The U2 in use in harsh climatic conditions

Tim Thompson from Canada

The best stories are drawn from everyday life – for instance, that of Canadian Tim Thompson. He lives in the northeastern part of Ontario in the Timmins region, where the climatic conditions are very harsh. The area is known for extreme temperature fluctuations: in summer the mercury rises to 40 °C, dropping to –50 °C in winter. But this story is particularly interesting because Tim Thompson has been the proud possessor of the U2 diving watch made by Sinn Spezialuhren zu Frankfurt am Main since December 2005. This became known when Tim Thompson reported on his experiences with the watch – in a letter to Lothar Schmidt, the owner of SINN. He explained that it had always been very difficult to find a watch that could withstand the extreme climatic conditions of his home region.

All of the timepieces he'd previously tried ran slow or stopped after a period of time or fogged up. Quartz watches stop running entirely. One day Tim Thompson read about the U2. He was so intrigued that he ordered it immediately. Since then it has accompanied him in all weather.

Thompson described how he wears the U2 over his glove in winter, for instance when he's shovelling snow. He wears it to go ice-fishing and when working with the snowblower. In summer he goes swimming with it. And he wears it when he's driving new piles in murky water for slips. And of course he wears it when collecting maple syrup in spring or using his chain saw.

In the meantime, the U2 has experienced snowstorms and thunderstorms, winter cold and summer heat. It goes wherever Thompson goes and is subjected to every imaginable test in his everyday routine. However, to date no damage, dents or scratches are visible. The crystal is also intact and the TEGIMENT layer is in perfect condition. The movement still keeps time to its initial accuracy of +3.5 to 5.0 seconds/day. And the most important thing for Tim Thompson: the watch has never stopped.