Sinn Ultimate 1 – Dune. Introduced in 2014, this timepiece commemorates the 35th anniversary of the founding of specialist retailer The Hour Glass (1979 to 2014). The Sinn U1-D houses the Selitta SW200-1 automatic movement and is water-resistant to 100 bar (1,000m). It comes with a calf leather strap and a Camo Zulu strap (shown above). Priced at SGD4,800. Special edition of 350 pieces. Photo: © The Hour Glass

Though it features a camouflage Zulu fabric strap, has some links to the military and can possibly be “explosive”, the Sinn U1-D is not to be confused with “IED”, otherwise known as the “improvised explosive device”.

The U1-D is actually the acronym for Ultimate 1 – Dune, the special edition Sinn model made to commemorate the 35th anniversary of The Hour Glass (1979 to 2014).

The Hour Glass, founded in 1979, describes itself as a “cultural retail enterprise” that not only retails products but promotes the appreciation of contemporary luxury and horological culture.

The case of the Ultimate 1 – Dune is made of military-grade material, namely German submarine steel and the U1-D may be “explosive” not because of celebratory fireworks but if demand for this special edition matches or even surpasses previous limited edition Sinn watches that were exclusive to The Hour Glass.

All these limited edition models of the past were “sold-out”, according to The Hour Glass.

In 2007, the Sinn All Black U1 (250 pieces) was launched exclusively for The Hour Glass to commemorate the retailer’s staging of its mega-scale Tempus watch exhibition. What followed in 2008, again for The Hour Glass, was the Sinn U Black (399 pieces). In 2010, the large-sized Sinn Ultimate U in a 47mm case was introduced (200 pieces).

The word “Dune” found in “Ultimate 1 – Dune” comes from the desert-military look of its dial, which is a matte grey tone and the charcoal indices and sand-beige detailing. This makes the U1-D very different from its previous all-black predecessors.

It is what Wong Mei Ling, managing director, The Hour Glass, classifies as the “stand-out combat piece in the U1 collection.”

Should the commercial performance of the Sinn Ultimate – 1 Dune be anything like its limited edition predecessors that were exclusive to The Hour Glass, then the U1-D watch is a done deal.

What is more important for collectors is that they enjoy their watches with the dune deal.