AMIDA Digitrend Open Saphire
Past Forward – The 70s Driver's Watch Returns with a Stunning Take on Jumping Hours
PRESS RELEASE | 760 WORDS | 7 MINUTE READ
Photo Courtsey: AMIDA
AMIDA Digitrend Open Sapphire: Bridging Past and Present with Accessible Fine Watchmaking.
The Spirit of ‘76
1976. Sports cars cut sharp lines through city streets, Space Age design shaped everything from furniture to fashion, and AMIDA launched the Digitrend cap watch. Bold and unconventional, it captured a moment when creativity had no limits.
Beyond the Crystal
Now for 2025, AMIDA presents the Digitrend Open Sapphire. This drivers' watch, already etched in enthusiasts' memory, returns with a focus on transparency. Instead of a traditional dial, it features a jump hour module and sapphire prism, offering a side display of time. As a nod to traditional watchmaking, the Digitrend Open Sapphire reveals its mechanical heart through a case made two-thirds of sapphire. The finishes - Geneva stripes, faceting, stippling, anglage, along with the transparent hour and minute discs that reveal the mainplate underneath - showcase craftmanship at its finest, while the vertical display stands as a timeless signature.
Full View Under the Hood
An open case sculpted like a car hood echoes the bold forms of 1960s automotive icons - Porsche, Alfa Romeo, Chevrolet Corvair Testudo. This design language lets the mechanical heart shine through, blending watchmaking tradition with innovative spirit. Engineering such a case pushed technical boundaries: requiring 4 hours of milling & machining and 20 hours of polishing, for a total of 24 hours per case. Each step was essential to achieve properties that rival those of the finest optical lenses.
Engineering in Sapphire
By mastering the geometry of curved surfaces to eliminate distortion, the case becomes a perfect window into the mechanical world within. Every detail of the movement's mainplate comes alive through precisely cut sapphire, crafted using the Kyropoulos method for synthesizing large sapphire blocks. Even the small lateral prism demands three hours of manufacturing - two of those dedicated to polishing alone - to keep within a tolerance of just 0.05 mm.
Digitrend Open Sapphire – Beyond Reimagining a Watch, A Fresh Vision of Time
At its core beats Soprod's Newton caliber, a robust automatic movement featuring 23 jewels, a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour, and a 44-hour power reserve. The jump hour complication, reimagined in-house with an elegant nine-component architecture, achieves both mechanical efficiency and engineering beauty – all in a package at a value rarely seen in high-end watchmaking.
Limited to 150 pieces, this release marks a pivotal moment in AMIDA's history: a renaissance driven by enthusiast passion and Swiss watchmaking expertise.
Available from XX June through AMIDA's official website and select partners worldwide, the AMIDA Digitrend proves yet again that true icons endure.
A Display Inspired by Submarine Engineering
The time display works through a simple yet clever principle: a sapphire prism creates a clear, side-facing digital readout.
Just as the periscope enables submariners to see the surface while remaining underwater, effectively changing a horizontal view into a vertical one, the Digitrend's Light Reflecting Display (LRD) uses a prismatic crystal to project time readings on the side of the watch. This innovative system, patented in 1973 (No. 3,786,626) by Zeno Hurt in Molhin, Switzerland, for Robert Triebold, gives the watch its distinctive character. While the movement operates horizontally, the hour and minute discs appear vertically on the side - a clever design that makes the Digitrend truly unique.
Combining Prestige Retailing and Online: A Hybrid Distribution Model
Given its complexity, the Digitrend Open Sapphire will be produced in a series of 150 pieces, priced at CHF 4,500 (excluding tax). Available on the brand's website from early June, with delivery scheduled for XXX 2025.
The watch will also be available through carefully selected ambassadors among the most prestigious and discerning watch retailers: Chronopassion in Paris, Prkjt8 in Bahrain, Chronométrie Clarence in Geneva, 10 Ten Labs in Riyadh, Swiss Prestige in Taiwan, and The Limited Edition in Leicester (UK). These market experts, true trendsetters in their field, bring their independence and expertise to showcase horological treasures, celebrating both technical excellence and refined design.
OVERVIEW
Under the sapphire crystal hood, the watch engine is on full display.
Watch the precise dance of discs as each hour clicks into place.
Sense the engineering behind this unique system.
Drawing from classic Targa design, the Digitrend Open Sapphire combines a transparent yet robust sapphire case with pure mechanical aesthetics.
Design, technology, transparency, style...
High performance meets total clarity – at an accessible price point:
CHF 4,500 (excluding taxes).
About AMIDA
On the cusp of the Digitrend's 50th anniversary, Swiss watchmaker AMIDA is making a comeback. Two watch industry entrepreneurs – designer Matthieu Allègre and Depancel founder Clément Meynier – have breathed new life into this automotive-inspired icon of the 1970s. Every key element of the 1976 original remains intact: the distinctive bodywork-inspired case in stainless steel, 50-meter water resistance, and 44-hour power reserve. This Swiss "digital" watch, emblematic of the Space Age era, features a mechanical movement with jump hour module and sapphire prism for lateral time display. A new display caseback now reveals the mechanical heart beating within.
For further information visit amida-watches.com