[F]Girard-Perregaux Casquette 2.0 vs. Amida Digital Trend

Welcome to Sunday Morning Showdown! Grab a coffee, nibble on a croissant, and warm up your voting fingers. Dern and Thomas will be at odds again this week. What is today’s theme? A newsboy-shaped watch with roots in the 1970s. What about niche fields? Don’t complain about apples and oranges this time, Fratelli! How similar do you want them to be?

However, it may be difficult to get your hands on one of these contestants. The Amida Digitrend is sold out and the Girard-Perregaux Casquette 2.0 is the final (limited) version of this model. But that doesn’t mean you can’t leave them alone in the fighting cage for a good old Sunday morning showdown.

Last Sunday Morning Showdown

Before we get into all of that, we have to look at last week’s fight. It was Dern and Thomas again. The boys have been earning a significant irregular hour bonus this month on the Sunday shift. The theme was quite different from today.

Dern brought his Breguet Classique 5177 to the arena. Thomas responded with the A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1. Both are luxury platinum watches with black dials and date complications. Thomas didn’t do his best because he didn’t mention that the Lange’s black dial was onyx. But that didn’t hurt his case. A. Lange & Söhne completely obliterated Breguet with 75% of the votes. This is an unusually clear vote for Sunday Morning Showdown.

Many commenters mentioned the Breguet date. This feature is controversial. Because while some commenters like this feature, it seems to have taken away votes from Breguet. In any case, I have a hunch that today’s results may be closer than last week’s.

Thomas: Girard-Perregaux Casquette 2.0

I’m here again, Daan. Good luck! First, let’s outline the similarities between our watches. It may not be necessary to point this out, but the shape of the case and bracelet are quite similar. Next up is the driver’s watch style angled dial. Vintage models of both watches saw the light of day at the 1976 Basel Fair. Both modern versions are styled in unmistakable 70s fashion. Amida and GP both rate water resistance at 50 meters. Finally, both watches are Swiss made and cost less than CHF5,000. Indeed, your Amida costs CHF 3,250, which is significantly cheaper than my GP’s CHF 4,750 (approximately EUR 5,060 at the time of writing).

About the difference. Your Digitrend is made of steel, while my Casquette 2.0 is made of titanium with 18k gold detailing. A self-winding Soprod caliber powers the Amida, and the GP has a built-in digital module. Amida-sama has also grown quite a bit, darn. The size is 39.6mm in diameter x 39mm in length x 15.6mm in thickness, and the GP is 33.6mm in diameter x 42.2mm in length x 14.6mm in thickness.

More sophisticated newsboy 2.0

Just like last week, I like both candidates here. However, if I were to spend the money, I would definitely choose the Girard-Perregaux newsboy cap. Don’t get me wrong. I like Amida’s flat mechanical jump hour mechanism, which is tilted toward the wearer through a sapphire prism. But I think the Amida is becoming a bit too much of a gadget, especially with the big name and orange detailing on the dial. I think you’ll get tired of it much faster than a newsboy cap.

why? Casquettes are just as quirky, but because they’re a little more classy. The case is now narrower and much slimmer. A richer combination of gentle curves and hard edges. The mixed finish also has a more mature and luxurious feel. When it comes to finishing, this one is done to a much higher standard overall, as you would expect from Girard-Perregaux.

It’s cool that Amida is mechanical. But Girard-Perregaux is oddly flashy. Who would have thought I’d say that about the LED display option on two watches that are so similar in design? Digitrend looks new, Casquette 2.0 looks high-end.

You also get some additional features with Casquette 2.0.

Another advantage of the digital module within the Girard-Perregaux Casquette 2.0 is that it provides additional functionality. In addition to the time, it displays the day of the week, date, year, chronograph, and secret date complications. Oh, and don’t forget to run to the second for those who seek accuracy.

Admittedly, the Casquette 2.0 does have a weakness, especially when combined with the driver’s case, the lack of an always-on display. I’m sure Dern will mention it too. However, Digitrend also doesn’t score many points for readability. I think you buy these watches for their quirky nature rather than their ease of use.

In the end, the first point is the clincher for me. Both are fun gadgets. But Girard-Perregaux also manages to be a luxury watch. For me, Amitabha remains in the realm of “fun novelty.” If Casquette 2.0 costs 5 times more than Digitrend, you can see the latter’s appeal. However, as it stands, there are more mature options. Okay, darn, I’ll leave it at that. Please tell the good people why I was completely wrong.

Daian: Amida Digi Trend

Thank you, Thomas, I will. First, let’s talk about the “gadget” debate. My Amida may have the word “digital” in its name, but the real gadget here is the Casquette 2.0. It also has two push buttons! I also like both of today’s candidates, but your button is very inconvenient. When GP brought back Casket, the designers should have thought of updating Casket with some kind of accelerometer. That way, the display will just turn on every time you turn your wrist towards you.

When compared to the GP, the Amida was a significant upgrade over its vintage counterpart. As Balazs explained in his article about the original Amida Digitrend, it came with a fragile one-jewel pin-lever movement. This reissue is powered by the robust Soprod Newton P092 automatic movement with 23 jewels. It’s certainly not up to the level of MB&F’s watch machines, but it’s reliable and well worth the price point. Additionally, the hours and minutes are always displayed via an ingenious light-reflective display. No need to press any buttons.

bigger and better

Let’s continue talking about ergonomics. Your newsboy cap may not be as wide as my Digitrend, but it will also be longer. In terms of wearability, I prefer watches with shorter tip-to-tip measurements to longer ones. Besides, if this were a plank contest, your newsboy cap would definitely win. Look at how it rests on Nacho’s wrist. It has a very rectangular and quite long design. The Digitrend has a more rounded and organic shape, making it more appealing on the wrist.

Even the Casquette 2.0’s higher level of finishing fails to convince me here. Digitrend’s finishes are simpler, but the basic shapes say it all without adding extra embellishments. I also like the round opening around the display. It looks less boxy and more friendly than a newsboy cap.

In conclusion, yes, GP Casquette 2.0 could have more features thanks to the digital module. But how many of them do you actually use? You may have already forgotten which button to press when you want to time something. Was it the one on the left or the one on the right? And when you want to check it or check the time, you have to press the button again to activate the display. This is completely inconvenient, especially if you are sitting behind the wheel, which is the natural habitat of the newsboy.

Vote now!

This week saw an even more unusual battle between two watches you don’t see very often. But it’s just as fun as our regular Sunday Morning Showdown. Where are you going this week? Will it be the high-end GP Casquette 2.0 in titanium or the Amida Digitrend in stainless steel? Vote now and tell us why you voted one way or the other in the comments below.