The great Sinn EZM 3 is getting an unexpected update this week in the form of a limited edition called the EZM 3 SW, and it flips the familiar aesthetic on its head by welcoming a white dial, and black DLC tegimented steel case. It’s a strange sight to behold, but it works. This is a design that’s remained largely unchanged since it was introduced back in 2001 as an early foundation piece for the now legendary mission timer collection of watches from Sinn. It’s not a platform that we’ve seen the brand take many liberties with in the past, which makes this EZM 3 SW all the more peculiar.
Using DLC black cases and bracelets is certainly nothing new for the German brand (even on the EZM 3), though pairing it with a white dial seems to be reserved for special occasions and limited editions. The U50 saw a similar combination in the form the U50 S L which used a lume dial, likewise the U2 received a limited edition using a white dial and black DLC case, but the EZM 3 is a different animal from those two. This one isn’t accustomed to a variety of expressions, instead opting to keep a laser-like focus on its practical design qualities.
The EZM 3 was launched as a less extreme version of the oil filled EZM 2, as well as the dive chronograph that started it all, the EZM 1. It did retain some of the qualities that made those watches special, however. Namely, the crown orientation on the left side of the case. The thinking there being that it wouldn’t interfere with the bend of the wrist (which is, at it were, the reason I prefer to wear watches on my right wrist). The sterile design uses a fully indexed bezel, and rather conservative pencil shaped hands with their bases coated in black. There’s a rhyme and a reason for each of the design decisions, for instance the red printing on the date disc keeps it hidden at a glance, so as not to interfere with getting a quick read on the time.
Everything has a purpose with this watch, and that’s exactly what sets the mission timers (EZM, or Einsatz-Zeitmesser translates to mission timer) apart from other references from the brand. With that in mind, let’s see how well it translates to a white dial and black case. Right off the bat, you’ll notice that the red details from the black dial, whose purpose was to keep secondary and tertiary information out of eye shot, is retained here. On the white dial, it has something of the opposite effect. That said, it looks pretty cool, and I’d still have no issues using the watch from a practical point of view. It’s more the ethos of the EZM line that suffers here.
The black hands and hour markers keep a tack sharp contrast against the bright white dial, and the hands themselves are properly done in reverse, meaning their bases are coated in white. One thing that sticks out a bit more than it does on the black dial is the odd placement of the date aperture, which sits a bit closer to the four o’clock hour than it does the three o’clock hour. It’s a quirk that’s been there, but this highlights it. I chalk it up to a character charm.
The 41mm tegimented steel case remains, though now it’s been given a DLC coating of black, along with the included bracelet. It retains its impressive 500 meter depth rating and 12.3mm thickness, all in all a great spec that works really well on the wrist thanks to the thoughtful design of the midcase. It still uses Sinn’s AR dehumidifying technology, as labeled on the dial, with the capsule itself loaded into the top right lug. Finally, the Sellita SW200 remains unchanged.
This watch is limited to just 100 units for the US, and is priced at $3,870. That includes both the bracelet, and black nylon strap with red stitching. A final thought regarding this dial occurs that it could have been a lume situation as seen with the U50, but in this case, I think that the bright white nature of this dial works better, and feels more inline with the EZM family. Sinn / WatchBuys