Rado

Rado is a Swiss watch brand headquartered in Lengnau, in the canton of Bern, and owned by the Swatch Group. Its origins date to 1917, when brothers Fritz, Ernst and Werner Schlup established Schlup & Co. in their parents’ home in Lengnau. The company initially operated as a watch manufacturer rather than as the globally recognized consumer brand that would later bear the Rado name. The Rado brand was introduced in 1957 with the launch of the Rado Green Horse. The name “Rado” is derived from Esperanto and means “wheel.” From the beginning of its branded development, Rado pursued a distinctive visual identity and technical positioning within the Swiss watch industry. Rather than relying solely on traditional precious metals, the brand became particularly associated with the use of advanced materials and streamlined case forms. Rado’s best-known material is high-tech ceramic, which the company uses in cases and bracelets in polished, matte and colored executions. The material is promoted for its light weight, scratch resistance and smooth tactile quality. Sapphire crystal is also central to the brand’s construction and presentation of watches. These material choices support Rado’s positioning as a design-led Swiss watchmaker that combines mechanical and quartz watchmaking with contemporary engineering and an emphasis on long-term wearability. The brand’s product portfolio includes dress, everyday, sports and dive-oriented watches. The True family represents Rado’s modern ceramic design language, while HyperChrome has been associated with streamlined sporty and lifestyle designs. The Captain Cook collection draws on the brand’s historical diving-watch identity. Its original Captain Cook dive watch debuted in 1962 and was named after Captain James Cook, the eighteenth-century British explorer and cartographer. The collection’s revival has become one of the most visible expressions of Rado’s heritage-led product strategy. Rado operates as part of the Swatch Group’s portfolio of Swiss watch businesses. Its market identity sits between accessible luxury and premium Swiss watchmaking, with differentiation based on materials, case architecture and design rather than on conventional haute horlogerie positioning. The brand sells internationally through its own channels, authorized retailers and regional distribution networks. Its current identity continues to connect Swiss manufacturing heritage with high-tech materials, contemporary styling and recognizable collections such as True and Captain Cook.

Rado’s history begins in 1917 in Lengnau, Bern, Switzerland, where brothers Fritz, Ernst and Werner Schlup founded Schlup & Co. in their parents’ home. The business was established as a watchmaking enterprise and formed the manufacturing foundation from which the Rado brand later developed. For its first decades, the company’s identity was tied to the Schlup name. The Rado name emerged as a distinct consumer-facing brand in 1957, when the company introduced the Rado Green Horse. The term “Rado” comes from Esperanto and means “wheel.” The launch marked a transition from the company’s original manufacturing identity toward a branded proposition built around recognizable design and technical differentiation. Rado subsequently became associated with experimentation in watch materials and case construction. High-tech ceramic became one of its signature materials, used to create lightweight cases and bracelets with a smooth surface and strong resistance to scratching. Sapphire crystal also became an important part of the brand’s product language. These materials helped Rado distinguish itself from Swiss watchmakers whose identities were more closely tied to conventional steel, gold and traditional case styling. In 1962, Rado introduced the Captain Cook dive watch. The model was named after Captain James Cook, the eighteenth-century British explorer and cartographer. Its later place in the modern collection gave Rado a clear link to its historical sports-watch designs and helped broaden the brand’s product story beyond material innovation alone. Over time, Rado developed a portfolio spanning dress watches, everyday watches, sports watches and dive watches. Collections such as True express the brand’s ceramic-led contemporary design language, while HyperChrome represents a more streamlined sporty and lifestyle-oriented direction. Captain Cook provides a heritage and diving-watch platform. Together, these families support a positioning based on Swiss origin, recognizable design, technical materials and relatively accessible luxury rather than traditional high complications. Rado is now part of the Swatch Group, which owns a range of Swiss watch brands across different market segments. Within that group, Rado occupies a design-focused position emphasizing high-tech ceramic, sapphire crystal, modern silhouettes and international distribution. The brand remains active and sells watches globally through its website, retail network and authorized commercial partners. Its continuing identity is rooted in the combination of Lengnau watchmaking origins, the 1957 Green Horse launch, the 1962 Captain Cook heritage and subsequent development of material-led Swiss watches.

• 1962

  Captain Cook debut

  [1]Rado (watchmaker)en.wikipedia.org

  Rado introduced the Captain Cook dive watch, later used as the foundation for a major heritage collection.

• 1957

  Rado Green Horse launches

  [1]Rado (watchmaker)en.wikipedia.org

  The Rado name was introduced as a consumer watch brand through the Green Horse model.

• 1917

  Schlup & Co. founded in Lengnau

  [1]Rado (watchmaker)en.wikipedia.org

  Fritz, Ernst and Werner Schlup established the watchmaking business that later developed the Rado brand in their parents’ home in Lengnau, Bern.

Accessible-luxury Swiss watchmaking focused on high-tech ceramic, sapphire crystal, material innovation and contemporary design.

• Ceramic watches

  True

  True is one of Rado’s principal contemporary families and represents the brand’s high-tech-ceramic design language. The collection is associated with smooth case profiles, integrated-looking bracelets and a restrained modern aesthetic. It serves as a core expression of Rado’s material-focused approach to everyday and dress-oriented watches.

• Dive watches · 1962

  Captain Cook

  Captain Cook is Rado’s heritage dive-watch family. The original watch debuted in 1962 and was named after Captain James Cook. Modern versions use the historical diving-watch concept as a platform for mechanical sports watches, combining vintage-inspired design cues with contemporary materials and construction.

• Sport and lifestyle watches

  HyperChrome

  HyperChrome is a sporty and lifestyle-oriented Rado family associated with streamlined case shapes and the brand’s modern material vocabulary. It extends Rado’s design approach beyond formal watches and provides a platform for models intended for everyday and active wear.

• Historical watch · 1957

  Green Horse

  Green Horse was the model through which the Rado brand was launched in 1957. It is significant primarily as a foundational product in the company’s brand history and as an early example of the name that became associated with Rado’s Swiss watchmaking identity.

• Unconfirmed

  Reported2019.12.10

  Ethos opens two boutiques in Jaipur[3]Ethos在斋浦尔开设两家精品店equitybulls.com

  Ethos Limited, a subsidiary of KDDL, launched two boutiques at World Trade Park in Jaipur: a Rado Boutique and an Omega Boutique.

Read more

1. 1Rado (watchmaker)en.wikipedia.org
2. 2Rado official websiterado.com
3. 3Ethos在斋浦尔开设两家精品店equitybulls.com