Amida

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Overview

Amida is a Swiss watch brand revived in 2024, known for its historical innovations in affordable mechanical watches with patents for jumping hours and light-reflecting displays. It originally operated from the 1920s to 1970s producing economic watches and gained attention for the 1976 Digitrend, the first mechanical 'casquette' driver's watch featuring a prism display. The current iteration focuses on reinterpreting these retro-futuristic designs using contemporary Swiss movements while maintaining accessible pricing.¹²³⁴⁷

History

Amida traces its origins to a watchmaking factory founded in Grenchen (Granges) in 1918 by Eduard Braun, Josef Zwahlen, or Joseph Zwahlen, with the trademark registered in 1921 and operations starting around 1925. The brand earned a reputation for forward-looking, democratic watchmaking with patents like the jumping hour system in 1973 and the LRD prism display, highlighted by the Digitrend model's debut at the 1976 Basel Fair. After ceasing in the 1970s, it was reclaimed in 2024 by Matthieu Allègre, Bruno Herbet, and Clément Meynier, who refined components to relaunch with a focus on the brand's rebellious innovative spirit.¹²³⁴⁵⁷

Product Lines

Product Line	Positioning	Price Range
Digitrend (Prism Display Driver's Watch)	Retro-futuristic mechanical casquette design	$1,500 - $3,000
Jump-Hour Models	Simplified jumping hours complication	$1,000 - $2,500
LRD Light Reflecting Display	Sapphire-prism horizontal disc projection	$1,200 - $2,800

Manufacturing

Products are Swiss-made, assembled in Switzerland with movements like the Soprod Newton automatic caliber. Complications such as jumping hours use in-house redesigned architecture with nine components for reliability. Manufacturing emphasizes refined historical patents with modern outsourcing for base movements.¹⁴⁷

Notable Products

Digitrend - First mechanical casquette driver's watch with jump hour and prism display debuted at 1976 Basel Fair.
Jump-Hour Patent Watch - Patented jumping hour mechanism (No. 3 685 283) re-imagining hour transitions.
LRD (Light Reflecting Display) - Sapphire-prism system (Patent No. 3 786 626) projecting discs for vertical readout.

Reputation

Amida is perceived by enthusiasts as a cult brand for its bold 1970s innovations like the Digitrend, appealing to collectors of rare retro-futuristic designs. Professionals note its historical role in affordable Swiss watchmaking and current revival's fidelity to DNA with accessible pricing. Criticisms may center on reliance on third-party movements like Soprod, though praised for mechanical clarity and reliability in reinterpretations.¹⁴⁸

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