Rado has just unveiled a special watch collection in collaboration with the organization Great Gardens of the World. The collaboration sees three watches, each inspired by a different endangered plant species, with both parties uniting their mutual appreciation for beauty and design in watchmaking.
Divided into three different chapters and numbered 8, 9 and 10, the watches all feature a 40mm case made of high-tech ceramic, complete with a matching crown in a monobloc construction. Rado’s own R766 automatic movement beats inside watches, geared with anti-magnetic Nivachron™ hairspring, 64-hour power reserve and 3 bar water resistance.
Chapter 8 takes its design inspiration from the Louulu lelo palm trees of Hawaii. The unique leaf textures of the endemic plant are recreated on the black dial in a pleated and stamped structure. The brand’s logo, together with the hour and minute hands, is painted in a yellow-gold shade for improved contrast and legibility.
Meanwhile, the Chapter 9 comes in an all-white look with silver embellishments. The dial is made in mother-of-pearl and has an opalescent color effect with a design that imitates the structure of Chilean Araucaria.
As for the Chapter 10, its two-layer dial translates an upward view of a Yemeni dragon’s bloodwood via a rose gold-colored backplate and a sunbrushed rhodium-colored skeletonized top layer. The rest of the watch comes in a polished plasma high-tech ceramic construction, paired with a rose-gold colored logo and matching hands.
All three references are priced at $2,700 USD and will soon be available via the brand’s online store. The trio of watches will also be offered in a 99-piece limited edition collector’s box, with pricing and availability upon request via Rado.
In case you missed it, a Patek Philippe wristwatch owned by the last emperor of China set three records at Phillips’ auction yesterday.
