Horological Meandering

Ornatus-Mundi
[Zenith]
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Wristed with the Rado HyperChrome 1616 - some of the interesting affordable watches - with 80h power reserve to boot!

For Rado this watch was certainly the star of BaselWorld 2016, a watch that gained instant recognition amongst the watch press and the enthusiasts alike: the Rado HyperChrome 1616:



This might be an intersting move, but Rado had - in the early 1970s - a number of the 'modern', robust watches in tis portfolio, the Cape Horn series (here a collage of images I sourced from WatchTime2pm):



Just as the design of the HyperChrome (clearly influenced by the 1970s spirit of the time) suggests: these watches are durable: The black one presented first comes with a black ceramic case, hefty and scratch resistant, an important feature for a wrist device of a solid 46mm case (exactly 46 x 45.5 x 13.7mm). Its 100m watertight as well, and features a well-protected crown.



The sapphire crystal is said to be treated with an anti-reflective coating, but its effect appears to be rather shallow. Nevertheless, the bold design ensures some legibility regardless...



... and even if its only because of reflection:



Characteristic for automatic Rado watches since decades are the revolving anchor disk, here optically put on the front line with its stark contrasting red colour.



Another nod to its referenced time period is the weekday-date complication, a display that was very popular in the 1970s. No wonder it finds its please here, too, beneath a nicely executed frame.



On the wrist... not exactly the most appropirate compagnion for your next meeting, but certainly fit for after-work activities:



I have to admit the strong admixture of funky elements somehow questions the use of the black ceramic case... But Rado has some help to offer:

The titanium version:



Actually, we are talking about hardened titanium here - this is Rado's core expertise, after all...



Now here we are talking! Note the remarkably smaller anchor, much more fitting for the '70s-elegant' two-tone dial.



Spice is suffient here, just look at the black-on-white-and-inverse date display.



Vey nice!I actually applauf brands of the lower middle/upper entry classe range of watches if they seriously think about adding value and real horological interest to their offering. The Rados here are a good example: interesting shapes, resilient materials and interesting technology. I did not mention yet that it comes with an ETA-derived automatic movement with 80h of power reserve.

The original Cape Horn was ETA-driven as well. Everything like in the good ol' times...

Cheers,
Magnsu