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Promotion: to mark six decades since Swiss watchmaker Rado launched its hallmark DiaStar watch, designer Alfredo Häberli has updated the timepiece with a hexagonal glass front and interchangeable straps.
Originally launched in 1962, the DiaStar is known as “the world’s first scratch-proof watch” made from a hard metal alloy instead of fragile gold or brass.
For its 60th birthday, Häberli has now revamped the “practically indestructible” watch for the modern day.
In the spirit of redesigning the timepiece for the future without changing its past, this involved making small geometric adaptations to the case to make it look lighter and slimmer.
The radially brushed bezel is now rendered in Ceramos, a composite material created by Rado with the properties of high-tech ceramic and the lustre and resistance of a metal alloy.
The DiaStar Original 60-Year Anniversary Edition features a watch glass made from hardwearing sapphire crystal but this was updated with hexagonal facets to mark the decades that have passed since the product’s release.
“In essence, the point was to take the features of the original DiaStar and give them a contemporary form,” Häberli explained. “The hands and date display were designed to look as modern and abstract as possible.”
The watch is also equipped with Rado’s calibre R764 automatic movement, which has 80 hours of power reserve, while an anti-magnetic hairspring ensures reliable and precise timekeeping.
An EasyClip system allows the watch’s strap to be interchanged between a stainless-steel mesh bracelet and one made from a mottled grey textile.
“With every product, I try to add value, which lies in the everyday usefulness of the design,” Häberli said. “For the DiaStar Original 60-Year Anniversary Edition that means you have to be able to wear it on different occasions, so it comes with two alternative straps and in a leather case that can be used as protection while travelling.”
It took two weeks for Häberli to redesign “one of the most iconic timepieces in Rado’s history” and just under a year for the watchmaker to produce it.
Häberli attributes this efficient development time to his longstanding fascination with watches, which was ignited when his father gifted him a timepiece for his 18th birthday.
“It took only one year to develop this watch, but I’ve been engaging with watches for the last forty years,” he explained.
To find out more about the 60th-anniversary edition of the DiaStar Original visit the watchmaker’s website.
Partnership content
This article was written by Dezeen for Rado as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.
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