Monochrome Watches
An online magazine dedicated to fine watches
Introducing

Compact and Colourful Versions of the Rado Diastar

Rado’s groovy Diastar dresses an XXS case size and fashionable colours.

| By Rebecca Doulton | 2 min read |

Born in 1962, the Rado Diastar marked the brand’s incursion into the exciting territory of innovative materials. Combining carbide tungsten, hard metal and faceted sapphire crystal with a retro-futuristic case, the Diastar was the first step in Rado’s journey into the world of high-tech ceramics and other exciting materials. Celebrating its 60th birthday in 2022, the Diastar appeared in a shiny 38mm Ceramos suit. Following the latest market trends for smaller dimensions and colourful dials, the Diastar is back in a petite 30mm case with three attractive dial colours.

The Diastar was a child of the 1960s with its futuristic flying saucer case and round porthole over the dial. Almost like a helmet, the sloping flanks of the case were enormous and gave the watch its distinctive personality. Marketed as the first scratch-resistant watch, the name Diastar was derived from the brief to be as “tough as a diamond and shine like a star”.

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Ever evolving in the field of high-tech materials, Ceramos is a composite material made primarily of titanium carbide that delivers the hardness of ceramics with the toughness and lustre of a metal alloy. An evolution of the hard-metal case used on the original Diastar, Ceramos offers superior scratch-resistance but is infinitely lighter – the new 30mm Diastar models weigh just 89.6 grams.

Like their 1962 ancestor, the new petite cases retain the sloping helmet-shaped bezel shielding part of the crown. The bezel, which engulfs the stainless steel middle case, is made of platinum-coloured Ceramos. To highlight its unusual shape, the Ceramos bezel is brightly polished and stands out a mile. Measuring 30mm across with a length of 35.6mm and a height of 11mm, the models are water-resistant to 100m. Completing the external components, the stainless steel bracelet has polished H-links, brushed internal links and a triple-folding clasp.

The trendy colours of the dials – Turquoise, Dahlia and Glacier Lake – work well with the 1960s groove of this watch. An interesting feature is the way the dials are divided into four segments that are satin-brushed in two different directions. Not only does this finish create an interesting texture, but it also produces different bands of colour depending on how the dial catches the light.

Rado’s signature moving anchor is featured at noon, and there is a rectangular date window at 6 o’clock, outlined in the colour of the dial. The dial has no indices, and the rhodium-plated hour and minute hands have a slim streak of luminescent material. Like the original Diastar, the dial is protected by a faceted sapphire crystal.

The 30mm Diastar models are powered by the smaller R586 calibre, an ETA 2671 automatic beating at 4Hz with a 48h power reserve and an antimagnetic Nivachron hairspring. The three new references share a retail price of EUR 1,650. More information at rado.com.

https://monochrome-watches.com/compact-30mm-colourful-versions-of-the-rado-diastar-original-specs-price/

2 responses

  1. What’s the point of such a “rebirth” and in that price point? A big NO !

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