Rado icons get modern makeovers
The brand reasserts its mastery of form and material with four distinctive timepieces that embody its design-forward ethos
RADO has long occupied a singular space in contemporary watchmaking. It is a brand defined not only by tradition, but also by innovation in material science and a commitment to pure, architectural design.
This year, four new watches from the Swiss marque underscore that reputation: a refreshed Anatom with high-tech ceramic bracelet, the boldly urban Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic Chronograph, a futuristic collaboration with designer Tej Chauhan, and the industrially elegant True Square Skeleton.
Anatom High-Tech Ceramic Bracelet
The Anatom’s return in 2023 marked a pivotal moment. Forty years after its first appearance, Rado’s softly squared timepiece was reborn with a sleeker profile and updated proportions. Now, the evolution continues with five new editions, each pairing a matte ceramic bezel with a bracelet made entirely of high-tech ceramic links.
Beyond the material change, this latest update represents a refinement in philosophy. The bracelet tapers gently into the case, which itself narrows toward the wrist. A bevelled sapphire crystal hugs the dial, mimicking the ergonomic curvature that inspired the Anatom’s name. The result is a timepiece that wears like a second skin: light, cool and implausibly smooth.
Inside beats the Rado R766 calibre, offering 72 hours of power reserve and a Nivachron hairspring for magnetic resistance. The dials stay close to the minimalist DNA of the original, with horizontal motifs and pared-back markers, except in the Jubile models, where diamonds introduce a shimmer of contrast.
Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic Chronograph
Rado’s Captain Cook has always straddled adventure and design. The new High-Tech Ceramic Chronograph pushes both traits further, with a monobloc case and bracelet fashioned from high-tech ceramic, a first for the line.
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It’s a tool watch in spirit, with 30-bar water resistance, screw-down crown and pushers, and a unidirectional rotating bezel. But the execution is anything but utilitarian. Two versions – one in black and rose gold, the other in plasma ceramic with a dark green dial – bring a distinct metropolitan polish to the design. Both feature dual-finishing across the bracelet for added depth.
At 43 mm, it wears surprisingly slim thanks to the compact R801 automatic movement, which delivers 59 hours’ power reserve. The chronograph layout is clean and legible, aided by bold red tips on each hand.
DiaStar Original x Tej Chauhan
With this collaboration, Rado hands its archives to one of industrial design’s most imaginative figures; the result is a joyous collision of nostalgia and futurism.
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The watch is unmistakably a DiaStar, with its trademark oval Ceramos bezel, here coated in gold PVD and paired with a light grey rubber strap. But Tej Chauhan brings playful contrasts: a matte black dial punctuated by silver and blue minute tracks, his custom typography for the day-date display, and a thoughtful colour palette that feels pulled from the pages of mid-century sci-fi.
While Rado’s ceramic expertise ensures comfort and longevity, this model’s appeal is emotional as much as technical, a reminder that serious watchmaking can have a sense of humour.
True Square Skeleton
Where the Tej Chauhan edition embraces colour, the True Square Skeleton leans into monochrome modernism. With its square ceramic case, now finished in matt plasma or deep black, the watch reads as both architectural and elemental.
All three versions feature an openworked dial that exposes the Rado R808 automatic movement, framed by a gunmetal or jet-black backdrop. On the ceramic bracelet models, the effect is seamless. On the rubber strap version, the watch skews sportier, with polished hands and a more defined Cotes de Geneve finish.
This is a skeleton watch that resists ornamentation. Even the luminous indexes are milled from solid blocks of Super-LumiNova, rather than applied as surface treatments. This design of restraint paradoxically gives it its power.
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