A Closer Look at the Alchemy Behind Rado's High-Tech Ceramic
On a recent trip to Comadur, we discover the signature material's fascinating transformation from noble powder to compelling timepieces.
At the Comadur facility in Boncourt, material alchemy is an everyday occurrence. There, Rado’s hallmark high-tech ceramic undergoes its fascinating transmutation from noble powder to compelling timepieces, best exemplified by the Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic Skeleton. The newest version of the striking wristwatch is dressed in lush olive tones, demonstrating the brand’s affinity not only for ceramic, but coloured ceramic at that.
It all begins with pure zirconium oxide powder, which is mixed with pigments and various binding agents. The amalgam (or “feedstock”) is then melted down and shaped into different components via precision injection moulding, with up to 18 moulds used for the Captain Cook, including monobloc case, bezel insert and individual bracelet links.
These pieces are soaked in alcohol to dissolve the binding agents, and sintered at 1,450ºC to achieve their final size, colour and hardness. Here, the ceramic parts shrink by about 25% due to the presence of air pockets from the debinding process, achieving their full solid density and maximum hardness of 1,250 Vickers, surpassing regular ceramic. Most notably, the watch’s true colour only reveals itself at this stage; Rado’s a master that has conquered the purist palette of Le Corbusier, so achieving the desired shade of green with accuracy is second nature.
It’s all relatively straightforward from here. The ceramic components are machined to their precise proportions using diamond tools (the only material harder on the Vickers scale), polished in a churning bath of ceramic chips, and sandblasted for a sumptuous matte look and feel. Parts destined for Rado’s famed plasma treatment are placed inside a reactor and fired at a phenomenal 20,000ºC — three times hotter than the surface of the sun! — to achieve a resolutely metallic sheen. Finally, decorative details like the numerals and markings on the bezel are laser-engraved and hand-lacquered.
The Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic Skeleton is assembled in a clean room together with its state-of-the-art automatic movement complete with antimagnetic Nivachron hairspring. And there you have it: a handsome watch through and through, with architectural composition on the dial and warm rose-gold accents bringing urban sophistication to the outdoorsy green ceramic. Once you get to know the wondrous rocket science (or is it arcane sorcery?) behind Rado’s signature material, it’s hard to deny its magic.
