Rado's True Square Skeleton Raises the Bar in Architectural Design

“The shape of things to come.” That’s the design philosophy behind Rado’s True Square collection. So it’s no surprise that the True Square Skeleton expands on the stripped-down spirit of the True Square Open Heart. Unlike the predecessor’s fully dissected dial, the skeletonisation on the new openworked model takes on a more architectural bent, playing with split levels and strategic cut-aways to direct the gaze at various parts of the movement.

Immediately apparent are the two parallel horizontal bridges that divide the dial into three parts, twin girders underscoring the geometric beauty of the square case. The upper reveals the balance and its innovative Nivachron hairspring, which provides enhanced resistance to shocks, temperature fluctuations and magnetic fields in the R808 automatic calibre. The middle section presents the hands as well as minute wheel bridge, while the barrel storing a generous 80-hours of power reserve can be found at the bottom.

The mechanical tapestry is lit with fine finishing. In the black and plasma models, anthracite-coating on the minute wheel bridge and mainplate complements the nickel-coloured bottom plate and its crisp Côtes de Genève; the white model, on the other hand, draws attention to the centre with a gold-coloured minute wheel bridge. Hands and indexes are coloured in rose gold, silver or yellow gold in their respective models for legibility.

Soft case angles perfectly frame the new linear bridge design, providing a touch of elegance and ease in lieu of the sporty machismo found in other square watches. Rado’s high-tech ceramic expertise is showcased in the True Square’s monobloc case construction and integrated bracelet, rendered in glossy black, gleaming white and futuristic plasma. Dressing up in glamorous black or white or staying spaceage cool with the plasma, either way the True Square Skeleton has us smitten.