VIDEO: Rado’s off-centre DiaMaster proves that life isn’t always balanced
If you’re looking for a watch that’s a little left-of-centre style-wise, look no further. Rado’s idiosyncratic DiaMaster takes many of the conventions of fine watchmaking and turns them, if not on their heads, at least a little bit sideways. And the resulting watch is, it must be said, quite charming. Of course, there are still some familiar Rado hallmarks on display, like the high-tech ceramic case. There’s also an ever-reliable automatic movement that isn’t content to be relegated to the caseback, instead taking centre stage on the dial side — to great effect. The case is hefty, at 43mm, and rated to 100 metres, which is a nice touch. There are four different variations on the theme, but we were most taken by this black-on-black option. Rado DiaMaster XL Automatic Australian pricing Rado DiaMaster XL Automatic, black ceramic case, $3850
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Hold onto your hats because Glashütte Original has just dropped another dose of exceptional colour, in the form of the 2019 edition of the Sixties and Sixties Panorama Date. In case you don’t recall last year’s version, it was a pretty exceptional green (here’s a closer look) and a very popular choice. It was also one of the greatest examples of green being a breakthrough trend for 2018. Now, we don’t think that this fiery orange will have broad cross-sectional appeal, but if you’re a fan of the colour, the chances are good that you will love this pair of limited production pieces. Before we get to those dials, a quick refresh on the basics of these pieces — the time-only Sixties is a svelte 39mm by 9.4mm high, and powered by the Calibre 39-52. The Sixties Panorama Date adds a few millimetres, clocking in at 42mm by 12.4mm, but that extra size comes with a big panorama date. Back to that dial, though. It’s a point of pride for Glashütte that they own their own dial facility in Pforzheim, and this facility still has original dial dies from the 1960s, which add a nice touch of heritage, as well…
Editor’s note: Basel is just around the corner, which means that I’m spending more time than is strictly healthy speculating on what configurations of complications we might be seeing from our favourite brands … like Grand Seiko. But you know what? It would be a hard task indeed to improve on the long tall drink of water that is this Grand Seiko GMT. If you were looking for a go-anywhere-do-anything type watch (and honestly, aren’t we all?), then a stylistically versatile steel GMT on a bracelet would tick a lot of the boxes. And as far as versatile steel GMTs go, there aren’t too many options that offer quite as much as Grand Seiko’s SBGJ203. It’s got the looks: a distinctive, angular and exceptionally well-finished 40mm case, paired with a rich dial that sets an exceptionally high bar for the competition. There’s fine detail at play, but it’s not a watch to peacock its virtues, or to sacrifice comfort and function in favour of style. And then there’s movement. Grand Seiko’s 9S86, released in 2014, is a connoisseur’s choice, a well-finished automatic that beats at an accurate 5Hz rate, with an antimagnetic balance spring and 55 hours of power reserve. Not…