When it comes to watches, you suffer no lack of choice when it comes to case shapes. You have your classic styles, your vintage/historic shapes, and then you have a category where a brand comes up with something that is perhaps viewed as taking things in a new direction. Some of these case shapes do not work out well, and others (such as on the Visitor Watch Co Duneshore) are rather stunning. As to where the Dietrich Organic Time falls, hard to say without seeing it in the steel, but I think it’s making a claim to the positive.
The best way I can find to describe the 46mm wide stainless steel case (if for some reason the pictures are not showing up) is as a rounded off hexagon when viewed from the front. So, that’s unique to begin with. If you then switch to viewing it from the side, you see that the descriptor of a “puck” also fits, with an uncommon lug configuration keeping the strap tight to your wrist that also has the watch (13.7mm thick) standing off from your wrist. So, whatever your angle, this is a watch that looks most unlike many you are likely to see.
Move to the dial, and things keep that unique style going. For starters, you have a sort of frame extending from the upper and lower corners of the hexagon, crossing over the middle of the dial. With this, I feel that it is purely an aesthetic decision, rather than giving any sort of reinforcement to the case itself, or giving mounting points for things. It does, of course, serve to tie the case to the dial, as the ends of those supports terminate outside of the case. Spinning above that framework are some the most convincingly leaf-like hands I’ve seen. Shown as they are here on the Dietrich Organic Time 1 (or OT-1) in green (also the color of the lume), it really gives an organic (and dare I say spring-like) feel to things.
Those hands are marking time out over a multi-layered dial (four, per Dietrich). This seems a bit harder to pick out from the photos, but you can see some elements. These sort of multi-layered dials are indeed rather interesting to behold in person. Again, not that I’ve seen a Dietrich Organic Time in person, but based on other watches I’ve handled. Here, it also looks like there is an “extra” layer that comes in courtesy of the AR-coated sapphire crystal. It seems that the indices for the time are actually printed on the underside of the crystal, allowing them to float over the frame and handset.
That’s not all we have for the visual interest, either. A closer look will show you two flower/gear shapes that sort of bridge the organic and machine styles going on here. The one at the 10 o’clock position is a 24-hour time indicator, and the one at 4 o’clock gives you the small seconds. I like that these are here. Aside from the shapes that mix things up a bit, you get a bit more of a kinetic feel to the watch, especially with the balance wheel visible next to the small seconds. This was another hidden surprise – normally when the dial has an opening like this, you cannot help but to notice it. Here, it’s almost hidden away, with the rest of the watch given the visual emphasis.
The movement you’re viewing through that opening is a modified Miyota 82-S-7. Now, hearing that the movement is a Miyota, you are probably thinking that we have something very much in the affordable realm. Much like the watch design defying expectations, the pricing does the same, as the Dietrich Organic Time comes in at $1,450. Obviously, we give a lot of weight to what movement is in a watch, and especially here at WWR, focus on the impact it has on the pricing. As I think the Dietrich Organic Time demonstrates, though, there’s more to the equation than that. When you get into the design (and manufacture) of something as non-standard as this, then the pricing shifts northward. For me, I really do not think that it’s all that wildly out of line. The Miyota movement pairs reliability and accuracy to the unique look of the Dietrich Organic Time, creating a different sort of value proposition. I know it’s something that’s grabbed my attention – let us know in the comments what you think. In the meantime, we’ll be working to get one in for a hands-on review. Dietrich Watches
