Rado Ceramica

The Rado Ceramica does honor to its name, being the first watch from the Swiss watch manufacturer to have its case and bracelet made of high-tech ceramic. However, it wasn't just its materials that made this watch special upon its introduction in 1990: Its design was also extraordinary. Like the Rado Integral from four years before, the Ceramica had a strictly geometric design. Its bracelet connected seamlessly to the rectangular case and was just as wide as the watch itself. This left the impression that the watch was one solid piece. The purist dial of this three-hand watch rounded off its high-tech charm.

In the beginning, the Rado Ceramica only came in black or white. It wasn't until the introduction of plasma high-tech ceramic in 1998 that the watch became available in a metallic sheen, while 2017 saw the addition of a matte gray option. Rado has always offered this watch in both men's and women's sizes. Quartz movements were the exclusive power source for these watches until 2016. That year marked the release of a new design and models with automatic movements.

The selection of Ceramica models with the classic, consistent width is quite large. Not only do you have the choice of black, white, or metallic-colored watches but also of whether or not you prefer a more or less minimalist dial. There are also chronographs as well as models both with and without diamonds. The prices are just as diverse as the models themselves. You can purchase a pre-owned Ceramica in good condition with shimmering plasma high-tech ceramic , a date display, and a minimalist dial without indices for as little as 730 USD. You will need a good 120 USD more for a pre-owned Ceramica Multifunction, which displays the time using both analog hands and digital numbers. Prices for a pre-owned Ceramica with indices start around 990 USD. If you would prefer a pre-owned Jubile model with diamonds on the dial, expect to pay about 1,400 USD.

Be sure to set aside around 1,200 USD for a never-worn women's Ceramica from before 2016 and around 1,400 USD for a men's model. You can get a Ceramica Chronograph, which has a small seconds dial at 6 o'clock, a 30-minute counter at 10 o'clock, and a 10-hour counter at 2 o'clock in addition to the date display at 4 o'clock, for about 2,000 USD. The Ceramica Digital Automatic is a particularly interesting model. It features a rubber strap and a large digital time display, which is powered by a special mechanical movement. You can find similar technology in the Hamilton Pulsomatic or in Seiko Kinetic watches. Plan to spend around 1,200 USD for a Ceramica Digital Automatic.

In 2016, industrial designer Konstantin Grcic redesigned the Ceramica from the ground up. Grcic largely remained true to the original design, though he tapered the bracelet slightly so that the Ceramica looks more like a watch and less like a bracelet. The dial design remains very simple, though Grcic added indices shaped like thin lines, points, or small triangles depending on the model. Luminous material on the hands tops off the new design. In addition to the typical quartz movements, Rado has introduced automatic movements to the Ceramica for the first time. Unfortunately, the current collection does not include a chronograph.

You can get a new re-designed Ceramica with a quartz movement starting at 1,600 USD. If you would rather have an automatic movement, expect prices of around 2,700 USD. The Ceramica Automatic in gray plasma high-tech ceramic with a silver-colored dial and automatic caliber has been on the market since 2017. One of these timepieces costs about 3,000 USD. Of course, the Jubile and Diamonds models remain in the current catalog. A new women's watch with a quartz movement and four diamond indices at 3, 6, 9, and 12 goes for around 1,900 USD. On the other hand, the men's model with an automatic movement, date display, and twelve diamond hour indices demands about 2,800 USD.