MilitadoML20
Homage to the Sinn U50
about$214
Regular price at the brand's own website, checked 31 Oct 2026. Marketplace prices change often.
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The Militado ML20 is a homage to the Sinn U50, with a 39 mm case, 2 mm smaller. It uses an automatic movement and is water resistant to 200 m. Its Resemblance Score is 76 out of 100. It costs about $214 at the official store.
Side by side with the original
Compared with reference 1050.010. Values marked ≈ are estimates, such as a reviewer's measurement.
| Spec | ML20 | U50 (1050.010) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case diameter | 39 mm | 41 mm | −2 mm |
| Lug-to-lug | 46 mm | ≈ 45.8 mm | +0.2 mm |
| Thickness | 11.3 mm | ≈ 11.2 mm | +0.1 mm |
| Lug width | ≈ 20 mm | 20 mm | same |
| Water resistance | 200 m | 500 m | |
| Movement | Automatic, PT5000 or SL3001 | Automatic, Sellita SW300-1 | |
| Power reserve | Not published | Not published | |
| Crystal | Sapphire, inner anti-reflective coating | Sapphire | |
| Bezel | Unidirectional, 120 clicks | Unidirectional, captive, 60-click, Tegimented steel | |
| Case material | Imported 316L stainless steel, sandblasted or with black PVD coating, with anti-fingerprint protection | German submarine steel, bead blasted | |
| Lume | Swiss Super-LumiNova BGW9 on indices and hands | Not published | |
| Bracelet | Solid stainless-steel bracelet with screw-in links, tapering from 20 mm to 16 mm | Not published | |
| Weight | Not published | Not published |
- ≈ ML20, Lug width: median of 3 agreeing independent measurements (20 mm); the maker does not publish it.
- ≈ U50, Lug-to-lug: median of 2 agreeing independent measurements (45.5–46 mm); the maker does not publish it.
- ≈ U50, Thickness: median of 3 agreeing independent measurements (11–11.2 mm); the maker does not publish it.
The original
Sinn
U50
Reference 1050.010, u50, steel bezel, steel bracelet
- Case
- 41 mm
- Lug-to-lug
- ≈ 45.8 mm
- Thickness
- ≈ 11.2 mm
- Water resistance
- 500 m
- Movement
- Automatic, Sellita SW300-1
- List price
- Not published
Why it scores 76
Proportions and movement are computed from specs. Design details and functions are judged from the brand's official images. How we score
Proportions21.2 / 30
- Case diameter4 / 122 mm apart
- Lug-to-lug7.4 / 80.2 mm apart
- Thickness5.8 / 60.1 mm apart
- Lug width4 / 4Same size
Design signatures31 / 40
- Crown at 4 o'clock8 / 8Screw-down crown at 4 o'clock on every variant in the official images.
- Captive, screw-fixed, fully indexed bezel with markings in relief5 / 10Scalloped, knurled bezel with numerals every five minutes and a lumed triangle; the images do not show whether the markings are in relief or how the bezel is fixed.
- Tall, blocky hands8 / 8Tall, blocky lumed hour and minute hands, with a red seconds hand on the black dial.
- Bead-blasted case with no polished chamfers6 / 6Sandblasted case and bracelet on the black-dial versions; the blue steel versions are brushed and the PVD one is coated.
- Drilled lugs2 / 4Drilled lugs are not clearly visible in the official front-view images.
- Flat sapphire crystal1 / 2The brand lists a sapphire crystal but does not say whether it is flat.
- Date window at 3 with a black date disc1 / 2Date window at 6 rather than 3, with a black disc and white numeral; dateless versions also exist.
Functions and materials14 / 20
- Complications4 / 8Date at 6 on the date versions and no date on the others; the original has a date at 3.
- Bezel action4 / 4Unidirectional rotating bezel, as on the original.
- Case and bezel materials2 / 4316L steel, sandblasted, brushed or PVD-coated; the original is bead-blasted German submarine steel with a Tegimented bezel.
- Crystal shape and date window4 / 4Sapphire crystal, as on the original.
Movement type10 / 10
- Movement type10 / 10Same movement type.
What reviewers and owners say
Reviewers
From 7 reviews we read or watched, 1 of them with a watch supplied by the brand.
Reviewers found the ML20 well finished for the price, with a compact case that wears well, a deeply cut bezel, bright BGW9 lume and a comfortable screw-link bracelet with a milled five-position clasp. It is smaller than the 41 mm original; one reviewer would have kept the original's size, others found it wears well, including on 6.25 and 7.25 inch wrists.
Bezel play and alignment varied: three reviewers had little or no play and a bezel that lined up, two had a slightly out-of-line lume pip and a little back play. The main complaint about the crown came from one reviewer, who found it awkward to screw down; three others found it grippy or easy. Two reviewers disliked the date wheel font. One reviewer found the bracelet screws gritty when resizing and another noted some flex. Reviewers describe the design as following the Sinn U-series divers (the U50 or U1).
Good
- Compact 39 mm case, about 46 mm lug to lug
- PT5000 automatic or SL3001 movement
- Tactile bezel with little or no play
- Bright BGW9 lume
- Sandblasted finish without sharp edges
- Sapphire crystal and 200 m water resistance
- Screw-link bracelet with a milled five-position clasp, praised by three reviewers
Less good
- Crown is awkward to screw down on one reviewer's watch
- Date wheel font draws criticism
- Date at 6 where the original's is at 3
- Much smaller than the 41 mm original
- Some bracelet flex with screw pins
- Bezel lume pip slightly off 12 and a little back play on two reviewers' watches
Known quality issues
Each reported by at least two independent sources.
- The bezel was slightly out of line on two reviewers' watches (the lume pip a hair off 12, and alignment described as decent but not perfect), with a little back play; three other reviewers found theirs aligned.
Versions and colours
- Black dial, sandblasted case, date at 6 (PT5000)Follows the U50 1050.010 (u50, steel bezel, steel bracelet)about $214
- Black dial, sandblasted case, no date (PT5000)Its own colourway, not on the originalabout $214
- Blue dial, brushed steel case, date at 6 (PT5000)Its own colourway, not on the originalabout $214
- Blue gradient dial, black PVD case, date at 6 (PT5000)Its own colourway, not on the originalabout $219
- Black dial, arrow at 12, sandblasted case, date at 6 (PT5000)Its own colourway, not on the originalabout $214
- Blue dial, arrow at 12, brushed steel case, date at 6 (PT5000)Its own colourway, not on the originalabout $214
Sources
Checked 31 Oct 2026. Every figure on this page comes from one of these pages.