Dietrich TC-Pure Limited Edition, with Sterile Dials

We’ve covered several Dietrich watches in the past, which showcase edgy, avant-garde designs like the DD-1 and 1969. Founded in 2010 by Emmanuel Dietrich, the brand focused on affordable eccentricity, but also flexed some horological muscle with the Perception in 2017, a complicated and sophisticated Swiss made piece with a high price to match. Dietrich also launched the Time Companion collection that year, a surprisingly conventional and well-priced steel sports watch. A recent collaboration with Toronto based designer Matt Smith-Johnson has resulted in the new TC-Pure Limited Edition, a stripped down and modern interpretation of the original Time Companion (TC-1).

The stainless steel case and integrated bracelet remain unchanged from the TC-1 with their Audemars Piguet Royal Oak vibe, but the new dials really change the aesthetic. MONOCHROME’s Founder and Managing Director Frank Geelen recently explained how personal a dial can be with his own vintage Royal Oak ‘Jumbo’ 5402ST. Matt Smith-Johnson took a minimalist approach that shed many details from the original dial, including the date, applied indices, multiple colours and textures, and even the Dietrich branding. The sterile “pure” dial has a simple sophistication that complements the masculine and utilitarian appeal of the sports watch. 

The hexagonal dial matches the shape of the case with a pattern of engraved indices and Arabic numerals at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o’clock, printed with white Super-LumiNova with a green luminescence. The outermost minute track features machined circles with white marks every five minutes. The hour, minute and seconds hands are unchanged from the original with white Super-LumiNova inserts with a blue luminescence. The brushed, 42mm 316L stainless steel case (9.3mm height) has a rounded hexagonal bezel with eight exposed screws and a custom cut sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coatings on both sides. The integrated hexagonal linked bracelet has a double folding clasp, while the screw-down hexagonal crown completes the shaped theme. The case comes in either natural steel or black PVD with matching dials, and water-resistance is 50 metres. 

The movement is an ETA 2824-2 Automatic, among the most ubiquitous and proven Swiss workhorses in the industry. It has 25 jewels, beats at 28,800vph (4Hz) with a 38-hour power reserve. Functions include central hours, minutes, seconds and date, but the date isn’t being used in this limited edition series.  

The new models are limited to 25 pieces each and retail for CHF 2,000, which is the same price as the standard collection. Matt Smith-Johnson is also the Art Director for aBlogtoWatch and the new series is labelled as such (ABTW). For more information and to make a purchase, visit the Dietrich website.