In an era where smartwatches dominate wrists and mechanical timepieces increasingly feel like relics of a bygone age, Amida dares to ask a different question: What if we could honor the past while pushing the boundaries of what's possible today? The answer arrives in the form of the Digitrend Open Sapphire, a watch that doesn't just tell time—it redefines how we experience it.
A Bold Vision Born in the Space Age
Cast your mind back to 1976. The world was electric with possibility. Sports cars carved dramatic silhouettes through urban landscapes, Space Age design influenced everything from coffee tables to tower blocks, and watchmaking was ripe for revolution. It was in this climate of unbridled creativity that Amida launched the original Digitrend—a timepiece so unconventional it captured the zeitgeist of an era when innovation knew no bounds.
Nearly five decades later, that same spirit of audacious experimentation returns, refined and reimagined for collectors who appreciate both heritage and cutting-edge craftsmanship.
Transparency as Philosophy
The Digitrend Open Sapphire isn't merely transparent—it's philosophically committed to openness. Where traditional watches hide their mechanical poetry behind solid case backs and opaque dials, this remarkable timepiece makes transparency its defining characteristic. The stainless steel and sapphire crystal case measuring 39.6 mm in width and 39 mm in length—thickness of 15.6 mm—is crafted two-thirds from sapphire crystal, and transforms into a crystalline showcase for horological artistry.
But this isn't transparency for its own sake. Every Geneva stripe, every faceted edge, every moment of stippling and anglage becomes part of the visual narrative. The transparent hour and minute discs reveal the mainplate beneath, creating layers of mechanical theater that unfold with each glance.
Engineering Meets Artistry
The numbers behind this watch tell their own story of obsessive craftsmanship. Each case requires 24 hours of meticulous work—4 hours of precision milling and machining, followed by 20 hours of hand-polishing to achieve optical clarity that rivals the finest lenses. The lateral prism alone demands three hours of manufacturing, with two-thirds of that time dedicated to polishing within tolerances of just 0.05mm.
This is where engineering transcends mere function and becomes art. The curved sapphire surfaces are geometrically mastered to eliminate distortion, creating a perfect window into the mechanical universe within. The Kyropoulos method for synthesizing large sapphire blocks ensures structural integrity while maintaining the optical purity essential to the watch's unique character.
The Periscope Principle
Perhaps the most ingenious aspect of the Digitrend Open Sapphire lies in its Light Reflecting Display system—a patented innovation from 1973 that channels submarine periscope technology into horological application. Just as submariners use periscopes to transform horizontal surface views into vertical observations, the Digitrend employs a sapphire prism to project time readings onto the watch's side.
This isn't merely clever engineering; it's a fundamental reimagining of how we interact with time itself. The horizontal movement translates into a vertical display, creating a viewing experience that's both familiar and revolutionary.
Mechanical Heart, Modern Soul
At the core beats Soprod's Newton calibre, a robust automatic movement featuring 23 jewels, 28,800 vph, and a 44-hour power reserve. The jumping hour complication has been reimagined in-house with an elegant nine-component architecture that achieves both mechanical efficiency and visual beauty—a rare combination in high-end watchmaking. The module doubles as both a plate and a casing ring and the watch is water resistant to 50 meters.
A Collector's Moment
With production limited to just 150 pieces, the Digitrend Open Sapphire represents more than a watch release—it's a cultural moment. Available through Amida's website from early June and select prestigious retailers worldwide, including Chronopassion in Paris and Chronométrie Clarence in Geneva, each piece will find its way to collectors who understand that true innovation often looks backward while moving forward. Accessibility in Excellence
The Amida Digitrend Open Sapphire truly distinguishes itself delivering complications, materials, and finishing typically reserved for watches costing multiples of that price. This isn't nostalgia for nostalgia's sake. It's a bold statement that innovation and heritage need not be mutually exclusive. Sometimes the most revolutionary act is to perfect what came before while daring to see it with fresh eyes.
Sticker Price CHF 4,500 on the strap—approx USD 5,600— and CHF 4,850 on the bracelet—approx USD 6,000. More info on Amida here.
