Having pioneered the use of ceramic in watchmaking, Rado is celebrating 40 years of its Integral line, which boasted the first high-tech ceramic watch. Released in 1986, the watch was called DiaStar Anatom, and renamed Integral in 1986 thanks to its unified and smooth aesthetics.
To mark the occasion, the brand unveils several Integral models and a special faithful revival, called the Integral 40-Year Anniversary (Ref. R20258162). Along with this, Rado also announced Smriti Mandhana, Indian cricketer and the vice-captain of the Indian women's national team, as a ‘Friend of the brand’.
Popularly known as ‘Master of Materials’, Rado was the first to introduce ceramic and composite ceramic to watchmaking. The brand released its first high-tech ceramic watch in 1986, and since then has only upped its material innovation game, developing new materials in varying colours and chiselling them in shapes beyond a circle. The high-tech ceramic developed by Rado is highly scratch-resistant, lightweight, and hypoallergenic material. Made from high-purity powder of zirconium oxide, aluminium oxide, or silicon nitride, following meticulous process, it is highly durable and strong.
Over the past four decades, the brand has also achieved colourful high-tech ceramic, ultralight high-tech ceramic (lighter and more durable than high-tech ceramic), plasma high-tech ceramic (comes with a metallic sheen), and CeramosTM (a composite material made of metal and ceramic that comes in a variety of metallic shades). All these justify the brand’s slogan, "If we can imagine it, we can make it. And if we can make it, we will.”
Rado Integral 40-Year Anniversary
Drawing inspiration from its progenitor, the new Rado Integral 40-Year Anniversary edition is a faithful reinterpretation but with contemporary refinements. The case size has been slightly increased from 24.0 x 34.1 x 5.6 mm (1986 model) to 28.0 x 39.8 x 7.3 mm, with an equally distributed display from all sides, and topped with curved sapphire crystal. The dial is the same—black, vertical brushed—though it is a more intense black this time. In the new version, there are 12 hour markers with Super-LumiNova® (earlier it was 11), and the date window is still at 6 but it has been shifted just about the 6 o’clock marker rather than at it. The watch features applied hour and minute hands.
The bracelet on the new model is slightly tapered, but carries the same, polished yellow gold-coloured PVD-coated stainless steel links with polished black high-tech ceramic middle links. The brand’s quartz Calibre R279 powers the watch.
Price: ₹2,78,400
The Integral collection
There are nine more quartz powered Jubilé iterations introduced in the Integral collection, all inspired by the original timepiece. First is the Jubilé version (Ref. R20249152), measuring 23 x 32.7 mm and crafted with stainless steel and featuring high tech ceramic and steel bracelet. The watch has a diamond-studded bezel (56 diamonds Top Wesselton) and a minimalist midnight black aventurine dial with rhodium-plated hour and minute hands.
The other eight watches are for men and women, four each. The women’s watches measure 23 x 33.4 mm and come in steel with black lacquered dial (Ref. R20250712), rose gold PVD with mother-of-pearl dial (Ref. R20251902), yellow gold PVD with black lacquered dial (Ref. R20252702), and rose gold PVD with brown mother-of-pearl dial (Ref. R20251912).
These references are distinguished by the four Top Wesselton diamonds as hour markers at 12, 3,6, and 9 o’clock. The time-only watches are completed with their respective metals and high-tech ceramic middle links.
The men’s Jubilé timepieces measure 31.5 x 44.5 mm and are crafted in either steel or with yellow gold PVD. Ref. R20255162 (steel) and Ref. R20256162 (yellow gold PVD), featuring applied hour markers and hands and a date window at 6 o’clock. While Ref. R20255712 (steel) and Ref. R20256712 (yellow gold PVD), have more elegant dials with four Top Wesselton diamonds as hour markers at 12,3,6, and 12 and a date window just about 6 o’clock marker. Just like the other versions, these watches too are offered with integrated metal and high-tech ceramic middle link bracelets.
Prices: The Jubilé with decorated bezel is priced at Rs. 5,03,800; smaller models are priced at Rs. 2,78,000 (onwards); the larger models are priced between Rs. 2,51,000 to 2,91,000, depending on the model.
Images: Courtesy brand
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