineering, toughness, and value are Damasko and Sinn. Both have tool watches that are engineered to withstand the rigors of diving, and just about anything else you can throw at them. For today’s Face Off, we’ll review the Damasko DA44 and Sinn U1. Although the Damasko has the addition of a day function, these two German dive watches are functionally very similar. This face off is comparing apples to apples so each one will have to pull out all the stops of to come out on top.

Damasko DA44

Price: $1,500

Damaso DA44

Damasko has long been an underrated manufacture in our opinion. They strive to produce incredibly tough watches, to the point where they’ve created their own testing and authentication processes for things like their steel because they didn’t feel the current industry standards were stringent enough. They’ve put a number of unique and innovative technologies into their watches while managing to keep them affordable.

The DA44 is a true workhorse from Damasko. At 40mm wide, 12mm thick, 20mm lugs, and a very legible dial, the size and proportions are just right. At the heart of the DA44 is an ETA 2836-2. It’s a 25 jewel automatic movement with 28,800 vph, hacking seconds, and day/date in both German and English. The ETA base movement has been modified by Damasko to adhere to their shockproof and anti-magnetic standards. They have also gilded the movement and decorated the rotor with Geneva stripes, so it’s a bit more than just slapping an ETA inside their case. Speaking of the case, this is where Damasko stepped up their game. The nickel free stainless steel has been entirely ice-hardened to 60 HRC, which is tool-steel toughness. As mentioned before, the watchis anti-magnetic up to 1,000 gauss. The anti reflective UV resistant crystal, case-back, bezel, and crown are all secured with Damasko’s patented gasket and lubrication system that eliminates friction and wear, enhances chemical resistance, and extends gasket life. Water resistance is 100m, which is the “shallow” end of dive watches. This doesn’t really bother me, however, since practically speaking, most divers won’t ever go close to that depth and the 100m rating is compliant with DIN 8310.

DA44, courtesy WUS member spm17

The matte black dial and white markers and sword hands combine for a rapidly legible aesthetic. To break up the black and white party, there is a nice hint of color with the red seconds hand, marker at 12, and bezel pip. The dial also has two intersecting vertical and horizontal lines, reminiscent of the reticle, or “crosshair”, on a periscope. I doubt that was Damasko’s intent, but it’s a nice thought. The brand’s logo and day/date display are cleanly placed on the right side, sitting above and below this line, respectively. The DA44 comes with several strap options including leather, a Bund strap, or rubber strap. There’s no doubt this watch would also look great on endless combinations of NATOs available. The overall look of the DA44 is straight tool watch, and it’s as tough as it looks. Damasko has an astounding amount of technology and innovation in this watch, all in a very reasonably priced and good looking package.

Sinn U1

Price: $1,900

Sinn U1

It’s no secret that we here at Wound For Life love Sinn, and that’s for good reason. They are some of the toughest and most over-engineered watches on the market today, and that comes at an incredible value and price that won’t break the bank. The U1 is no exception. The fact that the case is made from submarine steel is enough to set it apart from most other dive watches.

The U1 weighs in a bit beefier than the DA44: 44mm wide, 14.3mm thick, and 22 mm lugs. The case is bead-blasted, shock resistant, anti-magnetic and water resistant up to 1,000m, quite a bit more than the Damasko. In order to achieve anti-magnetic properties, watchmakers normally surround the movement with a non-ferrous shield. Here, case’s steel itself is anti-magnetic, and acts as the shield. If it doesn’t do enough already, the submarine steel case unsurprisingly resists the effects of exposure to salt water and salt water environments. Finally, and most importantly, it houses the 25 jewel 28,800 vph ETA 2824-2 movement — a tried and true workhorse.

The bezel is Tegimented, which is a patented process from Sinn that features a particularly high level of hardness and scratch resistance. Sinn also makes a U1 where the entire case is Tegimented. The look is unmistakably tool watch. The blocky hands are reminiscent of vintage Flieger watch hands, and they wouldn’t look out of place on the Sinn 103. Their angular shape matches that of the hour markers as well — a very utilitarian look. The numbers and markers are engraved on the bezel which eliminates an insert that could potentially get lost. Expect nothing less than stellar overall fit and finish, on par with Sinn’s quality.

U1, courtesy WUS member markrichardsonno9

The bezel is also attached with Sinn’s captive bezel technology. This prevents it from snapping off. Worse case scenario, the inner mechanism may become disengaged and you would lose your marked time, but the bezel itself would still be attacked to the watch. The bracelet is fantastic and better than most watches ten times the price, but options of leather or rubber strap are also possible. The U1 is a quintessential tool watch and Sinn built it to withstand damn near anything.

The Damasko DA44 and Sinn U1 are two great watches that boast more features than many watches well above their price range. These two are prime examples of the growing and increasingly competitive watch industry from Germany. If you’re actually diving below 100m then you would need the Sinn, that much is clear. As someone who does more desk diving than anything, I don’t have to worry about that. Both watches are incredibly over-engineered tools. The prices are rather similar, so it really comes down to preference.

The Sinn is incredibly tough and purpose built, however if forced to choose between the two, I would lean towards the Damasko DA44. It’s more in line with my needs, uses, and wrist size. It is also primarily because of aesthetic reasons. The Damasko is a more exciting looking watch. Its proportions also lend itself to be more versatile in more varied situations, and on an endless number of strap options. The blocky and uninspired nature of the U1’s dial and hands just don’t appeal to me. What does appeal to me is the balance of the hands and dial on the DA44. The sword hands combined with the red accents and “crosshair” dial is a great look. The fact that Damasko has redesigned and reengineered their products to the point they’re creating new patents and standards in the watch industry is fairly astounding. All this from a company that’s only 20 years old. Of course, Sinn is no slouch in that department either, in fact, picking one of these two is more of a “gun to the head” decision. Whichever  you choose, know that you’re getting an amazing piece of tough-as-nails engineering, all at a fraction of the cost of a comparable Swiss watch. My honest opinion? Get both.

Edit:  Sinn is now transitioning to the comparable 26 jewel Sellita SW 200-1 inside the U1, which is very similar to the ETA 2824-2.

by