Rado  D-Star  Watches

Rado D-Star: Watches with Innovative Movements 

Rado first started by manufacturing watch movements and supplying several watchmakers in 1917. Following their success after World War II, Rado decided to produce their watch models in the 1950s to flaunt their expertise as a Swiss company. With the creation of the world’s first scratch proof watch, the Rado DiaStar 1, Rado went on its way to become a luxury watch brand that enticed several watch connoisseurs. The Rado D-Star is an homage to Rado’s success in the watchmaking industry. Adding several improvements and innovative watch movements, the Rado D-Star instantly became an international hit.

Prices at a Glance: Most Popular Rado D-Star Watches

How much does a Rado D-Star watch cost?

Rado has come a long way from making watch movements to manufacturing its luxury watch models. Heavily inspired by the DiaStar 1 model, Rado expounds upon this model’s potential and reinvented a whole new collection as a tribute to the 1962 model. The DiaStar and the D-Star may have similarities, but with the help of innovative aspects and progressive expertise, The Rado D-Star collection went beyond everyone’s expectations. That being said, how much does a Rado D-Star model cost?

Prices for the Rado D-Star Quartz Watches

The Rado D-Star Quartz Silver Dial offers a fairly simple design that stands out with its silver dial. Most connoisseurs may be put off by its quartz movement, but this particular watch has all of the necessary functionalities of an entry-level watch. It does not have any complicated features that an automatic or hand-wound watch has, making it a popular choice to wear daily.

As the name suggests, the Rado D-Star Quartz Silver Dial has a silver dial with applied indexes and Arabic numerals. The 42mm silver-toned stainless steel case and the bracelet add more to the monotonous nature of the whole watch. It also has a date aperture located at 3 o’clock.

The Rado D-Star Quartz Silver Dial is a casual watch model with a dash of luxury and heritage within its core. The current listed price is $1,395 USD while pre-owned units’ approximate price is $1,000 USD and lower.

Prices for the Rado D-Star Automatic Watches

The Rado D-Star Automatic R15762102 offers a more refined stature, unlike the quartz models. The silver dial has a particular shine that provides a clear view of the applied indexes. The hands are also silver-toned to create consistency in colour schemes and design. It is also worth noting that the case has a slightly oval shape, unlike its predecessor whose shape is completely oval. This change was done to avoid confusion between the Rado DiaStar and the Rado D-Star. 

The 41mm ceramic plasma-treated case provides comfortability due to the light materials used. The ceramic bracelet also contributes to this with its 20mm width that caters to anyone’s wrists. The plasma treatment gives the case and bracelet a nice metallic shine that recreates the look of polished stainless steel without the added weight. Plus it has a 100m water resistance.

Enclosed in the case is a silver-coloured dial with hours, minutes, and seconds indicators. The date aperture is now found at 6 o’clock rather than the usual 3 o’clock position. The minute and seconds markers are on the outer rim of the dial, providing more clarity when reading the time with less clutter. It is a simple design that is both handy and reliable in any situation.

The Rado D-Star Automatic R15762102 is equipped with the Rado Calibre 658 (ETA 2824-2) automatic movement. This allows it to have a 38-hour power reserve to avoid manually adjusting the time every now and then. The current listed price for the Rado D-Star Automatic R15762102 is $2,595 USD. As for pre-owned models, this can cost up to $1,717 USD depending on the condition as well as its seller.

The Rado D-Star Automatic Ladies is another rendition of the DiaStar model. This is created specifically to fit ladies’ wrists with a smaller diameter and slimmer width. This model has the same dial properties as the Rado D-Star Automatic R15762102, but with a few changes to fit the ladies category.

The Rado D-Star Automatic Ladies has a silver-white dial with rose gold indexes, numerals, and hands. The combination of silver and rose gold has been an apparent theme in luxury brands to highlight the feminine aspect of a particular watch. This combination is perfectly incorporated to go along with both the case and the silver-white dial. The date aperture is found at 3 o’clock. These features are enclosed in a 30mm stainless steel case that is both scratchproof and has a 100m water resistance.

