The New Black-and-White Rado True Square Open Heart Limited Editions

Rado is renowned for its pioneering use of scratch-resistant materials, starting with its 1962 DiaStar watch with a tungsten carbide case and culminating with its extensive use of high-tech ceramic since 1986. The brand is also synonymous with contemporary design-led watches like the True Square family launched in 2020 with its square high-tech ceramic case and bracelet. The Open Heart, or openworked version of the True Square, returns in eye-catching two-tone black and white ceramic cases with a sprinkling of black and white diamonds to indicate the passing hours. 

Although Rado now produces coloured high-tech ceramic watches, the brand’s first ceramic watches stuck to a black or white palette. Marking the first bicolour references for Rado, one of the references has a black high-tech ceramic monobloc case and crown and a black bracelet with alternating black and white links. The second reference reverses the formula and has a white ceramic case and bracelet with black links.

Measuring 38mm across with a length of 44.2mm and a thickness of 9.7mm, the proportions of the True Square make it an ideal unisex watch candidate. The glossy, almost liquid effect of the rounded square case and integrated bracelet is achieved by polishing the high-tech ceramic to an almost mirror finish. Apart from the sleek, smooth surface, high-tech ceramic is exceptionally scratch-resistant, hypoallergenic and wonderfully light.

Protected by a sapphire crystal, the square openworked dial is divided into four areas intersected by lines and two different-sized circles framing the balance wheel at noon and parts of the gear train at 7 o’clock. The chapter ring on the periphery, with its alternating black and white printed quarters, is vertically brushed and set with diamond hour markers. To stand out against the black areas, eight of the hour markers are indicated by white diamonds, while the white areas of the chapter ring are set with four black diamonds. Slightly to the left of the 3 o’clock diamond marker is Rado’s moving anchor logo. The slim hour and minute hands, which are not easy to pick out, have a black veneer and are treated with a strip of white Super-LumiNova to enhance legibility.

The sandblasted titanium caseback has a round sapphire glass window revealing the Rado R734 calibre, an automatic based on the ETA C07.111 Powermatic with a frequency of 21,600vph, an extended power reserve of 80 hours and an antimagnetic Nivachron hairspring. The bridges are decorated with perlage, and the rotor and movement holder have Geneva stripe finishes.

The new two-tone True Square Open Heart Diamonds are limited editions of 888 pieces and retail for CHF 3,050 / EUR 3,500 / USD 3,150. For more information, please consult rado.com.