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Round-UpResilient Rado: 15 Of Their Best Watches In India

Known for their advancement in ceramic technology, and for making reliable and resilient timepieces, Rado have always delivered consistently with their products. Being a part of the Swatch Group of brands is an added advantage. Here are 15 of the best watches from this beloved Swiss brand

The Watch Guide July 14, 2021

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Time is a bookmark of achievements and failures, and the history of our very own watch industry is a testament to this. If the quartz crisis left Switzerland’s big and illustrious brands finding their feet in the 70s, it also reinvented Swiss watches. Watch companies were collapsing, falling apart and getting crippled during the quartz era in an unforeseen manner. However, there were a few brands that rose to the occasion. Among them, was Rado. While the bigger players were slashing prices and facing difficulties in keeping up with the electronic revolution, Rado were the only brand that decided to fight the crisis by treading a midway path, with watches that offered both substance and affordability. And in a matter of months, a cult brand was born.

Rado-HyperChrome — During the quartz crisis, Rado were among the only brands that decided to stay afloat by treading a strategic path, with watches that offered both substance and affordability. Among their contemporary offerings is this HyperChrome Automatic, which is a technically brilliant watch, offering extraordinary durability and resilience

Over the years, Rado’s timepiece have continued to present that same resilience that the company has displayed. and today, Rado’s products are some of the most sought-after products out there, owing to their reliability in performance and robustness, and at rather accessible prices. Here, we celebrate this brand, as we give you 15 of their finest watches that you can find today.

Captain Cook Bronze

Back in 2017, Rado pleasantly surprised the watch industry when they reintroduced their Captain Cook collection. First launched in the 1960s, the range came into the limelight for offering impeccable dive watches. After the immense success and incredible reception of the vintage-looking timepieces, the Swiss watchmakers, in 2020, released new iterations of the Captain Cook but in bronze. Available in three different colours, including blue, green, and brown, the timepieces are presented in a 42mm bronze case, which is corrosion-resistant and develops a light patina over time. Meanwhile, the bezel remains exactly as it was on its predecessors, and is made from the high-tech ceramic with metallised numbers and markers engraved on it. Underneath the domed sapphire crystal glass, we have a perfectly legible dial with sunray-brushed surface, featuring a minute track, gold-coloured hour indices, a date window at three, and a central timekeeping system. The Captain Cook Bronze runs on the ETA C07 calibre that provides a significant power reserve of 80 hours. Attached to a vintage-inspired leather strap, in colours matching the dial and the bezel, these dive watches are certainly fit for daily wear.

In 2020, Rado released brand-new iterations of the Captain Cook collection but in bronze
Available in three different colours, the timepieces are presented in a 42mm bronze case, which is corrosion-resistant and develops a light patina over time
The bezel remains exactly as it was on its predecessors, and is made from the high-tech ceramic
Underneath the domed sapphire crystal glass, we have a perfectly legible dial with sunray-brushed surface, featuring a minute track, gold-coloured hour indices and date window
The Captain Cook Bronze runs on the ETA C07 calibre that provides a significant power reserve of 80 hours
Attached to a vintage-inspired leather strap, in colours matching the dial and the bezel, these dive watches are certainly fit for daily wear

Rado Captain Cook SHOP THE COLLECTION

Centrix Automatic Diamonds

The Centrix Automatic Diamonds retains the aesthetics you would expect from a Rado watch and, at the same time, maintains its chic and modern design. Featuring a two-tone ceramic bracelet, a black ceramic case and a black dial that accommodates gold-tone hands for a sophisticated look, this watch can complement any type of attire. The bracelet itself is a thing of beauty, combining luxury and comfort. One can even admire the workings of the watch via its see-through caseback.

Centrix Diamonds

The black-and-gold Centrix diamonds is the most famous and recognisable timepiece by Rado and probably holds the record for being the first Swiss watch for millions, which is possibly why this watch is also among the most searched watches on the internet. The Centrix has held a soft spot in the heart of Rado loyalists for years with its unfazed, minimalistic design, making this the perfect accessory for either a formal or casual attire. Ceramic is the primary material of this watch, which is why the classy Rado Centrix is extremely lightweight and comfortable as well. If you’ve never owned a Rado watch, this would be a good one to start with.

Centrix

A cousin of the most successful Rado watch ever made—the Centrix in white is as much of a statement piece as its black counterpart. With the same traditional design, the Centrix white is equipped with a fairly-sized 38mm gold-plated case that contrasts well with the silver-coloured dial housing the white and gold index hour markers, done in the same theme. The bracelet of this watch has also been given a two-toned look, which not only adds to the aesthetics but also wraps comfortably around the wrist of its wearer.

