Amida has reintroduced one of its most intriguing designs from the 1970s with the new Digitrend Open Sapphire, a limited edition of just 150 pieces. The watch revives the brand’s 1976 Digitrend driver’s watch, famous for its unconventional lateral digital display, and brings it into the modern era with advanced materials and refined Swiss mechanics.
The casquette-shaped case measures 39.6 x 39 mm and 16 mm thick, offering water resistance up to 50 metres. What makes it stand out is its construction: two-thirds of the case is made from sapphire crystal, each component requiring over twenty hours of shaping and polishing to achieve flawless transparency. The rest is crafted from stainless steel, with a domed sapphire crystal covering the display. This design allows light to flow through the watch, illuminating both the movement and the dial in a way that feels architectural and futuristic at the same time.
The time is displayed using a digital jumping-hour system, keeping the principle of the original Digitrend but executed with far greater precision. A prism mechanism rotates the jumping-hour discs by 90 degrees, letting the wearer read the time laterally – perfect for driving, just as in the 1976 original. The sapphire dial refracts light across the discs for clear legibility while also exposing the fascinating mechanics behind each jump of the hour.
Inside beats the Soprod Newton automatic calibre, operating at 28,800 vibrations per hour with a 44-hour power reserve. Amida pairs this base movement with its in-house jump-hour module, showcasing fine Swiss finishing that includes Geneva stripes, perlage, and mirror-polished anglage, all visible through the transparent caseback.
The watch comes with a Charcoal Alcantara strap lined in orange calfskin and secured with a pin buckle, plus a stainless steel bracelet with a folding clasp and a quick-change system. Limited to just 150 pieces and priced at CHF 4,900 or €5,760, the Digitrend Open Sapphire offers exclusivity, innovation, and a direct link to a cult classic.
While it doesn’t carry the astronomical price tags of the most expensive watches in the world, this limited release blends heritage with modern design in a way that makes it stand out in today’s landscape of collector’s timepieces. It proves that rarity and originality can be just as alluring as sheer extravagance.
