Vintage Rado watches.
Rado is a Swiss house founded in 1917, famous for pioneering scratch-resistant watches and high-tech materials. Its distinctive, forward-looking designs make it one of the most recognisable names of the modern era, and its pre-owned pieces are quietly collectible.
Frequently asked questions
What is Rado known for?
Rado is known for pioneering scratch-resistant watches, beginning with the DiaStar in 1962, and for its use of high-tech materials such as ceramics and hardened metals in bold, distinctive designs.
Are vintage Rado watches good quality?
Yes. Rado is a respected Swiss house, and its scratch-resistant materials mean vintage examples often survive in remarkably clean condition.
Do your Rado watches come with a warranty?
Every watch is inspected before listing and covered by our 14-day returns.
Do you sell second hand Rado watches?
Yes. Every Rado watch we sell is second hand, and we use "pre-owned" and "vintage" to mean the same thing: someone owned the watch before you. The words differ only in age. Pre-owned and second hand say nothing about when a watch was made, while vintage conventionally means roughly thirty years or older. Our Rado stock spans both, and every listing states the year where we can confirm it from the caseback, papers or movement, and says so plainly where we cannot.
Are old Rado watches worth buying?
An old Rado in honest condition is usually better value than a new fashion watch at the same money, because the depreciation has already happened and you are buying a watch that has proved it lasts. What matters is the individual piece rather than the age: an original dial, a case that has not been over-polished, and a movement that has been serviced or is priced to allow for it. We inspect and test every Rado watch in London and describe wear in plain English rather than cropping it out of the photographs.
What makes a Rado watch a classic?
A classic watch is one whose design has stopped dating, and the test is simply time: a shape that looked right thirty years ago and still looks right now. In practice that means restraint, a legible dial, proportions that suit a wrist rather than a trend, and a case shape that was not chasing the fashion of its decade. The classic Rado designs are the ones that keep reappearing in our stock precisely because people kept them and wore them, which is the most honest evidence a design has lasted.
What is the difference between a vintage and an antique Rado watch?
Antique conventionally means a hundred years or older, and vintage roughly thirty years or older, so almost everything described as an antique wristwatch is really a vintage one. Wristwatches only became common after the First World War, which is why genuine antique examples are mostly pocket watches. Our Rado collection is vintage and pre-owned rather than antique, and each listing gives the year or era we have been able to confirm.
