Sinn Series 917 User manual

MODEL SERIES 917
MODELLREIHE 917
MODEL SERIES 917

CONTENTS
SINN SPEZIALUHREN ZU FRANKFURT AM MAIN
PREFACE BY PETER GÖBEL
THE "CLASSIC CAR RALLY" ADVENTURE
MODEL SERIES 917
INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE
Ar-DEHUMIDIFYING TECHNOLOGY
TECHNICAL DETAILS
SERVICE
6 – 9
10 – 11
12 – 19
20 – 21
22 – 27
28 – 29
30 – 31
32 – 33

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DEAR CUSTOMER,
We know from numerous
conversations that the people
who buy our watches do so out of
conviction. This includes people with
a pronounced affinity to technology
who are fascinated, for example,
by the solutions we have devised
for magnetic field protection and
scratch-resistance. Some of our
customers, such as divers, pilots or
the German GSG 9 special police
unit, need to rely on their watch in
their respective careers because
their life depends on it.
They all swear by the high
performance, resilience and
durability, as well as the quality
and precision of these timepieces.
The water and pressure-resistance

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data are reviewed and authenticated at regular intervals, as is the case
with our diving watches, for instance. We, for our part, give absolute priority
to functionality, which ultimately determines the design. Our watches only
feature technological attributes that really make sense. All the while, we
remain committed to our guiding principle that products have to speak for
themselves.
The basic question that we ask ourselves is: which innovative technologies
and materials can be employed for our craft and provide solutions for
rendering our watches even more practical for everyday use? It is often worth
indulging in a little lateral thinking to see what is going on in other industrial
sectors or fields of science. We repeatedly go to the limits of physical
resources to upgrade our watches — with the aim of making what's good
even better. Most of our best developments are yet to come!
I am delighted that you have decided to buy a SINN timepiece and hope
that it will continue to give you pleasure for many years to come.
Yours sincerely, Lothar Schmidt

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It was back in 1961 that the pilot and blind-flying instructor Helmut Sinn
founded the company. Since then, we have been committed to producing
high-specification mechanical watches. In 1994, the graduate engineer
Lothar Schmidt took control. This marked the beginning of a new era for the
SINN brand, because the new owner took a decisive step towards more
innovation. Under his leadership, new technologies and materials were
introduced, thus providing the crucial incentives for our company's evolution
and gradual emergence as an insiders' tip for lovers of fine watches. Today,
our name stands for technical innovations, much to the delight of both the
trade and our customers alike.
SINN SPEZIALUHREN ZU FRANKFURT AM MAIN

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All developments thoroughly tested
Take, for instance, the absolutely condensation-
free and anti-reflective diving watch made of
stainless steel — designed with HYDRO Technology.
Other examples include a chronometer
chronograph fashioned from a 22-carat gold
alloy, which is as hard as stainless steel, and a
chronometer whose resistance to magnetic
interference is 20 times greater than normal. Or
those models filled with protective gas and
featuring an integrated dehumidifying capsule to
counteract moisture infiltration and the ageing of
the watch movement. This list would not be
complete without mentioning the development of
so-called Einsatzzeitmesser (EZM) watches for
special police units and border guards, and the
lubrication and tolerance technology that allows
mechanical watches to perform at temperatures
ranging from –45 °C to +80 °C. The 303 KRISTALL
model passed the fire and ice test during the 1998
Yukon Quest sledge dog race that crosses the icy
wilderness of Canada and Alaska, where
temperatures are known to plunge to –40 °C. The
watch was strapped to the arm of some of the
participants on top of their protective clothing.
This was followed in 1999 by the 203 ARKTIS model.
This diving chronograph passed its field test in the
North Polar Sea with flying colours.

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Innovations and authentications
One of our most important inventions is the oil-free DIAPAL Technology, based
on low-friction materials for the key functional parts of the watch, enabling
them to run without lubrication. This technology was first employed in our
jubilee model, the palladium alloy/white gold Frankfurt Financial District
Watch. TEGIMENT Technology, with which SINN achieves a virtually scratch
resistance surface hardness up to 1500 HV (Vickers hardness) for its stainless
steel watches, represents another milestone. Other innovations include diving
watches made from original submarine steel, as used in the construction
of the outer shell of German class 212 submarines. Germanischer Lloyd,
the world's biggest classification society providing marine safety services,
has been testing the aspects of water and pressure resistance since 2005.
Moreover, an official authentication process conducted by Germanischer
Lloyd in 2006, SINN diving watches as diving gear for the very first time in
the watch making sector and tested them in keeping with European diving
equipment standards. The result: these timepieces passed the temperature
resistance and functionality tests with a sensational success. All test results
are authenticated with signature and seal.

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Ongoing advancement in technology and quality
Our top priority is always to develop watches which offer superior
performance — both in daily and in professional use. Which is why our
engineers are working continually to identify which innovative methods,
materials and technologies are best suited for optimising our watches.
Each new development first has to undergo rigorous practical tests before
being incorporated. And no watch leaves our workshops before it has
been subjected to thorough checking and fine adjustment by our master
watchmakers.
Workshop modifications and hand-engraving
From the robust case and the polished crystal
through to elaborate refinements: we make sure
that each and every detail in our watches is fit
for purpose. The same applies to our workshop
modifications. Only the perfect interaction of all
components and technologies ensures that our
watches can meets all its design specifications
in full. For example: the SZ02 calibre of our U1000
diving chronograph. The 60 minute scale of
the stop-minute counter is much simpler and
more intuitive to read than the 30 minute scale
commonly found in other watches. The hand
engraving represents a highly personal form
of refinement. If required, our specially trained
master engraver can etch a name, initials,
monograms or symbols onto the rotor, movement
bridge and case back.

