It’s been 5 years since Revolution and Sinn came together to honor the classic German Bundeswehr Chronograph, aka the Heuer 1550 SG in a watch lovingly called the Dark Star. The watch captured one of the most iconic military watches of the late ‘60s, made for the West German Defence Force at the geographical heart of the post-war power struggle between NATO forces and the USSR which would end up defining the cold war (most definitely a story for another day). This year, the pair are teaming up once again to revisit the concept with the release of the Sinn 155 S Bright Star, which brings a DLC coated TEGIMENT hardened case and sapphire crystal to the equation, and it works just as well as the original. And yes, it comes with a ‘bund’ strap.
This is one of the all-time great chronograph designs from history with roots that tie into early pilot watches around WWII and subsequent use for NATO allied nations’ air force pilots. The large dial is dominated by a pair of symmetrically placed sub dials housing the running seconds and a 30 minute totalizer at 9 and 3 o’clock respectively. The dial is flanked by a large rotating elapsed time bezel that is fully indexed to the minute scale. It utilizes a design set forth in the Sinn 155 Bw from the ’80s, which has been rarely revisited by Sinn in the intervening years.
The new Sinn 155 S Bright Star features a 43mm TEGIMENT treated 904L steel that’s received a black PVD coating that leans into the stealth war vibes perfectly befitting of the design and history. It pairs with the matte black base dial, and pushes the focal point to the high contrast application of the Arabic numerals, hands, and index rings on the dial. With that in mind it’s a move that not only looks pretty cool, but makes a lot of sense as well.
Like the Dark Star before it, the Bright Star uses an automatic Sellita movement, the SW510 with a 56 hour power reserve. This means the case measures 14.75mm in thickness, which feels about proportional to its diameter, and given the nature of this watch and how it’s meant to be worn (on a leather bund strap, of course) it hardly feels like an issue. Still, the use of a manually wound SW510M would have been a welcome decision, and aligned a bit closer to the original variations upon which it is based.
One of the subtle variations between the Bright Star and the Dark Star is described by their names, referring to the Revolution star at 6 o’clock on the dial. It’s a bit brighter here than the initial collaboration. It’s also been applied with a layer of luminescence, meaning it’ll glow in low light conditions. This will likely be the most polarizing detail on the watch, but it doesn’t interfere with the rest of the design.
Overall this is a design that feels just as effective now as it ever did in the ‘60s. It might not be a great daily wear candidate, but this is the kind of watch that offers an experience that’s as unique as the history it represents. The leather bund strap it ships with (alongside a black fabric passthrough), only heightens that vibe.
Like the original, the Bright Star will be limited in production, but doubles from 150 to 300 pieces. Given the TEGIMENT case and sapphire crystal (and 5 years of added time), the price has risen to $3,600 from the $2,500 price of the Dark Star. The Sinn 155 S Bright Star is available now directly from Revolution.