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Retro yet Stylish: 5 Best Rado Original Watches for Men
Apr 18, 2024
The Rado Original watch is one of the Swiss brands’ renowned collections. It takes design cues from the classy 60s DiaStar with a modern twist as featured on the movement and dial design to appeal to the contemporary mass.
Now, Rado started modestly in a part of the founding brothers’ parents’ home. The watch factory with its humble beginnings in 1917 started to grow and develop into one of the largest watch movement producers after World War II.
Popular collections from the dawning age of the brand include the Golden Horse collection (1957), and the Green Horse collection (1958) with the latter adding a water resistance feature.
Both collections highlight a fascinating detail on the dial, a moving anchor symbol. In addition to this, the world has come to realize the significance of Rado watches as the brand reaches international waters and into 61 countries.
It was not until the DiaStar 1 was released in 1962 that Rado took itself to a more advanced generation. The watch that brought about innovative materials, scratch-resistant features, and a unique case shape managed to develop itself into a signature collection unique to the Rado brand.
Fifty-year on, the DiaStar has preceded the Rado Original watches. A real tribute to the Rado icon, the successor Rado Original maintains the DiaStars’ emblematic designs peppered with contemporary technologies. Read on to find out more about the Rado original watch and a personal recommendation of the best timepieces in the collection.
Rado Original Watch
Let’s first wind back to 1962, to the first establishment of the Rado original watch, the DiaStar. Acclaimed as “the world’s first scratchproof watch”, the brand truly listens to the demands of the time: a watch that is chic, comfortable to wear, and potent.
The result is the DiaStar timepiece that is ahead of its peers and time, bringing hard metal and sapphire crystal as the defining materials used to construct the watch.
Looking at a glance, one could tell the presence of a single distinguishing feature from the DiaStar by Rado. Its oval-shaped case surrounds a round dial. Such a highlight brings out the retro and funky look much adored by enthusiasts of the brand. Options one can choose include gold, steel, and the occasional platinum.
Now on to the acclaimed materials, the hard metal is verily another name for tungsten carbide, a combination of tungsten and carbon. The steels containing tungsten were patented in 1858 and transformed the heavy metal industry. And as we know, Rado, in turn, was the pioneer of using the hard material for the craftsmanship of timepieces.
5 Best Rado Watches for Men from their Original Collection
The watches from the Rado collection are definitely worth taking a better look at. To help you with that, here are several of the best watches for men from the iconic collection from Rado.
Original Quartz
This quartz movement Rado Original watch features a rather simple look on top of the seemingly large oval-shaped case. The DiaStar Original Quartz R12391153 has a stainless steel finish in both case and bracelet.
Additionally, its dial features a minimal black backdrop and circular hour markers. The date window positioned at 3 o’clock also helps in its legibility. This quartz timepiece can also endure up to 30m in water resistance.
This watch is a great option for those looking for something simple yet creates an undeniable statement of their own.
New Original “DiaStar” Automatic Blue
The first on the list of best Rado watches from the original collection is the New Original “DiaStar” Automatic Blue. This limited edition watch features the pronounced oval case-shaped design of the 60s DiaStar. All this is constructed from a hard metal scratch-resistant stainless steel case and measures 38.5 mm. A truly retro watch.
The 100m water resistance feature shields the timepiece from damage due to light rain or splashes. Beneath the case, a stellar Swiss ETA C07.611 movement powers the nostalgic timepiece. Alongside that, the watch offers hacking, hand-winding capabilities, and a reliable 80-hour power reserve.
Original Automatic Gold
This Rado Original R12413493 watch is made entirely gold-colored and features scratch-resistant qualities to maintain its shine and color. In addition to the distinctive oval-shaped case design, dial, and bracelet colored in gold, the watch features 11 diamonds as hour markers all with the exception of the 6-hour marking replaced with a date window.
All this luxuriousness is for the watch enthusiast wanting to make a daring statement and designed to make every head look. A show-stopper.
New Original Chronograph
Perhaps you’re looking for something less show-stopping yet luxurious at the same time? The Rado New Original Chronograph R12949153 is the watch for you. Similar to the Automatic Gold, this timepiece features a gold-colored case and bracelet, the difference lies in its combination of the black and gold dial.
The dial is simple yet enchanting: black background, thin rectangular gold hour markers, and a useful trio of subdials. All of this is powered by a chronograph quartz movement and protected by a 100 m water resistance, the quality coupled with the classic appearance of this Rado Original watch is something that one cannot deny.
Original Automatic
The last but not least featured on this list of best Rado watches for men from their Original collection is the Original Automatic R12637013. This stainless steel watch captures the simple essence of the DiaStar. Its dial leaves out the 12, 3, 6, and 9 numeral hour markings in replacement of a rectangular regular marking.
In addition to that, behind the 38 mm case cover lies an automatic movement designed for the reliability of telling time. A suitable, dandy watch to pick for the everyday look.
Now, this sums up our take on the wondrous Rado original watch collection. The beauty of its distinctive style, its momentous first release, and the incorporation of modern watchmaking technologies make the timepiece well worth every penny.
Although this is a sturdy and strong scratch-resistant watch, do take care of it well. This way, the treasured timepiece can last longer and accompany you on a long journey in life.
Want to find out more about watches and the world of horology? Read our Gnomon blog for more in-depth knowledge of matters regarding time.
