Rado DiaStar Original Skeleton 38mm Unisex Watch

Ref. R12164153

The DiaStar Original is Rado's founding watch — the model the brand launched in 1962 with the claim that it could not be scratched — and this skeleton reworks that premise. Where the original made its point through hardness and an unbroken surface, this one answers the same question differently: the Ceramos bezel and sapphire crystal remain as scratch-resistant as ever, but the dial has been removed entirely so the R808 movement fills the frame. That movement repays the exposure. The calibre runs an 80-hour power reserve, carries a Nivachron hairspring that resists magnetic interference without a Faraday cage, and has been regulated in five positions — the kind of preparation that produces long-term accuracy rather than a headline figure. Rado has treated the movement in anthracite grey, which pulls it away from the gold of the case and bezel and turns the dial into a study in contrast: dark mechanical architecture, warm gilt hands and indices, white Super-LumiNova on both. At 38mm it sits at a genuinely unisex proportion, and at 11.9mm it wears closer to the wrist than most automatic skeletons at this rating. The sapphire caseback means the movement is visible from both sides, and the three-fold clasp on the bracelet adjusts without tools — a small thing that matters once the novelty of the skeleton has settled and you are simply wearing the watch every day.

Reference

R12164153

Brand

Rado

Case size

38mm

Case thickness

11.9mm

Case material

Gold PVD

Case shape

Round

Dial

Black

Crystal

Sapphire

Movement

Automatic

Calibre

R808

Functions

Skeleton dial

Water resistance

100m

Bracelet / strap

Stainless steel bracelet

Strap colour

Gold

Clasp

Folding clasp

Lume

Super-LumiNova

Retailer

Goldsmiths