AMIDA translates the material logic of NASA’s shuttle program into a mechanical watch. The Digitrend NASA Tribute borrows from the thermal protection system used on the Space Transportation System, which completed 135 missions between 1981 and 2011.
The reference is precise. Each shuttle carried about 24,000 silica-based tiles bonded to an aluminum airframe. These tiles absorbed and dissipated heat during reentry. AMIDA mirrors that structure with a faceted ceramic shell that breaks light across multiple planes instead of a single polished surface.
Case and materials
The case is a metallic monobloc coated in black DLC (diamond-like carbon). DLC forms a thin, hard layer that improves scratch resistance and reduces reflectivity. The geometry drives the look. Each facet reads like an individual tile, echoing the shuttle’s heat shield without copying it directly.
Display and movement
The watch keeps AMIDA’s original Digitrend layout. Time appears through a sapphire prism that projects the display forward. Hours advance via a jumping disc. The numeral flips instantly at the top of each hour, driven by a nine-part mechanism that stores and releases energy in a single step.
Inside sits the Soprod Newton P092 automatic caliber. It winds through wrist motion and supports the jumping-hour complication without external power.
NASA identity and strap design
The case carries the “worm” logotype, the modernist wordmark created in 1975 by Richard Danne and Bruce Blackburn. NASA used it until 1992, replaced it with the “meatball,” then reinstated the worm in 2020.
The strap makes the reference explicit. AMIDA uses leather combined with a textile inspired by spacesuit materials, secured with a hook-and-loop closure rather than a traditional buckle.
Release
AMIDA schedules the Digitrend NASA Tribute for release in May 2026. Pricing is not disclosed.
Project details
- Name: Digitrend NASA Tribute
- Watchmaker: AMIDA Watches
- Partner: NASA
- Movement: Soprod Newton P092 automatic
- Display: jumping hour via sapphire prism
