DiaStar Original Skeleton.
The motto of Rado's founders: "If we can imagine it, we can make it. And if we can make it, we will."
And so they built the DiaStar and launched it six decades ago, expressing the watch company's motto in the most unequivocal way.
In contrast with other designs of the era, the 1962 DiaStar was a stunning piece of work that broke new ground.
Its unusual and very distinctive shape and its extremely resistant tungsten-carbide case, became signature elements that garnered a strong following for the watch through the decades.
To mark the 60th anniversary of this extraordinary watch, the case saw a change from hard metal to Rado Ceramos in 2022, and one might say that the revolutionary watch became an evolutionary icon.
The design continued its unrelenting journey and progress in the true spirit of Rado's quest as master of materials.
DiaStar Original Skeleton.The current edition continues this pioneering work, alongside other product lines, extending Rado's "The Art of Skeletonisation" creative concept and featuring yet another variant of the high-quality R808 automatic calibre -- anthracite-grey coated in this version and complemented by various elements in its workings -- for a lovely visual dance of contrasts.
Thanks to sapphire crystal windows on both the watch's front and back, the gorgeous automatic movement can be appreciated in full technical elegance.
Also of note is the DiaStar Original Skeleton's 80 hours of power reserve.
An anti-magnetic Nivachron hairspring ensures that everything stays extremely precise and reliable, in a movement that has been tested in a full five positions.
This model echoes the overall character of its forebears, but the current shape is far more refined and its contours a clear reflection of a precise design ambition.
The original DiaStar was unquestionably virile, but the current model reflects a true coming of age; it remains masculine but is also very original and comfortably stylish.
Its open structure and the impressive R808 skeleton movement give a lighter, airier note to the new DiaStar Original, a perfect design counterpoint inside the visual frame created by the Ceramos bezel.
The darker tone is further set off by select coloured elements inside the movement, or bi-colour components such as the hands and indexes, to add tremendous richness of contrast throughout in an interesting composition that every watch-lover will appreciate.
The floating indexes, which add to the open nature of the design, and the hour and minute hands are treated with white Super-LumiNova, for great readability even in low-light conditions.
No detail was left untouched in the design phase, from smaller ones such as the clever shape of the seconds sweeper to the gorgeous front sapphire crystal facetted on the external face with a totally eye-catching square motif reminiscent of an earlier model and treated with anti-reflective coating on the inside face.
The bracelet is a very comfortable triple-row type in polished stainless steel, with an H-link design and alternating polished/brushed elements.
It is fastened by a triple-fold stainless-steel buckle for reliable safety.
