Amida
Meyrin, Switzerland · Est. 1940
Founded by Heinrich Brosi
Amida is a historic Swiss watch brand known in the 1970s for the innovative Digitrend model, one of the world's first digital-display mechanical watches using a jumping hour window mechanism. The brand has been revived to celebrate this unique heritage in contemporary form.
- Founded
- 1940
- Headquarters
- Meyrin, Switzerland
- Group
- Independent
- Price Segment
- Entry
- Status
- Dormant
Key Collections
- Digitrend (1976) — AMIDA’s signature driver-style watch family, originally introduced in the 1970s and relaunched as a modern take on the mechanical digital-display concept that made the model distinctive.
- Diver — Amida’s diver-focused collection, extending the brand’s revived Swiss identity with robust case construction and utility-first sports-watch styling for water-oriented use.
Timeline
- 1940 — Amida SA founded in Grenchen, Switzerland, by Heinrich Brosi.
- 1956 — Introduces innovative automatic movements and begins exporting worldwide.
- 1974 — Launches the Digitrend — one of the world's first mechanical digital-display watches, a technical tour de force.
- 1980 — Quartz crisis forces production slowdown; the brand fades from the mainstream market.
- 2022 — Digitrend reissued for collectors, reviving interest in one of horology's most inventive 1970s designs.
Frequently Asked Questions about Amida
- What was the Amida Digitrend?
- A mechanical watch with a fully digital-style display — jumping hour and minute discs instead of hands. Introduced in 1974, it was years ahead of its time.
- Is Amida still active?
- The original company wound down after the quartz crisis, but the Digitrend has been reissued and the brand's vintage pieces are prized by collectors.
Other independent Switzerland watch brands
- Squale — Chiasso, Switzerland
- BA111OD — Neuchâtel, Switzerland
- Louis Erard — Le Noirmont, Switzerland
- Mondaine — Zurich, Switzerland