Swatch Group – Part 4

Keith W. Strandberg

May 2011

Swatch Group – Part 4

Keith W. Strandberg

May 2011

TISSOT
Last year, Tissot went diving with the SeaTouch, and this year it’s back to the water in a big way with the SeaStar, a mechanical chronograph that is water resistant to 300 metres.
This 48mm watch has true dive watch features: a unidirectional bezel, a rubber strap with a divers’ buckle and extension, plus SuperLumiNova hands and markings and a helium valve. A total of ten different models accommodate a broad spectrum of wearer tastes. There is the option of a totally new blue, ocean-inspired PVD finish, with black and white, blue, or black and orange dials, plus a selection of metal or rubber attachments.
An extension to the ever-growing T-Touch line this year is the Racing Touch, a timepiece that suits both land and sea, perfect for many different activities. Featuring full chronograph capability, a useful logbook for recording personal results and data, dual time zones, two alarms and a backlight, the Racing Touch also includes a tide-calculator as well as a compass. The Racing Touch also comes in a variety of colour schemes and material combinations, including a black and orange model with a bright orange rubber strap, a sophisticated steel bracelet option and a predominantly white version to reveal the line’s feminine side.
Also to be introduced during BaselWorld are the following watches: The T-Race MotoGP Limited Edition 2011, a numbered edition sports chronograph celebrating Tissot’s decade-long Official Timekeeper partnership with MotoGP. Powered by the newly developed C01.211 automatic chronograph movement, this timepiece is built with the same tough materials as the Grand Prix road bikes that inspired it. Special design features include a tri-compax chronograph subdial array and a 316L stainless steel case with black PVD coating, along with orange hands and dial details. The Swiss-made automatic movement is visible through the case back, which looks like the spoked wheel of a racing bike. This limited edition is available in a numbered edition of 2,011, and it comes in its own automatic winding watchcase.
Keeping in the limited edition theme, Tissot produces another in its long line of Nicky Hayden limited editions, this one the T-Race Nicky Hayden Limited Edition 2011. The rotating GMT bezel and crown guard design on the 316L stainless steel watch are based on the brake disc of a Grand Prix motorcycle. The red, black and white dial pays homage to the colours of the 28-year-old Hayden’s Ducati team and his famous racing number, 69, is emblazoned on the red case back. The hour markers are white stars — another signature emblem of the six-year Tissot Ambassador. Limited to 4,999 pieces for the world.
New for the ladies is the T-Evocation with diamonds. Shaped like an elegant bracelet, this quartz timepiece’s bracelet has the same diameter as the case, which reinforces the idea of watch as bracelet. On either side of the case are elongated T-shapes, each made up of 11 Top Wesselton diamonds. Continuing this theme, the horizontal links of the metal bracelet take the form of two stretched ‘T’ shapes. As always, this is just a sampling of the new watches that Tissot has in store. You have to see all Tissot has for yourself.

Swatch Group – Part 4 SEASTAR and T-RACE NICKY HAYDEN LIMITED EDITION by Tissot

RADO
Coming off a very successful tenure at Hamilton Watch, Matthias Breschan is the new president at Rado. His first order of business? To shake things up at Rado and bring it back to a leadership position in the watch industry.
“I think Rado has the greatest potential for change, more than any other watch brand in the industry,” Breschan says. “We have an extremely solid base we can build on, and it’s a brand that will allow us to do innovative, cool stuff. We need to develop products to attract a younger clientele. We need to be innovative in technology, new materials and design.”
To help him effect these changes, Breschan has just hired Head of Product Management Hakim El Kadiri, who worked with Breschan at Hamilton in the same capacity.
“We have a spirit of being innovative and creative here at Rado, and we have to capitalize on this,” Breschan adds. “Rado is among the top brands in the Swatch Group, and in the top ten in the industry as a whole. There are very few brands that have a turnover like Rado.”
This year in Basel, Rado is presenting a key innovation, the True Thinline, which is the thinnest ceramic watch in the world. The second story for BaselWorld is white ceramic, featured in the D-Star line.

True Thinline
Rado has taken its knowledge of high-tech ceramics to another level. Pioneers of ceramic since 1986 in the watchmaking industry, Rado now produces the thinnest ceramic watch in the world with the Rado True Thinline. To allow this new ultra thin structure, all of the components have been intensively reworked to ensure they are fully integrated, including the quartz movement that is exclusive to Rado. Demanding and challenging in its manufacture, the Rado True Thinline offers all the key properties of high-tech ceramics, such as comfort and strength, as well as adding a new dimension of being lightweight to the extreme.

D-Star
The Rado D-Star collection is a modern interpretation of the iconic Rado DiaStar. The distinctive faceted case and wide open dial gives the watch a personality of its own, thoroughly modern with a sporty touch, and white ceramic is a very hot material right now.
“The move towards traditional and classic helped Rado, because we have a very distinctive style that is instantly recognizable,” says Breschan. “There is an evolution and revolution going on in Rado. Rado has a price positioning between 1,000 and 3,000 CHF and there are not many brands left in this price point. When you look at ladies watches, in this price segment, there is not much left. There are a few traditional brands, but when you talk about design watches, there is really no one else. You either have the entry level or the jewellery watches. Rado was very innovative in the design and our watches have a very distinctive, minimalist design. This gives Rado a huge opportunity to do unique pieces that no one else can do in the watch industry with the same credibility.”
He promises big changes in the future, and if anyone can do it, it’s Breschan.

Swatch Group – Part 4 TRUE THINLINE, D-STAR and CERAMICA by Rado