History Of Rado

If we can imagine it,
we can make it.

Since 1957, Rado has pursued one relentless idea — that watchmaking has no limits. Born in Lengnau, Switzerland, Rado has challenged every convention of the craft to create timepieces the world had never seen.

1. 1957

   The Beginning

   Fritz, Ernst and Werner Schlup found Rado in Lengnau with a singular vision — to build watches that push beyond the possible.

2. 1962

   The World's First Scratchproof Watch

   The DiaStar 1 launches — crafted from hardmetal and fitted with a sapphire crystal. The first watch in history impossible to scratch.

3. 1986

   High-Tech Ceramic Pioneer

   Rado becomes the first watchmaker in the world to use high-tech ceramic — sintered zirconium oxide harder than steel, lighter than titanium.

4. 2005

   Plasma Ceramic

   Plasma high-tech ceramic is born — a patented process that transforms white ceramic into a deep metallic grey unlike anything else in watchmaking.

5. 2017

   60 Years of Innovation

   Rado celebrates six decades of radical design and material mastery — now present in over 100 countries with a 25-year international guarantee on every watch.