Nature has served as inspiration in every sphere of human creativity since the beginning of time. Timekeeping is no exception, with the beauty of the natural world sparking the imaginations of several watchmakers. Rado has now released a trio of new pieces, “Chapters” in the captivating story it shares with the Great Gardens of the World organisation, each inspired by distinct plants.
CHAPTER 8 — Loulu lelo
The Hawaiian Loulu lelo served as inspiration for this True Thinline. This piece features a polished black ceramic case, measuring 40 mm in diameter, and a crown is fashioned from the same material. The titanium case back features sapphire crystal, replete with “GREAT GARDENS OF THE WORLD CHAPTER 8” lettering, providing a glimpse of the Swiss luxury watchmaker’s R766 calibre self-winding movement, employed by all three iterations. The power reserve is rated at 64 hours. The dial’s black pleated stamped design is reminiscent of the leaves of the palm tree it’s inspired by. The hands are gold-coloured.
CHAPTER 9 — Araucaria
The second variant in the collection, which can be had alongside the Chapter 8 and Chapter 10 models in a 99-piece limited-edition collector’s box, draws inspiration from the Chilean Araucaria tree. This True Thinline’s 40 mm, polished white ceramic case houses a mother-of-pearl dial engraved with the stylised growthing structure of an Araucaria tree. The hands are silver-coloured. “GREAT GARDENS OF THE WORLD CHAPTER 9” lettering are printed on the sapphire crystal found on the titanium case back.
CHAPTER 10 — Dragon blood
An eye-catching piece, the “GREAT GARDENS OF THE WORLD CHAPTER 10” features a plasma ceramic case, finished in “mysterious” grey tones. This reference’s pièce de résistance is, like the first and second examples, its dial, which, here has two layers — a rose gold-coloured back plate, visible through the organic shapes, which takes inspiration from the Yemeni Dragon Blood Tree, of the skeletonised top layer. The hands are finished in a rose gold hue.
