Rado

Rado was founded in 1917 in Lengnau, Switzerland under the name Schlup & Co. by brothers Fritz, Ernst, and Werner Schlup, who converted their parents' home into a watch factory. The company initially manufactured movements and became an important supplier during World War II. The 'Rado' brand name, meaning 'wheel' in Esperanto, was launched in 1957 with the introduction of the Rado Green Horse, an antimagnetic wristwatch. In 1962, Rado introduced the DiaStar, marketed as the first scratch-proof watch, featuring a tungsten carbide hardmetal case and sapphire crystal. Also in 1962, the Captain Cook dive watch debuted, named after the 18th-century British explorer James Cook. Rado's development of high-tech ceramic in the 1980s became its defining material innovation. In 1986, Rado joined the Swatch Group. The 1990 Ceramica was the first watch with both case and bracelet made entirely of ceramic. Subsequent material innovations include plasma high-tech ceramic (1998) and Ceramos ceramic-metal composite (2011). The Captain Cook collection was revived in 2017.