The movement used for the Rado D-Star Automatic Ladies is the Rado Calibre 580 (ETA 2681) automatic movement. It has a 38-hour power reserve and an exceptional consistent frequency rate. The retail price of the Rado D-Star Automatic Ladies R15514113 is $1,395 USD. It is a very affordable luxury watch with a comfortable stature and an automatic movement that ensures accuracy.

Prices for the Rado D-Star Chronograph Watches

The Rado D-Star also has a few chronograph pieces to go along with the collection. One of them is the Rado D-Star Chronograph Automatic R15556155. This watch has a casual and formal design that allows the wearer to mix and match with any outfit. The leather strap adds more to its sleek personality.

The Rado D-Star Chronograph Automatic R15556155 has a black dial with silver-tone hands and indexes. The date aperture is located at 3 o’clock to make way for the chronograph sub-dials. The chronograph subdials indicate 60 Second, 30 Minute, and 12 Hour. These are all placed at 9 o’clock, 12 o’clock, and 6 o’clock respectively. 

The 48mm stainless steel case complements the dominant black colour scheme of the dial and leather bracelet. The iconic oval shape of the D-Star collection is scrapped from this model to create more space for the chronograph dials as well as the movement used. Aside from being scratchproof, the Rado D-Star Chronograph Automatic R15556155 has a water resistance of 30 meters. 

The movement used for the Rado D-Star Chronograph Automatic R15556155 is Rado Calibre 674. It has a power reserve of 44 hours, which is more than enough for a chronograph watch. 

The listed price of the Rado D-Star Chronograph Automatic R15556155 is currently $3,295 USD. Chronograph watches usually cost more than a regular automatic watch. That is why the price for this watch is justified and reasonable at best.

Rado D-Star — Is it a Good Investment?

Investing in a Rado D-Star watch can be a great investment for both collectors and regular watch lovers. Not only does Rado D-Star have a rich heritage, but the designs and features also offer maximum reliability and comfortability. Plus, several Rado D-Star watches are no longer available in official stores. This means that the market for pre-owned D-Star watches could potentially skyrocket with varying prices.

In other words, investing in a D-Star watch can provide opportunities that would be beneficial in reselling one. 

History Behind the Rado D-Star Collection

Rado has been around since 1917. The Swiss company was started by the brothers: Fritz, Ernst, and Werner in their humble home in Lengnau, Switzerland. Since then, only watch movements were made right until 1950 where they first introduced the Golden Horse collection. This is the first watch that Rado has manufactured that led to more watches being produced. 

In the years 1960 to 1969, the Rado DiaStar 1 was created and was regarded as the world’s first scratch proof watch. This is the main inspiration for the Rado D-Star collection that was released in 2011. Both the designs and durability were carried over to the D-Star collection with a few improvements and modern changes. The oval shape is unlike the DiaStar 1, but it is still subtle that makes the D-Star unique. 

5 Reasons to Buy a Rado D-Star Watch

1. The Rado D-Star watches are comfortable to wear.

2. The dials provide maximum readability without any complicated features.

3. The prices for each Rado D-Star watch are reasonable and affordable.

4. The caliber movements used in each watch provide accuracy and reliability at best, given the fact that Rado was initially manufacturing movements before creating watches.

5. The designs are flexible and are easy to mix and match with any casual or formal outfit.

Rado D-Star: Uniquely Extravagant Watches 

Rado, as a Swiss watchmaking company, is admirable with the way they design each of their timepieces. Simplicity with a subtle luxurious charm, Rado managed to deliver with their extensive expertise without fail. This is evident with the Rado D-Star collection. Despite being heavily inspired by the DiaStar 1, the Rado D-Star has its own identity due to the many innovations that Rado accumulated since its establishment. All in all, the D-Star is an intricate collection of watches that are extravagant in their unique way.