When it comes to skeletonized, or open-heart, watches, I have become more than a little jaded. Most of this comes from having seen way too many designs (both inexpensive and not) that simply become a jumbled mess, and are simply too hard to actually use as a watch to read the time. In those cases, no matter how “Gee whiz” the design and finishing is, the watch is done for me. Surprising me (both because the announcement was unexpected and by my actually liking the design) is the Rado True Open Heart.
Now, we’ve written about Rado a good bit recently, and for good reason. They don’t get quite the attention that one might expect, given how well they use their materials (primarily scratch-resistant ceramic), colors, and design. You might say we’re trying to help right that wrong. For me, a lot of it comes from that ceramic, as it’s an intriguing product, giving the look of metal while giving a much different hand-feel and, of course, scratch resistance.
With the Rado True Open Heart, I also particularly like just how legible the watch has remained. While there are large cutouts so you’re able to see the balance wheel (aka, the heart of the movement), and a few other significant components of the drivetrain, legibility is kept. This is done with judicious use of a solid chapter ring, along with spokes that radiate to the center on all but 5 of the indices. And for those indices, they are generously sized, so you can help but to see them.
That same sizing philosophy extends to the handset of the Rado True Open Heart, with longer, tapering hands, finished in a tone that contrasts the darker dial, allowing you to read the time quite easily at a glance. Or at least, that’s the way it seems from the photos we’ve seen and included for you here. We are, of course, working to get a loaner in so we can give you our in-the-ceramic impressions.
For now, I remain reasonably impressed from afar with the Rado True Open Heart. It’s been some time since I’ve seen a skeletonized watch that I would consider wearing, and seeing one like this reminds me that the design can be executed well, all while showing off the finishing and kinetic nature of the movement, without said movement overpowering the function of the watch. If you’d like to pick up your own, pricing for the Rado True Open Heart ranges from $2,050 – $2,200, depending on the particular example (of the three) you settle on. rado.com
Watch Overview
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Brand & Model: Rado True Open Heart
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Price: $2,050 – $2,200
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Who we think it might be for: You’re like me, and like being able to see a movement at work, but you also like being able to easily tell teh time at a glance
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Would I buy one for myself based on what I’ve seen? It’s a bit hard to tell without seeing in person, but the fence I’m sitting on is leaning towards yes
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If I could make one design suggestion, it would be: I get that this is a more classic, perhaps conservative line – but let’s play with some of those flashier ceramic colors we saw earlier this year from Rado
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What spoke to me the most about this watch: How well Rado maintained the legibility (and therefore, the usefulness) of the watch with the design
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Movement: ETA C07.631, automatic, 25 jewels, 3 hands, up to 80 hours power reserve
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Case (available in black, silver, or brown; details for black case listed below)
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Polished black high-tech ceramic case, monobloc construction sandblasted black PVD coated titanium case back with sapphire crystal
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Polished black high-tech ceramic crown
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Curved sapphire crystal water-resistant to 5 bar (50m)
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Dial
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Black, rose gold coloured applied indexes
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Rose gold coloured moving anchor symbol
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Rose gold coloured printed Rado and Automatic logos
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Hands
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Rose gold coloured with white veneer and white Super-LumiNova®
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Rose gold coloured second hand
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Bracelet: 3-row polished black high-tech ceramic titanium 3-fold clasp
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Dimensions: 40.0 x 47.3 x 10.4 (WxLxH in mm)
