Rado True Square, be there or be square

These days, ceramic has become somewhat of a buzzword in the world of watchmaking. Some brands use them in their bezels, others on their dials and some even make entire cases out of this material. While some of the high-end luxury brands are just starting to experiment with this material, Rado is one that has built an entire reputation around it. And just recently they announced a new design for their iconic square cases with the True Square collection.

This shape is not something new for Rado as their first square watch appeared in 1990 with the Ceramica. Looking at that collection however it’s easy to see the 90s vibe in the design so, for 2020 Rado has decided to give its square watches a facelift, offering up the redesigned True Square watch made from their high-tech ceramic.

The most obvious design detail is the larger case of the watch in relation to the bracelet. Where the Ceramica had a watch case and strap of the same width the True Square has a distinct separation between the two. The more subtle details of the design come with the curves on the edges of the watch. When the Ceramica was made, they used a pressing technology which came with its limitations. The True Square however was manufactured with their injection moulding technology thus allowing for a less restrictive design process.

Measuring in at an elegant 38mm in width, the watch looks pretty good on the wrist. Plus points are added for the integrated bracelet, also made from the same ceramic. The benefits of using ceramic have been well documented. It is a hard material resistant to scratches and corrosion, it is hypoallergenic and seems to quickly adapt to the wearer’s body temperature making it immensely comfortable on the wrist (this last part applies to the bracelet because the caseback of the watch is in titanium).

As of now, there are 15 different references in the collection which include different dial colours, diamond indices and even a skeleton version. The watch is powered by the automatic ETA C07 movement which has an amazing power reserve of 80 hours.

The Rado True Square watches start at an MSRP of MYR 8,568.