New: Rado x Ash Barty True Square Limited Edition

Rado collaborates with former WTA #1 and 2022 Australian Open Women’s Singles Champion Ashleigh Barty to launch a new edition of the popular True Square.

Press Release information with commentary in italics.

New: Rado x Ash Barty True Square Limited Edition

The new Rado True Square x Ash Barty Limited Edition Ref. R27123905 has a retail price of SGD 3,200 inclusive of GST. Limited Edition of of 996 pieces.

Commentary

The Rado True Square has a become an icon in the industry for its bold statement ofthe experimentation that Rado has been doing on square ceramic watches since 1990. The new collaboration is one of a long string of collaborations, each one very successful. From the bright yellow of the Rado True Square Tej Chauhan to the minimalist design of the “Over the Abyss”, Rado has been collaborating with artists and designers. Interestingly this time, it is not with a designer, but with tennis star Ash Barty.

The pink leather and matching ceramic case is very feminine, together with the mother of pearl dial with an open aperture for displaying the mechanical movement’s balance wheel. And the small, but very nice touch of the tennis ball engraved below the center above the 6 o’clock marker. The movement remains the successor to the ETA 2824, variously known as ETA ETA C07.611 and here labeled as Rado caliber R734. The movement is also used in Rado’s Captain Cook watches since 2017.

Also of interest is that the pricing of the True Square is SGD 3.2k, in what we see as perhaps inconsistent pricing policy from Rado. Compared to the SGD 2.7k for the Tej Cauhan in 2021 and for SGD 4k for Over the Abyss in 2022, it seems that the pricing is a good reflection of the cost of design and production of the True Square. And we applaud Rado for this!

Release information

Embrace the Journey: Ash Barty and Rado Collaborate on the new True Square Limited Edition.

Former WTA #1 and 2022 Australian Open Women’s Singles Champion Ash Barty and her long- standing partner, Rado, launch their collaborative Limited-Edition III timepiece.

Ash’s skill, patience, quiet confidence, and authentic nature have underpinned a history-making career for the Australian tennis superstar. In the watchmaking world, similar characteristics resonate with the Rado brand, whose timepieces are marked by their reliability, accuracy and ground-breaking use of scratch- resistant high-tech ceramic materials.

An adaptation of the classic True Square in Rado’s signature high-tech ceramic, the Ash Barty Limited Edition III design collaboration signifies new, exciting times for both Ash and the Rado Brand.

With the intent to create a feminine, unique watch that will take the wearer from day to night, the timepiece is housed in a light rose high-tech ceramic square case. A white mother-of-pearl dial with rose gold coloured applied indexes gives the piece a luxurious feel, and a cut-out offers an intriguing view of the watch mechanics, a reminder of the hard work behind an illustrious exterior.

A flat sapphire crystal face with anti-reflective coating protects Rado’s premium calibre R734 automatic movement with 80-hour power reserve. The antimagnetic NivachronTM hairspring improves reliability by protecting the movement from magnetic fields. While industry standards require testing in 3 positions, Rado tests in 5 different positions, further enhancing its reliable accuracy.

A passionate watch lover, Ash worked collaboratively with the Rado design team through the creative process to bring the timepiece to life. Ash comments:

“Rado’s True Square watches have always been a favourite style for me and feature heavily in my collection, so we decided to use this shape as the basis for the limited edition piece.

We selected a feminine powder pink leather and matching high-tech ceramic case as the foundation for the piece. Adding a white mother of pearl dial with an open-heart keyhole made the unique square setting luxurious, but versatile enough to wear from day to night.

The dial also features a tiny rose gold coloured tennis ball with a jeu, set, match engraving. A beautiful touch and nod to the involvement of both myself and Rado in the world of tennis.

I have loved the experience of co-designing this piece with Rado. It’s allowed me to combine creativity with my love of watches and for me, particularly at this stage in my life, is a reminder to take the time to enjoy every moment of your journey. I hope that everyone will get as much enjoyment out of the piece as I do.” said Ash.

Square watches form an integral part of Rado’s design history. Launching the first timepiece in 1976, Rado’s experimentation with square ceramic watches saw the launch of Ceramica in 1990. Thirty years later, the scratch-resistant material was used to create a square monobloc case using pioneering injection moulding technology, which forms the foundation of this new True Square Limited Edition release in partnership with Ash Barty.

Rado x Ash Barty True Square Limited Edition Specifications

Ref. R27123905

Movement

Rado calibre R734, automatic, 25 jewels, 3 hands, 80-hour power reserve, antimagnetic NivachronTM hairspring, exceeds standard test requirements from 3 to 5 positions for higher accuracy, open heart with a circular grain decoration

Case

Polished light rose high-tech ceramic case, monobloc construction
Polished light rose high-tech ceramic crown
Flat sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both faces
Polished stainless steel case back with sapphire crystal, digital printing on sapphire cystal case back: ASH BARTY LIMITED EDITION and Ash’s signature, special engraving on case back: ONE OUT OF 996

Water-resistant to 5 bar (50m)

Dial

White mother-of-pearl
Rose gold coloured applied indexes and a fixed tennis ball Grey printed minute track
Grey printed Rado and Automatic logos

Hands

Rose gold coloured with white Super-LumiNova® Rose gold coloured second hand

Strap

Light rose leather strap
Polished rose gold coloured PVD coated stainless steel extendable folding clasp

Dimensions

38.0 x 44.2 x 9.7 (WxLxH in mm)