This is the Sinn Hunting Watch 3006, it’s a tool watch in every sense of the word specifically developed for use by German hunters, and its model number is a reference to the 30-06 Springfield rifle cartridge – typically pronounced “thirty-aught-six.”
The dial of the Sinn 3006 can look a little confusing at first, at the 6 o’clock position it has a moon phase sub-dial that shows you when the moon will be at its brightest – as it’s illegal to hunt at night with artificial lights or night vision technology in Germany.
The German Sinn Hunting Watch 3006 was specifically developed to show the time of the month when the moon is at its brightest, as it’s illegal to hunt at night in Germany with artificial lights.
The fact that hunters need to use natural light means that hunting at night is restricted to approximately one week per month when the moon is at its brightest, the legislation is laid out below:
It is prohibited to use artificial light sources, mirrors, or devices for illuminating the target; night sighting devices that have an image converter or electronic amplification and are intended for firearms; tape recorders or devices that give electric shocks when catching or killing game of all kinds; as well as to catch game birds using lighthouses or navigational lights at night. – Section 5, § 19, Paragraph 5a, German Federal Hunting Act
Sinn Spezialuhren, usually simply referred to as Sinn, is a German watchmaking company known for its high-quality timepieces and its focus on functional, durable, tool watches that cost a lot less than their Swiss counterparts.
Helmut Sinn, a pilot and flight instructor, founded the company in 1961 with the goal of produce high-end pilot watches at more affordable prices. He saw the need for precise and reliable timekeeping instruments for aviators and other professionals that wouldn’t break the bank.
The Sinn 3006 is powered by the Concepto C99002 movement, this is a modified version of the ETA 7751, that now incorporates a fourth hand to show the day of the month and the aforementioned moon phase sub-dial.
The C99002 movement is self-winding, it has 25 bearing jewels, with 28,800 semi-oscillations per hour, and it’s anti-magnetic as per DIN 8309.
The watch also has both the month and day of the week displayed at the 12 o’clock position inside the top sub-dial and it has an anti-reflective sapphire crystal up top, with a matching sapphire crystal case back to showcase the movement.
The unique functionality of the Sinn 3006 won it the “Excellent Product Design” category at the German Design Awards in 2020. It’s waterproof and pressure-resistant to 20 bar, it’s low pressure resistant, and it has a tegimented steel case that’s made using Sinn’s proprietary Tegiment hardening treatment which results in a steel alloy up to nine times harder than standard steel.
The fourth hand shows the day of the month, and the month and day of the week are shown in the sub-dial at the 12 o’clock position.
As with many tool watches, the Sinn Hunting Watch 3006 has proven popular with people outside its original target market – it’s worn by people around the world who will likely never go night hunting in Germany during a full moon.
As with almost all of Sinn’s watches, the 3006 is surprisingly affordable, starting at $3,970 USD which is 1/3rd to 1/5th the cost of a comparable Swiss timepiece. If you’d like to read more about the watch or place an order you can visit the official website here.
Images courtesy of Sinn Spezialuhren
Articles that Ben has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
