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Over the 10 years Dietrich has been in operation, the brand has created a clear vision for its design — one that emphasizes soft, comfortable lines and organic forms to create watches that become an extension of the wearer, both in terms of fit and style. In the brand’s newest release, the ED-1, Dietrich set out to create its version of a go-anywhere-do-anything watch, or, as the brand’s founder and Swiss-based French designer Emmanuel Dietrich calls it, the “if I only had one” watch.
Dietrich watches first debuted at Baselworld in 2014 with the Organic Time, a semi-skeletonized watch that emulated shapes and forms found in nature. A rejection of straight lines and harsh angles, the Organic Time was a seamless integration of nature and horology. Following releases would adopt the same design ethos, yet in more familiar and accessible forms, like a classic skin diver.
Call it a go-anywhere-do-anything watch, call it an “if I only had one” watch. Whatever you call it, the design brief is simple, yet incredibly difficult to do well. Start with a near-universal case diameter (39mm will do), ensure enough water resistance for outdoor adventures (100m), and package it all in a stainless steel case with a bracelet and a sporty, yet elegant dial with ample luminescence. Oh, and make sure it captures your brand’s design language and stands out from the crowd, all while maintaining a classic, timeless quality. Easy, right? Sometimes, the simplest designs are the hardest to do well, but Dietrich was able to draw on the past decade of watchmaking to create the ED-1, and that time and experience certainly shine through.
The 39mm stainless steel case on the ED-1 is designed to be unisex and work with a wide array of wrist sizes. Keeping the lug-to-lug distance at just 46mm means that even smaller wrists should have little trouble wearing the ED-1 comfortably. Plus, at only 11mm in thickness, including the domed sapphire crystal and a modest 72g for the watch head, this is clearly a watch designed to be worn day-in and day-out.
Plenty of brands emphasize sharp angles and harsh lines, but Dietrich takes the same approach it’s honed over the last 10 years, smoothing out harsh edges with soft lines. The case, with its rounded hexagonal bezel and soft, river stone-like curves, is a stark contrast to the ultra-sharp lines found so often in the watch industry, yet with a mix of polished chamfers and a clear eye for design, the ED-1 looks every bit as elegant as it does comfortable. 
The hexagonal bezel shape is mirrored in the stainless-steel bracelet — a parallel that creates coherence and unity between watch and bracelet and continues the organic theme with a honeycomb motif. For those looking to switch up the look, each watch also comes with a custom Delugs leather strap with a Dietrich buckle.
The dial of the ED-1 combines a mix of familiar and unfamiliar elements, like a railroad minutes track common to field watches and a sector dial layout, with 3, 6, 9, and 12 Arabic numerals (though if you opt for the date version, the 3 is replaced by a date window). The number fonts were originally designed for the Dietrich Time Companion by Raymond Larabie as a modern interpretation of a 1940s dial font, albeit with a slightly squared shape. You’ll find other nods to Dietrich’s past on the dial of the ED-1, such as the crosshairs and sandwich-dial construction from the Skin Diver 1 that let the white X1 Super-LumiNova shine bright and the signature leaf hands that originally debuted on the Organic Time. Whether you choose the green or blue dial option, each features a fumé effect that is a perfect complement to the soft lines of the case and bracelet and the organic shapes on the hands and dial.
An everyday watch like the ED-1 requires a movement you can count on without hesitation, which is why Dietrich chose the Swiss Sellita SW200 with a custom engraved rotor. The SW200 is about as reliable as movements come, beating at 28.8kbph with a 38-hour power reserve. The movement is visible behind a tinted sapphire caseback.
The Swiss Made Dietrich ED-1 is priced at CHF 1,480 before VAT and each watch comes with a metal bracelet and an additional color-matched Dulugs leather strap, all of which can be stored in the blue fabric travel pouch in which the watch ships. The DIETRICH ED-1 may be a watch designed to be worn every day on every adventure you take, but it’s certainly not a watch you’ll see every day. The ED-1 is made for those looking for a watch that sits comfortably outside the mainstream. It’s not a watch meant to suit every style, it’s a watch meant to suit your unique style. The DIETRICH ED-1 will be open for pre-orders for one month beginning on July 19, 2024, with delivery set for early 2025. To learn more about Dietrich and the ED-1, please visit the brand’s website.
