Rado Specialists

Brothers Fritz, Ernst and Werner Schlup became watchmakers in Lengnau, Switzerland, and started Schlup & Co. in 1917. The company made movements first. Watches carrying the Rado name appeared in 1957 with the Green Horse, when the Schlup family started its own brand.

Rado's material story starts in 1962 with the DiaStar, which the brand called the world's first scratchproof watch, made of hardmetal. The hardmetal is not the same material as today's ceramic. The same year brought the Captain Cook diver. Rado introduced high-tech ceramic with the Integral in 1986, and its own history says the material was chosen for scratch resistance, light weight and comfort against the skin.

Rado joined SMH in 1986, the year of the Integral, and SMH was renamed the Swatch Group in 1998. The Captain Cook returned in 2017 as a heritage reissue, and a High-Tech Ceramic version arrived in 2021. In the years between, Rado kept building ceramic cases, including the True Square, which launched in 2020.

Rado's ceramic is valued for scratch resistance, light weight and comfort against the skin. A scratch that would mark steel often leaves ceramic untouched, which is why the material appears on bezels, cases and bracelets across the range.

Scratch resistance isn't indestructibility. Rado's own warranty and care material advises owners to treat the watches with care, even though the cases are hard. A hard impact can still damage a ceramic bezel or case, so a watch that has taken a knock should be checked before it's worn hard again.

Ceramic doesn't change how the movement is serviced, but it does change how the case is handled. Ask the shop how it cleans and polishes ceramic surfaces, and whether it will replace a damaged insert or gasket rather than try to refinish it.

Ceramic is a different material from steel, and that changes the buying conversation. Ask a shop how it handles ceramic damage before you agree to work, rather than assuming it will treat the case the way it would treat steel.

Rado's warranty on watches bought on or after May 1, 2023 runs five years from the purchase date, and the brand says that applies even when the older card reads two years. Claims need the stamped and signed physical warranty card, so keep it with the receipt and bring it to the service center.

Rado also offers a separate two-year service warranty after work by its official partners. Rado Service Centers are the brand's route for repairs, and the brand's service locator lets you find one by city or address. The brand recommends a full service every five to seven years.

That two-year cover applies to the service work itself, so keep the invoice showing what was done, which parts were replaced and the date of the work. The paperwork is what a later service center will look for first.

Not everything is covered. The warranty excludes battery life, normal wear and aging, accidental damage, neglect and unauthorized repairs. Ask the shop whether a repair could affect the warranty before it starts, since a watch sent to an unofficial shop may lose that cover.

Ask whether the repair will be done by the brand or by an independent partner, and what the turnaround is likely to be. A clear answer helps you plan around a watch you may be without for a while, and an honest shop will tell you what it doesn't know yet.

Start with the reference. Rado's Captain Cook and True Square families each have several versions, and the reference tells you the movement, the case material and the water-resistance rating. Compare the reference with the caseback and the warranty card, and walk away from a mismatch.

Model names can hide different ceramic constructions and different movements, so the reference is the test. Ask the seller to confirm the case material in writing. Metal and ceramic models from the same range can look alike in photos, and the difference matters for both price and service.

Check the ceramic and the metal parts. Ceramic cases can carry scuffs, and a bezel insert may have been replaced. Ask the seller which parts are original, and check the bezel action and the insert for fit and alignment. A replacement insert or bracelet is fine when it is documented, and a problem when it isn't.

Ask for the paperwork and the service history. A pre-owned Rado with a stamped card and a service record from a Rado Service Center is easier to value than one with neither. If the seller has no record, ask for a written inspection from an independent before you pay.

Ask the seller whether any part has been replaced since the watch was first sold, and which ones. A replaced bezel insert or crystal is common in the ceramic range, so a clear answer is worth more than a clean-looking case.

Choose a shop that will name the movement before quoting and explain its plan for seals and gaskets. Ask whether it has worked on Rado calibers and high-tech ceramic cases before, and how it pressure tests a watch after case work.

Ask for a written estimate that names each part, and ask which of those parts the brand would replace rather than repair. A shop that can explain the difference is more likely to protect the watch's warranty status and its value.

Water resistance varies a lot across Rado's range, so check the rating before you ask for a pressure test. The original High-Tech Ceramic Captain Cook is rated to 300 metres, while the True Square's 5 bar rating is for splash protection. A quote that treats both the same way hasn't looked at the watch closely.

For a strap or a simple adjustment, a local watchmaker is fine. For movement work, case work or a warranty repair, use the Rado Service Center or a specialist who has done that work before. Keep the receipts, since the warranty and any later sale both depend on them.

If a shop turns down a job because it lacks the right experience, count that as a good sign rather than a failure.