Rado

Rado began as Schlup & Co, a movement manufacturer founded by the Schlup brothers in Lengnau in 1917. It became one of the largest movement producers in the world before releasing watches under the Rado name in 1957.

The brand's entire identity rests on a single question: how do you stop a watch from looking worn? The DiaStar of 1962 was marketed as the world's first scratchproof watch, using hardmetal — tungsten carbide — and a sapphire crystal at a time when both were exotic in watchmaking.

Rado then spent decades pushing further into materials most watchmakers avoided because they are difficult to machine and impossible to correct. High-tech ceramic arrived in 1986 with the Integral, and the Ceramica of 1990 was made almost entirely from it. The company developed plasma high-tech ceramic, which is heated to 20,000 degrees to acquire a metallic sheen without any metal content, and Ceramos, a ceramic-metal composite.

The V10K of 2002 used high-tech diamond and reached 10,000 on the Vickers scale — the hardness of diamond itself, and a Guinness record.

Rado's design language is correspondingly clean and monolithic, with the True and Captain Cook lines carrying the modern collection. The company has been part of the Swatch Group since 1983.

Rado holds 73 models, from £1,050 to £5,150. Half cost less than £2,200, and a quarter less than £1,700. 43 of 73 are automatic. 56 are stocked by more than one retailer, giving 144 offers in total. Prices are checked nightly against the retailers’ own feeds.

1917

Founded as Schlup & Co in Lengnau.

1957

The first watches carry the Rado name.

1962

The DiaStar introduces a scratchproof hardmetal case.

1986

High-tech ceramic enters production.

2002

The V10K reaches diamond-level surface hardness.