Rado dresses its DiaStar Original Skeleton in the warm palette of autumn: a Ceramos™ bezel in yellow gold or, for the first time, in rose gold, framing a skeletonised R808 calibre finished in gold tones.
The DiaStar has carried Rado’s ideas about materials since 1962, when the first model brought a hardmetal case and a sapphire crystal to the wrist. Its oval silhouette, broad bezel and faceted crystal remain instantly recognisable more than six decades later. The DiaStar Original Skeleton keeps that outline and opens the dial, so that the movement becomes the centrepiece. The two references presented for the season, R12166159 and R12159309, take their cue from the colours of autumn and give the 1962 design a contemporary, sporting reading.
A Quick Orientation: Rado
- Founded in 1917 in Lengnau, in the canton of Bern, as Schlup & Co., by the brothers Fritz, Ernst and Werner Schlup.
- Headquartered in Lengnau to this day and part of the Swatch Group.
- Known as a master of materials: hardmetal and sapphire crystal in 1962, high-tech ceramic from 1986, then Ceramos™.
- Core families include Captain Cook, Centrix, DiaStar Original, Integral, True Square, True Round and Anatom.
- Present in the Gulf with boutiques in Riyadh and Jeddah, and with prices published on its Saudi and Emirati websites.
Rado, 1917-2026: Eleven Milestones
Two Shades of Gold for the Season
Rado describes the pair as watches in which autumn colours reveal a golden heart, and the phrase is apt. On R12166159, a vivid yellow gold-coloured bezel frames a black dial ring and a black rubber strap, a crisp contrast that brings the gold of the movement forward. On R12159309, the bezel takes a warm rose gold shade, a first for the DiaStar Original Skeleton, matched by a brown rubber strap and a dial ring in brown and rose tones.
In both versions, the annular dial leaves the centre open. Super-LumiNova® details on the indexes and hands keep the reading clear, and the rotating Rado anchor, rendered in luminescent material, appears to float above the mechanism. The rubber straps follow the colour of each version and use the EasyClip system, which allows a change of strap in a simple gesture and gives the watch its versatility, from a weekday in Dubai to a weekend by the sea in Jeddah.
Ceramos™, the Material Behind the Bezel
The bezel is where Rado’s expertise in materials shows most clearly. Ceramos™ is a composite that combines the hardness of ceramics, with around 90 per cent titanium carbide, with the toughness and lustre of a metal alloy. Rado presents it as a further development of hardmetal, the material of the first DiaStar, with improved scratch resistance and a significantly lower specific weight. The Maison first used it in 1993 for the Sintra line, pressed into shape, then developed an injectable version in 2011. The DiaStar Original received its Ceramos™ bezel when it was redesigned in 2022.
On these autumn references, the bezel carries a radial, sunburst brushing that Rado calls brossé soleil, and a gold-toned PVD finish. The light moves across it as the wrist turns, while the square-faceted sapphire crystal keeps the DiaStar signature intact. The 38.0 mm case in stainless steel with PVD measures 11.9 mm in thickness, and the full watch weighs 80 g, a lightness that suits a watch meant for every occasion.
The R808 Calibre in Full View
Inside beats the automatic Rado calibre R808, here in its skeletonised form and finished in a yellow gold colour on both references. Its openworked architecture shows the gear train, the barrel and the balance from the front, and the transparent sapphire case back continues the view from the other side. The movement offers a power reserve of 80 hours, enough to set the watch down on a Friday evening and find it running on Monday morning. It is adjusted in five positions for greater precision and fitted with an antimagnetic Nivachron™ hairspring.
The skeleton DiaStar has already taken on bolder colours, as the summer trilogy of limited editions showed. The autumn pair takes a quieter, warmer path, in which the gold of the bezel and the gold of the calibre answer each other.
Prices and Availability
- DiaStar Original Skeleton R12166159, yellow gold-coloured Ceramos™ bezel, black dial ring and strap: SAR 11,000 in Saudi Arabia, AED 11,100 in the United Arab Emirates.
- DiaStar Original Skeleton R12159309, rose gold-coloured Ceramos™ bezel, brown and rose dial ring, brown strap: SAR 11,000 in Saudi Arabia, AED 11,100 in the United Arab Emirates.
- Both references: 38.0 mm case, automatic calibre R808, 80-hour power reserve, rubber strap with pin buckle.
Prices are the recommended retail prices, VAT included, published by Rado on its regional websites and read on 2 November 2026. Full specifications appear on the DiaStar Original Skeleton page on the Rado website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is the Rado DiaStar Original Skeleton in the Gulf?
The references R12166159 and R12159309 are priced at SAR 11,000 in Saudi Arabia and AED 11,100 in the United Arab Emirates, the recommended retail prices with VAT published by Rado and read on 2 November 2026.
What is new on the autumn DiaStar Original Skeleton?
The bezel in Ceramos™ takes a yellow gold colour on R12166159 and, for the first time on this model, a rose gold colour on R12159309, with a sunburst brushing that Rado calls brossé soleil.
Which movement powers the DiaStar Original Skeleton?
The watch runs on the automatic Rado calibre R808, skeletonised and finished in a yellow gold colour, with a power reserve of 80 hours and an antimagnetic Nivachron™ hairspring.
