Rado stripped to bare essentials

RADO, the Swiss watchmaker known for innovative designs and use of revolutionary materials, recently introduced a trio of minimalist new models as part of its True Thinline collection.

Kittima Krudsuk, brand manager, recently revealed the company’s latest Baselworld 2016 collection for the first time in Thailand.

He said Rado is adopting the concept of “less is more” and breathing new life into the old adage with the addition of three new designs to the True Thinline collection. 

Styled with a “back to basics” approach, the three new additions have been stripped to their barest essentials. 

Each piece is crafted in a monochrome colour palette – pure white, stark black or lustrous plasma – using Rado’s signature material, high-tech ceramic, achieving lightness, comfort, scratch resistance and durability. It is 25 per cent lighter than steel while being nearly five times harder, making it one of the lightest and most durable materials used in watch making.

With a case that measures just 4.9mm, the True Thinline is the thinnest ceramic watch that Rado has ever produced. Its elegant simplicity is powered by a movement just 1 mm thick. 

The watch owes its extreme lightness and super slender silhouette to its monobloc ceramic case – a groundbreaking type of case construction featuring solid ceramic with no need for a stainless steel core. 

Free of indexes, subdials and flourishes, the watch’s dial comes with a sunray pattern and is a blank slate, even the second hand has been done away with. The polished high-tech ceramic case goes well with its sandblasted titanium case back.

The collection is available in two sizes – a petite 30mm which offers a feminine take on minimalism or a more formidable 39mm. 

While both models have the same design, the dial of the 30mm model is encircled by a gleaming metallic ring of cool silver to offset the pure white or stark black, and warm rose gold as a contrast to the luminous plasma. It costs between Bt67,800 and Bt78,500.

Another limited edition timepiece is the “True Thinline Skeleton” which is a nod to the brand’s traditional watchmaking heritage. Limited to an exclusive run of 99 individually marked pieces, only one piece is available in Thailand at a price of Bt171,200.

The True Thinline Skeleton is engineered from polished black high-tech ceramic and boasts a slim silhouette measuring just 7 mm. It comes with stylised black dial, ultra-slim decorated Swiss automatic movement, special limited edition engraved titanium case back with a sapphire crystal front and back giving a clear view of the pulsating mechanics inside.