In Full Bloom: Presenting Three New Additions to the Rado True Thinline Nature Collection

Luxury watchmaker Rado and Grandi Giardini Italiani or the Great Gardens of the World entered into a partnership in 2017. This collaboration provided the timepiece maker with a platform to extend its True Thinline Nature collection. The Great Gardens of the World is a network of well-known gardens in more than 20 countries.

Rado and the Italy-based organisation have released three new chapters to the True Thinline Nature collection — Chapter 8 (Ref. R27113152), Chapter 9 (Ref. R27118902), and Chapter 10 (Ref. R27088122). For this collection, Rado draws inspiration from three endangered plant species — the Hawaiian Loulu Lelo, the Chilean Araucaria, and the Yemeni Dragon Blood Tree.

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The partnership between Rado and the Great Gardens of the World is all about putting forth fresh designs, textures, and shapes in the world of horology. Known for its minimalist design layout, Rado has stepped beyond its signature collections, such as the DiaStar and Captain Cook. Launched in 2011, the True Thinline Nature collection has carved out its own identity over the years. The latest timepieces in this collection come in 40 mm cases with textured dials.

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The first variant in the collection is Chapter 8; this model comes in a polished black case with a black dial that replicates the pleated palm leaves of the Loulu Lelo, found in Hawaii. The minimalist dial has a metallised gold-coloured Rado logo and hour, minute hands.

Next is Chapter 9; this variant draws inspiration from pine-like coniferous Araucaria trees. The all-white ceramic watch comes with a white mother-of-pearl dial with the engraving of the leaf outline of the rare Chilean plant species. There is a white ceramic crown at 3 o’clock. Keeping the layout elements to the minimum, the watch gets white hour, minute hands.

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Last in this collection is Chapter 10, which gets a plasma, high-tech, ceramic, monobloc case in grey tones, typical of plasma treatment. The dial of this variant is created in two layers — a rose gold-coloured backplate is visible through a skeletonised top layer. This model replicates entangled branches of the Yemeni Dragon Blood Tree, native to the Socotra archipelago, part of Yemen. The watch comes with rose gold hour, minute hands.

The three models are powered by an in-house Rado R766 movement, providing a power reserve of 64 hours. The movement uses a NivachronTM antimagnetic hairspring for highly reliable precision. Turning each watch over showcases a skeleton caseback with a subtle motif, depicting a cross-section of the growth rings on a large, noble tree trunk, and the embossing of ‘Great Gardens of the World’ with the respective Chapter number. Chapters 8, 9 and 10 of this new Rado product line are available individually or as a trio in a special collector's display box edition, limited to 99 units. The three models are finished on high-tech ceramic, titanium bracelets with three-fold clasps.

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