SpotlightDesigns From Nature: Rado ‘True Thinline X Great Gardens Of The World’
Three ultra-slim Rado iterations promote the cause of endangered plants with the brand’s high-tech innovative features
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What French Romantic writer Victor Hugo wrote in his famous 19th-century novel Les Misérables still ring true: “A garden to walk in and immensity to dream in…what more could he ask? A few flowers at his feet and above him the stars.” The idea for the ‘Great Gardens Of The World’ series by Rado germinated after the Swiss watchmakers, in 2017, began a partnership with the Grandi Giardini Italiani—a network of over 140 gardens across Italy, Vatican City and Ticino. Soon after, Rado unveiled the True Thinline Nature special edition named after elements, Earth, Water and Leaf. This year in May, Rado have extended the line with three new quartz watches, decorating the dials with motifs of three endangered plant varieties, namely the Hawaiian Loulu Lelo, the Chilean Araucaria and the Yemeni Dragon Blood Tree.
Great Gardens On Slim True Thinlines
The 40mm ‘True Thinline Nature X Great Gardens of the World’ iterations are earmarked as Chapter 8 (Loulu Lelo), Chapter 9 (Chilean Araucaria) and Chapter 10 (Yemeni Dragon Blood Tree). As the name hints, Thinline models are Rado’s ultra-slim timepieces displaying the brand’s signature innovations. These new Great Gardens models come in Rado’s high-tech and scratch-resistant ceramic monobloc case and crown in black, white and plasma grey hues.
The Three Great Gardens
Chapter 8 is designed after Loulu Lelo, a species of palm tree (botanical name: Pritchardia kaalae) growing upto 25 feet (7.6m). Found on the western part of the Hawaiian island, O’ahu, it thrives near the natural springs of dry forests on the island’s Waiʻanae Range at a terrain above 2,500ft (760m). As of 1998, the headcount of this species fell below 130. This watch iteration comes with a black, polished case with the dial juxtaposed with palm fronds in an aesthetically appealing geometric pattern. Creating a nice contrast are the pair of hands coated in gold. A black high-tech polished ceramic bracelet with three-fold clasp in titanium completes the look.
A bolt of lightning or an icy embrace? Chapter 9 draws inspiration from the Chilean Pine (botanical name: Araucaria araucana), called by a litany of names such as monkey puzzle tree, monkey tail tree, piñonero, and pewen. It is also called ‘living fossil’ as prehistoric times record similar plant species. This tree that grows upto 30 to 40m (98 to 131ft), is the national tree of Chile, found in central and southern Chile and western Argentina. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) gave it that ‘endangered’ tag in 2013 after forest fires, waterlogging, and grazing cut brought down its population to a dangerous low. The mother-of-pearl dial of Chapter 9 alludes to the leafy thicket of the Chilean pine, cradled within a white high-tech ceramic case and crown. Accentuating the frosted look is the pair of silver-hued hands, and the polished white high-tech ceramic bracelet secured with a three-fold clasp in titanium.
The fluid, longish droplet sort of pattern on Chapter 10 dial is borrowed from the intriguingly named Dragon Blood Tree (botanical name: Dracaena cinnabari), found in the Socotra archipelago; one of the governorates of Yemen located in the Arabian Sea. Harking to the red sap this tree oozes is the dial, made from a skeletal top-layer juxtaposed over a rose-gold coloured backplate. Matching hour and minute hands in rose gold complete the look. Cradling the dial is a plasma high-tech ceramic monobloc case in smooth, dark grey tones.
The dials of all three iterations are sealed in protective box shaped sapphire crystals at the front and caseback with anti-reflective coating for clarity in reading time. Equally arresting is the caseback, with digitally printed imagery on the sapphire crystal that has the collection name, ‘Great Gardens Of The World’ at the heart annual growth rings.
Primordial Rhythm In The Great Gardens
The two-hand True Thinline Nature iterations are powered by Rado calibre R766, the in-house automatic movement that offers 72-hour power reserve. Specially designed to improve chronometric performance and provide protection from magnetic fields, temperature fluctuations, and sudden shocks is the anti-magnetic Nivachron™ hairspring—a Swiss-made balance spring made from titanium-based alloy. The inner workings of this movement along with its 21 jewels are visible via the openworked caseback.
Chapters 8, 9 and 10 iterations of the ‘Great Gardens of the World’ collection line are available in individual or as a trio in a special collector’s display-box edition, limited to 99 units.
