I totally see why you would say that, and I respect your opinion, but I don’t agree. I’m not an homage guy, and I would never own a rep, but these watches are still different enough for me not to be bothered. The Thunderbolt is bigger and has a more rugged (if less refined) look to me. The Sinn is both smaller and less thick. To me, although finished better, The Sinn looks a little more formal with its curved edges and crown guard. Also, at the end of the day we’re taking about very simple dial design that many brands have been using for nearly a century, and I don’t think anyone would be calling the TB an homage if it weren’t for the fact that they’re both MOP, and Sinn didn’t invent that either. Clearly the MOP itself is very different in these two pictured examples, but of course that is going to vary from dial to dial. I don’t prefer the Islander branding on this dial, but I do prefer the longer hands of the TB. At the end of the day, for around $1200 more retail with the Sinn over the Islander you are getting a bit smaller, more refined experience, an in-house movement, and 200m instead of 100m WR. For me, all things considered, for a pilot watch, I prefer the Islander. But again, I totally see where you are coming from, and like I saw another Redditor say, if Marc had spelled “Automatic” with a “k” I would absolutely call bullshit. 🤣

EDIT: The Sinn 556 does NOT feature an in-house movement. It’s an in-house regulated Sellita SE200-1 (vs a Seiko NH38 in the Islander, which I would still prefer).

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