Watch press releases often make bold claims but they are typically light on zest and character. Not so with the DiaStar Original Skeleton, which opens with this statement: we could make it so we did. Now that is the sort of boldness of spirit that we like to champion here, and so we carved out a space for the watch in this section even though no one on the team has seen this watch in the metal (or gold-coloured Ceramos if you want to get specific) yet. The Rado DiaStar is indeed a horological maverick, albeit one that has already stood the test of time (it celebrated its 60th birthday in 2022). This watch, which rocks a skeletonised version of the Swatch Group Powermatic 80 movement, debuted late last year and literally goes for gold.

First of all, this model is sometimes simply called The Original over at Rado and it is one of very few watches from that period to have survived intact and relatively unscathed. This was literally unsurprising since the watch featured some of the most extensive use of tungsten carbide and sapphire crystal in watchmaking up to that time. In fact, the DiaStar Orginal is one of the few oval-shaped watches to have gone the distance and remain as contemporary as it ever was. It is also a big part of why Rado styles itself the Master of Materials these days, with that tungsten carbide experiment providing the blueprint for the brand’s later (very successful) forays into the world of ceramic. Consequently, the DiaStar Original has remained a mainstay, if not always the main attraction, at Rado.

This is made all the more remarkable by the not-inconsiderable size of the watch, at 38mm wide but 45mm lug-to-lug. For this latest DiaStar Original, the decision to offer the entire watch (bracelet, Ceramos bezel and steel all) in PVD-enabled yellow gold colouring is very brave indeed. Where the DiaStar of the 1960s made its name by being extremely scratch-resistant, the DiaStar Original Skeleton looks to be itching for some real-world testing. The shine on it is very impressive, and (in watchmaking terms) the brighter they shine…

MOVEMENT: Automatic calibre R808, open-worked; 80-hour power reserve
CASE: 38mm (45mm lug-to-lug) in steel and Ceramos, PVD- treated; water-resistant to 100m
STRAP: PVD-treated steel bracelet
PRICE: SGD 3,500

This article first appeared on WOW’s Spring 2024 issue.

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