Round-UpA Closer Look At How Rado Has Mastered Ceramic Alchemy With Its 2018 Collection

With a long, enviable design heritage of continually introducing the unexpected into Swiss watchmaking, Rado has managed to perfect the art of beautifully blending together old-school aesthetics with modern design and material innovations. Over 50 years ago, Rado went down in history as the watchmaker that created the world’s first scratch-resistant watch, the DiaStar 1. Since then, the brand has been attaining one milestone after another and truly revolutionising the watchmaking industry. We give you a lowdown on this year’s offerings by the brand that has been awarded for its design credo time and again.

HyperChrome Ultra Light

Spearheading one of the most popular trends of the year in watch design, Rado has launched a few bronze Rado HyperChrome models. The material in-focus this year is a highly resilient substance called ultra-light, high-tech ceramic, with its hardiness, visual impact and lightweight property making it an exceptional material. Presented in two earthy tones, the HyperChrome Ultra Light includes bronze and brown models that are an exhibition of understated simplicity and exciting contrast.

The brown watch exudes a sporty, vintage look with a brown sunray high-tech ceramic dial and brown nylon strap. The elements in the bronze edition harmonise effortlessly, owing to the brown sunray high-tech ceramic dial, bronze coloured Roman numerals and brown aged leather strap. Each model features a 43mm case and a date window at three o’clock.

HyperChrome Bronze

The HyperChrome series now also has an automatic chronograph model that combines Rado’s high-tech ceramic with chronograph pushers and side inserts crafted in bronze that will patinate over time. The watch features a 45mm matt midnight black ceramic case constructed with a polished, black high-tech ceramic bezel with an engraved tachymeter filled with white lacquer.

Adding metallic sheen to the dial are the rose gold coloured hands and indexes. This is juxtaposed with a supple, brown vintage leather strap that makes the sporty HyperChrome Chronograph Automatic a perfect everyday men’s watch.

HyperChrome Skeleton Automatic Chronograph

This spectacular 45mm open-worked chronograph is encased in matt black, high-tech ceramic and offset by a polished black bezel with an engraved tachymeter filled with white lacquer. Giving it a starkly bold appearance are the black, rhodium coloured applied indexes with black veneer and white SuperLuminova.

A polished high-tech ceramic bracelet reiterates the HyperChrome Skeleton Automatic Chronograph’s sturdiness and style. Fitted with the ETA 2894-2 movement, this watch offers a 42-hour power reserve.

True Thinline

In an endeavour to bring the pristine beauty of nature to the wrist, Rado unveiled the True Thinline Nature collection comprising three models that are themed on the many elements of the natural world. One can choose from the rich, taupe brown of earth, the deep, midnight blue of water or the verdant green of leaf. Building on their pioneering expertise in the use of ceramic in watches, Rado bestows a unique dial treatment that echoes the natural world. The earth timepiece boasts a metallised coating that reflects and refracts light beautifully off the polished brown high-tech ceramic case. The brown, diamond powder structure dial is wonderfully complemented by a polished brown, high-tech ceramic titanium bracelet.

Taking cues from the water element, there is the blue mother-of-pearl dial watch that evokes the ebb and flow of the open sea. The theme flows smoothly through the blue bracelet. The third nature-based novelty, based on leaf, features a green mother-of-pearl dial with a leaf structure applied to its underside that shimmers brilliantly in the light.

Keeping with the trend, the new True Thinline Bronze features a sparkling bronze dial, curved sapphire crystal and matt brown high-tech ceramic case – a celebration of contrasts.

DiaMaster

This one is an absolute stunner! Available in two 43mm versions – all-black, and a plasma and white – this new DiaMaster model boasts of a unique multi-level dial that displays the hours, minutes, seconds and date in decentralised, intersecting circles. The dial – bold and thrilling as it appears – is large, easily readable and exhibits pared-down details. With traditional Côtes de Genève detailing on the movement visible through the transparent dial and the exposed gear trains from the movement also on display, this timepiece has a lot to offer.

A wonderful anomaly on the dial is the small second placed at seven o’clock and the hours and minutes dominating the upper half of the dial. An additional design element is in the form of a bar reminiscent of a horizon, bridging the transparent divide of the dial from left to right. Both editions feature a date window at five o’clock and a 42-hour power reserve. The all-black version comes with a black leather strap, while a brown leather strap is matched with the plasma and white watch.

DiaMaster Ceramos

An embodiment of understated elegance, the DiaMaster series is touted as the new face of an old legend. A new addition to this watch family is the DiaMaster Ceramos, presented in steel and rose gold. The neatly designed case is crafted with a mix of 90 percent high-tech ceramic and 10 percent metal alloy, Ceramos^TM, with the pared-down movement lending a streamlined look.

The 41mm steel case edition features a dark grey dial with rose gold coloured hands. The black leather strap completes the look. The rose gold DiaMaster Ceramos has a graceful silver white coloured dial and a brown leather strap. These slim new Rado DiaMaster Ceramos models are meant for the ones who appreciate minimalism.

DiaMaster Petite Seconde COSC

An inextricable part of the Rado story is the DiaMaster collection, and the new 2018 DiaMaster Petite Seconde Automatic COSC continues the legacy. Marking its individuality is a scratch-resistant and durable plasma high-tech ceramic with a material known for its elasticity: silicon. Placed at the heart of the new DiaMaster Petite Seconde in the form of the hairspring is this natural, hard-wearing material that has helped this watch attain the COSC certification for precision.

In the 43mm plasma high-tech ceramic case is the silver dial with rose gold coloured hands, a concave small second counter and a date window at three o’clock. This highly accurate timepiece offers an impressive 80-hour power reserve.

Tradition 1965

Moulded with vintage vibes that are masterfully wedded with a modern design, the Tradition 1965 is offered in three radically different choices: 44mm XL Auto (Titanium), 35mm M Auto (Stainless Steel) in a silver dial and 35mm M Auto (Stainless Steel) in a lacquered polished white dial. Making these models more refined are the brown vintage look leather strap, cognac coloured leather strap and white genuine crocodile leather strap, respectively.

Inspired by the Manhattan skyline, the 1965 features an unmistakable geometric design with rectangular hour and minute markers, a squared day-date complication window and the iconic Rado red anchor at nine o’clock. A true testament to Rado’s mastery of the old and the new!

To pre-order any watch featured above, please call +91 8725028890

Which of these Rado novelties impressed you the most? Let us know in the comments section below.