Introducing Rado Adds Subtle Bling To The Integral With A Vintage-Inspired Limited Edition

Ceramic is now a relatively common material in watchmaking, but Rado has been experimenting with ceramised watches for over sixty years. A sometimes overlooked brand in the Swatch Group portfolio (at least in the West - Rado is enormously popular in India, for example), I think Rado deserves a little more credit for their work in advancing material science in watchmaking. In 1962, Rado released the DiaStar, which is sometimes called the 'world's first scratchproof watch' thanks to its innovative tungsten carbide case, tungsten carbide being a ceramic composite. Then, in 1986, Rado upped the game with the first watch with pure ceramic links, the Integral.

To mark 40 years of the Integral, Rado have been on a roll, kicking things off in May with a 1986-inspired reissue, which has now been joined by a more limited, diamond-set Integral Limited Edition. Using the current Integral’s 28mm diameter and 39.8mm length case, Rado have gone all out for the dial with a gold-tone vertical brushed number with applied and colour-treated black baguette diamonds at the cardinal hours.

That gold-coloured dial sits under a curved crystal that spans to the edge of the case and features an inset black ceramic frame for enhanced scratch resistance thanks to the inherent hardness of the material. The dial pairs nicely with the polished gold PVD-coated steel case, which integrates to the bracelet with wide H-links featuring high-polish ceramic centre links before forming to a steel double-foldover hidden and signed clasp.

The Integral is powered by Rado’s R279 PreciDrive quartz movement, which helps keep the thickness down to 7.3mm. As the name entails, the Integral Limited Edition’s production is being kept to just 1,986 individually numbered pieces - a nod to the year of its debut - and retails for A$5,950.

Whilst a lot of brands are rushing to reintroduce watches from their 70s and 80s back catalogues to satiate the demand for dressier, precious metal integrated bracelet watches, Rado is one of the few brands that has kept this style in their catalogue consistently since that period. The Integral never left the lineup, and Rado has carved out something of a niche with the style alongside their sportier Captain Cooks and helmet-cased DiaStars. The benefit of the Integral being a mainstay in the Rado lineup is that the watch is thoroughly refined across generations to a point where Rado has honed in on what its customers want from the line.

The Limited Edition looks like it’s been pulled straight out of an 80s Rado brochure, and that’s exactly the point. It may look a little dated to some eyes, but it celebrates the style and material advancements introduced by Rado during that decade. Alongside the non-limited 40th anniversary Integral from May (a reissue of the original with period-accurate black dial and gold markers), the Limited Edition’s new dial strikes the right design note between referential and contemporary. Rado has paid attention to the small details, like the gold date-wheel background, and it’s resulted in a cohesive, balanced design, and those black diamonds are straight-cut 1980s excess.

We do also need to discuss the matter of price, however, because the Rado Integral Limited Edition will set you back A$5,950. The closest match in the Integral catalogue for a non-limited piece would be the Integral Diamonds, which uses the same case, movement, ceramic components and has diamond indices. The only difference here is the dial and diamond colours, and it's priced at A$4,400 (and the 40th anniversary edition is A$4,200, so even less). A 35% price increase for a new dial colour, different coloured stones and a limited production number does feel like a steep increase on what is already a big price tag for a quartz, non-precious metal watch.

In fact, at A$5,950, that puts this Rado on par with the steel and quartz Cartier Tank Américaine Mini and small Tank Must, or a quartz Omega Constellation 36mm. That’s stiff competition, so does Rado have the cachet to compete? That’s up to you to decide, but what it does have over those aforementioned watches is a scratch-resistant, silky-smooth ceramic construction and a distinct 80s look.

Brand: Rado
Model: Integral Limited Edition
Reference Number: R20254702
Diameter: 28mm
Thickness: 7.3mm
Lug-to-Lug: 39.8mm
Case Material: Yellow gold PVD stainless steel
Dial Colour: Vertically brushed gold-toned dial with black colour-treated diamond indices
Lume: No
Water Resistance: 50 meters
Strap/Bracelet: Integrated yellow gold PVD stainless steel three-link bracelet with polished black ceramic centre-links

Calibre: Rado R279 PreciDrive
Functions: Hours, minutes, date
Battery Life: ~1-2 years
Winding: Quartz
Chronometer Certified: No

Price: A$9,950
Availability: Directly from Rado
Limited Edition: Yes, 1986 individually numbered pieces

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