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PREFACE BY PETER GÖBEL
German Rally Champion 2002, 2004, 2005 and 2006
Sometimes, meeting someone for coffee can be a life-changing event.
In 1987, during the Hunsrück Rally, I invited world champion Walter Röhrl to
join me for a cup of coffee and a piece of cake – and he accepted. Five
years later, the two of us paired up for my very first rally. Since then, I’ve been
having the time of my life – since taking up a sport in which time plays such
an important role. Whether you’re dealing with a countdown or a time trial,
one thing is always the same: hours, minutes and seconds mean the differ-
ence between victory and being an also-ran.
Now, after 18 years in rally racing and more than 250 events all over the world
– from small-scale regularity tests to the legendary Dakar Rally – I have seen
again and again that a stopwatch is the most important tool a co-driver and
navigator can have. And if you are fortunate enough to own a chronograph
that was designed and engineered with rally racing in mind, “taking time” is
even more fun, and makes the navigator’s task much easier.

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The Rallychronograph 917 from SINN
is a special treat for me, particularly
because my own experience and ideas
played a part in its development.
As a rally navigator I am especially
pleased that the SINN company from
Frankfurt am Main has incorporated
some of the specific, everyday require-
ments of one of the most fascinating
sports disciplines in the world.

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From brand-new rallies like the Hamburg-Berlin Klassik, via popular courses
like the Saxony Classic and the Silvretta Classic, to the legendary Mille
Miglia route – classic car rallies are gaining more and more fans. No matter
which rally you participate in, they all have one thing in common: the thrill
of a sporting challenge on fascinating routes. And everyone involved enjoys
taking advantage of personal experience and superior technology to
achieve the best possible results for the team and vehicle. That goes for
both road rallies and complex time trials.
THE "CLASSIC CAR RALLY" ADVENTURE
In road rallies, the team faces two primary tasks: orientation (for example with
the help of pacenotes and the information in the road book) and time trials.
In vintage car rallies these are often regularity trials which require a given
stage of the route to be driven in a specified length of time. In this case,
a precise stopwatch is indispensable. In the so-called “hourglass category”
only mechanical watches and chronographs are allowed – in homage to the
era in which the vehicles themselves were built. The 917 Rally Chronograph
was specially developed to meet the exacting requirements of classic rallies.

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Always in demand: A good sense of direction
Pacenotes are symbols which are used to describe the rally course. There
are different versions, with some remotely resembling Chinese pictograms.
Pacenotes can be used with maps or “au natural” – which means the route
includes roads that are not indicated on conventional maps.
The pictograms show the course of the route in the direction of travel.
A dot indicates the direction the driver is coming from. One version is called
the “mileage road book”, which numbers the kilometers consecutively.
In this case, it is recommended to set the counter to zero at the starting
line of the race.
Example of pacenotes

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Mileage road book

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Precision work: The time trial
Regularity rallies, also called time-speed-distance rallies (TSD), are a type of
time trial. They are indicated by a yellow road sign (TSD 1/100). At the sign-
post, an official gives the drivers a hand signal telling them when to start.
Time is recorded beginning after a few meters, coinciding with a red flag
signal when the vehicles pass a photoelectric sensor or pressure hose sensor.
The co-driver presses the stopwatch at this starting line and begins measuring
the target time. The team should continue driving once the TSD has been
completed so as not to hinder the vehicles behind it.
Lichtschranke = Photoelectric sensor
Schlauch = Pressure hose sensor

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Example 1
Example 2
Time Trial
Lichtschranke = Photoelectric sensor
Schlauch = Pressure hose sensor

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Example 1: Each team, naturally, has its own preferences and methods for
stopping the times during time trials. Proposal for the time trial shown left: use
the chronograph (stop) function in combination with the backwards counting
bezel. Before starting, set 17 on the bezel to 12 o’clock. Start the stopwatch
at the precise point of passing photoelectric sensor A. You can then count
down the time to sensor AB for the driver. On driving through sensor AB, trip
the stopwatch to zero and then restart it immediately. Now set 45 on the bezel
to 12 o’clock; you can then let the driver know precisely how much time he
has left until the end of the special stage.
Example 2: To make reading off the time intervals as clear as possible, the Rally
Chronograph 917 is equipped with a backwards counting bezel in which the
all-important last few seconds are highlighted in red. Suggestion for the time
trial shown left: Before starting, set 9 on the bezel to 12 o’clock. Start the stop-
watch at the precise point of driving over the pressure hose sensor. You can
now read off the precise time remaining to photoelectric sensor A on the bezel
and count this down for the driver. Without stopping the stopwatch, set 27 on
the bezel to 12 o’clock after passing photoelectric sensor A; after passing
sensor B set 12 to 12 o’clock (the second hand reaches the zero mark on the
bezel after 1:12 minutes) and set 46 to 12 o’clock after passing C (the second
hand reaches the zero mark after 106 seconds = 1:46 minutes). You can then
count down the precise amount of time remaining for the driver.

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