Ceramica

In 2016, Rado reintroduced their iconic Ceramica collection after partnering with prolific industrial designer, Konstantin Grcic, who lent the series a contemporary look. The timepiece featured here is a high-gloss variant, which retains the strong geometric shape of its predecessors, but with a few quirky updates. With its clean lines, gently curved silhouette, and high-tech ceramic case and bracelet, the modern Ceramica is a dream timekeeper for modernists. Housed in a 30mm square-shaped case, the timepiece features a lacquered-polished black dial with a simple minute track on its periphery, a date aperture at six o’clock position, and silver-coloured timekeeping hands. The Ceramica is powered by a quartz movement and comes attached to a very smooth and streamlined bracelet that feels gentle and comfortable against the skin. This timepiece is water-resistant up to 50m.

Rado-Captain-Cook — The timepiece featured here is a high-gloss variant, which retains the strong geometric shape of its predecessors. With its clean lines, gently curved silhouette, and high-tech ceramic case and bracelet, the modern Ceramica is a dream timekeeper for modernists

Coupole Classic Chronograph

Rado are best known for their ceramic watches. However, if ceramic isn’t your choice of material, you can consider the Coupole Classic collection, which presents the brand’s understated elegance and minimalism, but in stainless steel. Encapsulating everything that the range stands for is the Coupole Classic Chronograph. The timepiece borrows its design cues from the brand’s watches manufactured in the 1960s and offers vintage looks coupled with modern technology. Sized at 42mm, the Couple Classic Chronograph has a strong presence on the wrist, thanks to its round stainless steel case and bracelet, in addition to the perfectly legible and uncluttered dial. Protected by a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal glass, the dial features three sub-dials, a date window, nicely spaced out hour indices and a central timekeeping system. Under the hood, we have quartz movement, which ensures top-notch performance, while also being low-maintenance.

Rado Coupole

DiaMaster Diamonds

Over the years, the DiaMaster collection has offered countless timepieces that strike a perfect balance between simplicity and lushness. Part of the range is the DiaMaster Diamonds, a sleek and classical-looking watch with elegance aplenty, which can dazzle anyone at first glance. Presented in a plasma high-tech ceramic case, the 33mm timepiece comes with a white mother-of-pearl dial that has a pared-down and minimalistic design. What adds a touch of glamour to it is an off-centre ring that comprises 24 flawlessly cut diamonds. Powered by a quartz movement, the dial of DiaMaster Diamonds also features a three-hand timekeeping system and a date aperture at the six o’clock position. The timepiece is offered with a leather strap attached to it that feels super-comfortable on the wrist.

DiaMaster Skeleton

As with most Rado watches, the case and bracelet are just as important as what’s housed inside. The skeleton DiaMaster is a watch that showcases both in the most daring way possible. A watch that otherwise looks like a stainless-steel watch is actually made of Rado’s patented plasma ceramic, a material that is exclusively theirs. How does it achieve this shine, one might ask. Well, plasma ceramic is super-heated to 20,000 degrees Celsius, at which point, the material changes colour to resemble a bluish-grey metal. This may sound like an easy task in the beginning but with ceramic, smaller pieces are extremely difficult to manufacture. Both the case and the five-link bracelet have been completely made out of this material.

Powering this watch is a skeletonised version of the automatic ETA 2892-S2 that offers a standard power reserve of 42 hours. And because the primary material is ceramic, this timepiece is completely scratch-resistant, which also means that its sheen will last for a long, long time.

The Diamaster Skeleton is made completely out of Rado’s patented ‘plasma ceramic’, which is scratch-resistant and will not lose its sheen

HyperChrome Automatic

The HyperChrome Automatic is about more than just its exquisite looks. Crafted from plasma high-tech ceramic, the timepiece is a technical marvel and has extraordinary durability and resilience. In addition to its scratch-resistant and hypoallergenic properties, the modern and innovative ceramic material provides a unique metallic look to the watch. The 42mm HyperChrome Automatic is light in weight and has a radiant sheen, which will not fade away for decades. The olive green dial of the timepiece is clean, aesthetically pleasing and sports rhodium-plated hour indices, dauphine-shaped timekeeping hands and a date window at three. The watch utilises the automatic ETA C07 movement that ensures a minimum power reserve of 80 hours. Attached to an oscillating rotor, the movement is visible through an exhibition caseback. The bracelet—also built from plasma high-tech ceramic—adds to the sheen and radiance of the timepiece, and is definitely a delight to wear.

