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Anybody else burned out on heritage-inspired diver re-issues? To not disparage the present pattern in watchmaking, however it’s awfully good to have one thing come throughout my desk that truly feels designed. Such is the breath of recent air that’s the Rado True Sq. in yellow ceramic, a 2021 Crimson Dot Design winner dreamed up by London-based agency Tej Chauhan. Daring, shiny, and dripping with intelligent detailing, this charming new collab is each bit the antidote you’ll wish to attain for when all the pieces in your watch field begins trying a bit too predictable.
Earlier than we get too deep within the weeds with the watch itself, it’s price sharing that Tej Chauhan is likely to be somebody of an outsider within the watch house, however his path to worldwide design acclaim began at Nokia, earlier than beginning his eponymous design agency whose shoppers embrace Panasonic, Ikea, Samsung, British Airways, and plenty of extra. A lot of his work — and the work of his agency — appears to take inspiration from mid-century popular culture and outdated science fiction movies. That type of aesthetic already works extraordinarily nicely with the classic TV-shaped dial and gently rounded case design of the True Sq., which presents itself as an excellent canvas for a designer like Chauhan.
I’m typically of the thoughts that ceramic as a case materials doesn’t lend itself notably nicely to extra sober designs, because the impact might be too simply replicated by PVD or DLC coatings. However on the subject of one thing shiny and colourful, and maybe extra pop-art impressed — one thing just like the ceramic Orlinski from Hublot or this True Sq. — it actually involves life. Chauhan was additionally clever to precise this reference on a leather-based strap relatively than a full ceramic bracelet – which breaks up the feel of the 38mm case (which wears fairly comparably to a 40mm Apple watch) and presents a tonal break from all the coloured ceramic whereas offering a softer, extra tactile and natural touchpoint for the wearer. It additionally dramatically reduces the worth level over the complete ceramic bracelet choices.
Value level apart, the actual grasp stroke with this watch is the way it concurrently feels playful and nearly toy-like whereas nonetheless sustaining an impressively excessive diploma of element and high quality — avoiding the dreaded “plasticky” (and by affiliation “low cost”) feeling inherent to many in any other case costly ceramic watches. I shouldn’t actually be shocked — Rado has an extended historical past of ceramic mastery, from firing to ending, and you probably have even a passing curiosity in how a ceramic watch case is made, from soup to nuts, I’d extremely urge you to take a look at this deep dive.
Just like the aforementioned Orlinski, there are such a lot of attention-grabbing angles by which to view the True Sq., and also you’ll possible enjoyment of looking for as a lot of them as doable. From the sleek and dry, matte-finished ceramic edges to the dial’s steeply curved edges and indices, then the sapphire crystal that appears as if it have been as soon as an entire sphere, now sliced in two, there may be merely a lot to soak up right here. Even the dial itself feels prefer it may need been impressed by staring right into a classic radar array from some whimsical house opera like Forbidden Planet, with its bright-color story, deep, concave edges and concentric circles. The fantastic thing about nice design — and by the identical token, the hallmark of an important designer — is that the top consequence doesn’t have to force-feed you its inspiration (*casts a stern look at Bell & Ross*) however as an alternative urges you to think about its doable origin and thereby give you your personal narrative.
As with the remainder of Rado’s Captain Cook dinner and True Sq. choices, this specific reference is powered by an ETA C.07 Powermatic base caliber, a three-hand motion with a date aperture and 80 hours of energy that’s broadly utilized by a number of different manufacturers within the Swatch Group, together with Hamilton, Mido, Tissot, and Certina. However the motion for the Chauhan version will get a reasonably novel improve within the type of a completely customized date wheel utilizing a particular “ever-changing” typeface of Chauhan’s personal design. It’s fairly a deal with to flip by means of the date aperture and see one thing solely new every day. Why extra manufacturers don’t do extra attention-grabbing date wheels, I’ll by no means perceive, and that is for sure the perfect I’ve ever seen for a watch utilizing an in any other case off-the-shelf caliber. It’s additionally the type of factor that proves, in a nutshell, that the designer’s watchful eye was current over the whole lot of the undertaking, and the top result’s one thing absolutely cohesive and plausible right down to the smallest stage. On the finish of the day, any nice collaboration lives and dies within the particulars, and it’s often the collective of minute particulars that add as much as yield one thing way more impactful.
It’s the type of watch that feels lots just like the early days of streetwear and sneaker collabs when names like Benny Gold, Jeff Staple, and Keith Hufnagel (RIP) lent their magic contact to established legacy manufacturers. And what makes this one additional particular is that it’s coming from Rado — possibly one of many final manufacturers I’d anticipate to provide one thing like this in all of Swiss watchmaking. Nevertheless, it’s the general execution of the design temporary and the cohesion as a bit of wearable pop artwork that make this an absolute pleasure on the wrist.
So are there downsides to coloured ceramic? This specific reference reads shiny yellow with delicate tints of orange relying on the sunshine. It’s a dry, matte colour, which I consider was a powerful selection, as overly polished ceramics have a tendency to come back off trying low cost and run the chance of overpowering some parts of the dial. Now, being a matte floor, no materials (even ceramic) is 100% resistant to superficial marks, particularly lighter-colored ceramics, that are liable to exhibiting scuffs. Sneakerheads know what I’m speaking about. And sneakerheads additionally know that retaining a Magic Eraser helpful will assist maintain this watch clear, as long as you don’t drop it on the ground or smoke it on a doorway.
The Rado True Sq. designed by Tej Chauhan (ref. R27074155) isn’t technically a restricted version, although it’s restricted in manufacturing, and has a retail value of $1,800. You possibly can be taught extra in regards to the collaboration at rado.com.
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