Hands-On: Rado Diastar Original X Tej Chauhan Special Edition Watch
There’s a unique charm that comes with historic visions of the future. Futurism is a constantly moving target in design, and as ideas surrounding the future change, they leave entire, often fascinating, aesthetic genres in their wake. British designer Tej Chauhan has built an acclaimed career around exploring these past visions of the future, and after the success of his first collaboration with Rado, he’s returned to further explore the brand’s models through his unique lens of ‘60s/’70s-era futuristic funk. While the bold, offbeat retrofuturism of the new Rado Diastar Original x Tej Chauhan Special Edition may not be suited to all tastes, the playfulness, creativity, and sheer vintage funk make this a fun and compelling statement piece.
Although the 38mm-wide cushion case design is shared with the rest of the Diastar line, the Rado Diastar Original x Tej Chauhan Special Edition takes this simple, familiar form in a very different visual direction. The overall case shape is a pure, rounded form with sloping compound curves along the upper surfaces and hooded lugs for a clean look. Where the Tej Chauhan Special Edition diverges from some of its more reserved siblings, though, is with its case material. Rado uses a sandwich-style case construction here, with the upper half of the case in gold PVD-coated Ceramos and the lower half in matching gold PVD steel. Made from a mix of 90 percent ceramic and 10 percent metal, Ceramos offers incredible luster and scratch resistance, with a surface hardness nearly nine times that of conventional stainless steel. On paper, that should leave the fully-polished case gleaming scratch-free for years to come, but it also has an interesting reaction with the gold PVD coating. The end result is a wild, brassy, “more gold than gold” hue on the wrist, one that fits the outsized personality and retro-futuristic style of the design well. It’s not a subtle look, to be sure, and it makes the relatively compact 45mm lug-to-lug length and 11.7mm thickness feel far more prominent on my 6.75-inch wrist. That said, it also gives this slice of ‘70s sci-fi a C3PO-esque touch that is too fun to deny. The dramatic reflections created by the sloping case curves turn into psychedelic gold-tinged funhouse mirror effects on the wrist, and the dynamic range between reflected highlights and lowlights is remarkable. Like the rest of the Diastar Original line, the signed pillbox crown is recessed for a cleaner silhouette, although on-wrist winding remains easy thanks to a gentle case side undercut. Around back, Rado opts for a keyhole-style sapphire caseback, showcasing just a sliver of the automatic movement within and giving over much of the visual real estate to a unique Tej Chauhuan engraving. Like the standard Diastar Original, this model offers a decently sporting 100 meters of water resistance.
The dial of the Rado Diastar Original x Tej Chauhan Special Edition builds on the concepts laid down by the previous Rado Tej Chauhan collaboration, creating a more focused, cohesive whole. Naturally, the real visual centerpiece here is the radiating, bombastic minutes scale, stretching all the wat from the center of the dial to the very edge. This high-impact, graphic dial treatment bears hidden depth, though, as each hour marker is a slightly bolder, raised, applied index among the printed lines of the minutes scale. Like previous Tej Chauhan collaborations, the scale between 9 o’clock and 12 o’clock is rendered in vivid cyan, meant to symbolize the “party time” hours when work is at its most productive or when a social gathering starts to pick up steam. It’s a bold visual signature for Chauhan’s work, made all the more impactful in this instance by fully filling a quadrant of the dial (the previous True Square Tej Chauhan cut off the scale in favor of a vinyl record-style set of concentric grooves at the dial center). Set against this punchy hue, the soft grays of the rest of the minutes track add a cleverly subtle contrast, and keep the overall display from coming across as overwhelming or garish. This also works to make the skeletonized white wedge hands stand out further against the dial surface, leading to some truly exemplary legibility. The simple stick seconds hand is rendered in a wild highlighter yellow, keeping the watch’s colorfully funky ‘70s-futuristic feel intact. This use of color extends to the 3 o’clock day/date display as well. Each day of the week is rendered in its own unique, stylized font and color: Kelly green for Monday, mint for Tuesday, white on Wednesday, lavender for Thursday, hot pink on Friday, Saturday in dial-matching cyan, and sunny yellow on Sunday to round out the week. Meanwhile, the date wheel is in deep, vibrant red and uses an equally retro-futuristic ‘70s computerized typeface to maximize the on-wrist funk factor. While the use of unique graphics and colors form half the visual appeal of this dial, Rado’s work with depth and form is just as impactful during wear. The dial surface itself is bowl-shaped, with a deep, dramatic upward curvature towards the sapphire crystal. Meanwhile, the low-profile crystal itself features a bevel that echoes the dial curvature, alternately deepening the bowl effect or creating sharp reflections depending on the viewing angle. It’s not as extreme as some of the gem-like faceted crystals found on other Diastar Originals, but it’s a splashy disco-era visual effect that accentuates this watch’s already vocal character on the wrist.
Rado powers the Diastar Original x Tej Chauhan Special Edition with the ETA 2824-based R764 automatic movement. Like many of its Swatch Group stablemates, the R764 is a heavily modernized version of the once-ubiquitous ETA platform, complete with a massive 80-hour power reserve. An antimagnetic Nivachron hairspring and a slower 21,600 bph frequency help to round out the spec sheet. While the small caseback display window does not afford much insight into the R764’s finishing, what is visible seems somewhat workmanlike. Movement bridges are matte-blasted and are topped with an anchor-shaped signed lug with straightforward linear brushing.
As wild and distinctive as the Rado Diastar Original x Tej Chauhan Special Edition’s dial is, the bespoke rubber deployant strap is every bit as striking. Rado uses a series of pillow-shaped connected segments, finished in pale, cool gray. The look instantly calls to mind Space Age modernist furniture design – think Joe Colombo or Steelcraft – which suits the vintage futurism of the rest of the watch well. It’s not the most versatile strap design by any stretch of the imagination, but the cushioned shape and soft rubber material make it extremely comfortable on the wrist. A rounded, lozenge-shaped clasp completes the package.
Retro-futurism is a difficult style to execute faithfully, but the results often come with a truly distinctive set of visual hallmarks. The Rado Diastar Original x Tej Chauhan Special Edition shows off some of the funkiest, most energetic ‘60s/’70s-style futurism in modern watchmaking, and while this bold look will undoubtedly prove divisive, there’s a genuinely impressive statement watch here for those who will appreciate the style. The Rado Diastar Original x Tej Chauhan Special Edition is available now through authorized dealers, and despite its nomenclature, there’s no mention of limited production from the brand. MSRP for this watch stands at $2,250 USD as of press time. For more information, please visit the brand’s website.