Rado HyperChrome

HyperChrome Dual Time

Rado are probably the only Swiss brand capable of making even a technical timepiece look attractive, and so they came up with the ultimate travelling companion—the HyperChrome Dual Time Automatic. The stylish black-and-grey watch allows you to read the time in two zones at a glance, courtesy its additional hour hand and inner 24-hour scale. The hour markers have Super-LumiNova for enhanced legibility, thereby allowing the wearer to read the time even in the dark. There’s a date display at three o’clock. Made by a combination of the highest grade of stainless steel and monobloc high-tech plasma ceramic, this watch is also probably the lightest, most scratch-resistant and comfortable dual-time watch in its class.

HyperChrome Tachymeter

For Rado, the HyperChrome was a challenge and in their words ‘a scientific revolution’. The process involved in creating a Hyperchrome is a bit complicated: a scientific injection moulding that leads to the creation of a monobloc or single piece of ceramic, from which not just the case, but the lugs, dial and surrounding brackets are made. The HyperChrome Tachymeter is where Rado expresses its thoughts in grey and gold in the most stylish way—a lustrous grey dial, complemented by gold-coloured hour indexes, chronograph counters, as well as the crown and pushers. This beauty is secured by a stylish ceramic three-row bracelet, clasped by a threefold titanium buckle.

Rado Diaster Original

As the name suggests, the Rado Diaster Original is a re-creation of Rado’s vintage watches with a modern touch. This particular one is a re-edition of their 1963 masterpiece, which was the world’s first scratch-proof watch. Interestingly, that watch also happened to be the very first timepiece with sapphire crystal used for the glass. What makes this one so recognisable is its gold colour and secondly its oblong case, framed in a round dial and shielded with metal all around—just like the 1963 model. Aside from representing Rado’s ground-breaking achievements in materials, it is also a highly sought-after collectible from among Rado’s contemporary offerings.

True Open Heart Automatic

The Rado True collection showcases the brand’s expertise in ultra-thin timepieces. And we emphasise on ‘ultra-thin’ because Rado True watches take a couple of days for the wearer to get used to—owing to the delicate-looking design. But with time, the pure joy of wearing a very special timepiece kicks in. Rado reassure each wearer that there is no danger in handling this slender timepiece and that one can wear it like any regular watch.

The True Open heart was revealed in 2016 with a special dial—black mother of pearl that is slightly transparent. Depending on the angle or the light falling on it, the True Open Heart becomes a skeleton watch or a minimalist timepiece with a simple mother-of-pearl dial. This is unlike anything ever seen before on any timepiece, let alone Rado.

Depending on the angle or the lighting conditions, the True Open Heart becomes a skeleton watch or a minimalist timepiece with a black pearl dial

True Square Automatic Open Heart

With a square shape, rounded edges, and ceramic construction, the True Square Automatic Open Heart is everything that a Rado fan desires. Housed in a 38mm monobloc case made from injection-moulding technology, the timepiece is light as a feather and has exceptional scratch-resistant and hypoallergenic properties. However, it is the skeleton dial of this watch that showcases the skilful craftsmanship of Rado. The team of designers have carefully created every element that celebrates the architecture of the movement and exhibits top-notch execution. The dial also sports a large circular aperture—housing the balance wheel—at 12, and a smaller aperture at seven, along with a minute track on its periphery. The True Square Automatic Open Heart has two variants. First is the plasma variant in dark grey with a blue dial and silver indices and hands. The other one is a black variant with a black dial, gold indices and hands. Both iterations come equipped with calibre ETA C07, which includes 25 jewels and is decorated with a combination of perlage and Côtes de Genève detailing, visible through an exhibition caseback.

Rado True Square SHOP THE COLLECTION

True Thinline Deep Web Limited Edition

Since its inception, the True Thinline has carved a niche for itself as one of the most artistic and experimental collections offered by Rado. The Lengnau-based watchmakers have used the range as a blank canvas to showcase unique and imaginative timepieces. Case in point—the True Thinline Deep Web Limited Edition, which consists of two transparent discs that sit on top of each other. There is a metallic-hued web pattern on each of the discs, creating an illusion of hands moving across the dial. The timepiece has been created in collaboration with Austrian fashion designer Flora Miranda and looks futuristic and extravagant. Unlike the other watches of the collection, the Deep Web is equipped with an automatic movement to provide enough momentum to power the overlapping discs that sit under the box-shaped sapphire crystal. Presented in a 40mm high-tech ceramic case, the timepiece is limited to just 1,001 units and comes with a special engraving on the caseback.