An addition to the Rado Diastar Collection, the all time classic Golden hand piece. Introduced by Rado in 1962, this watch was a “Rich Man’s Watch” back in the 60s all the way to the 80s. This piece is a very special one in my collection as it was a gift from my dad; a priced possession that was very dearly kept by him and passed onto me a few years ago.
Rados are always unique as I mentioned in my last Diastar blog. It never runs out of fashion and pretty much goes with all sorts of attires. Although, a golden watch may not always !!! This watch becomes very picky with the kind of attire you wear to what the occasion is. Compared to the silver colour Diastar from my previous collectors blog, the gold one is not a daily wear accessory. In the southern part of India where Dhothis are a common attire, especially during traditional events, weddings, festivals etc, a golden Rado breaks a good accessory deal.
Gold colour watches are not everyones delight. Although, those that love ’em enjoys wearing them as well as enjoys watching them being flaunted in style. As expensive as these watches come in, maintaining them becomes an equally costly affair. From batteries to servicing Rados undoubtedly bores holes in your pocket but needless to say for a watch collector cum enthusiast, this is still an enjoyable piece of jewellery.
In general, I believe in a mechanical/quartz watch over a smart watch. I would pick a debate any day to challenge a “smart watch” even being referred to as “watch”, when all it really is, is a miniature version of a cellphone or a wearable digital display device. In my opinion, A real watch has to run on a mechanical machine and not to be taken out to put on a charger once it runs out of battery. The two biggest differences between my Diastar classics, are that one has a quartz battery and the other one is an automatic watch. Both has its own identities although I prefer automatics over battery watches these days, more specifically the ones that you can see through the machine from behind. Rado in general has made significant upgrades over the past 15 years with their new colours, introduction of ceramic watches, scratch resistant metallic chains etc with some of these even have a very futuristic design that will easily last for another two decades.
To sum it up… Gold or Silver, Rado watches have their own charm and each metal and style has its own unique style statement. I enjoy the heavy feel of a classic Rado running up and down my wrist any day, especially when you flip them over to check time.
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