Rado takes over the New York Time+Tide Discovery Studio, celebrating 40 years of the Integral and its relationship with ceramics

Andrew O'Connor

Our very own Andrew McUtchen, has mentioned before that getting the New York Discovery Studio up and running was like pulling teeth, with bad weather, construction, and supplier challenges making the studio’s opening his own personal Sisyphean task. The boulder finally stayed at the top of the mountain back in February, with the Discovery Studio open for business and ready to host the New York watch community. If those opening events celebrated the beginning, this latest event felt like a celebration of the team being fully up and running, with great things to come. On Friday, April 10th, 2026, the Time+Tide New York Discovery Studio hosted Rado as they held dual events in New York City celebrating 40 years of the Integral model, and 40 years of Rado’s pioneering use of ceramic in watchmaking.

During the ceremony, Andrew talked about how he remembers seeing his first Rado watch on the wrist of a dentist in his hometown back in the 1980’s (sorry for hinting at your age, Andrew). He pointed out that any watch enthusiast familiar with Rado will likely remember the first time they saw one, and I think he’s absolutely correct. I remember seeing a gold-toned Diastar model and digging the funky design. That then sent me down the rabbit hole of discovering the brand’s innovations in materials, starting with Hardmetal, which allowed Rado to create a virtually scratch-proof watch.

United States Rado brand manager Enrique Cupello joined Andrew to discuss the many points that make Rado the brand it is today. Enrique went on to mention that the brand’s mantra has served as its guiding principle when coming up with new designs and the use of materials: “If we can imagine it, we can do it. And if we can do it, we will.” With the vision of creating a virtually scratch-proof watch, Rado released the first Diastar utilising hardmetal in 1962.

Rado was also the first brand to bring sapphire crystals to watches, and in 1986, Rado released the first mass-produced watch utilising ceramic; the Anatom Diastar. By utilising ceramic as the primary case and bracelet material, the watch then becomes virtually scratch-resistant and incredibly comfortable as it quickly adapts to the wearer’s body temperature. So comfortable, in fact, that those of you who don’t sleep with a watch on may have finally met your match (at least according to one of the McUtchen daughters)! The original Anatom Diastar model is the basis for the modern Integral, and to celebrate 40 years of the Integral and ceramic watches, Rado released a commemorative 40th-anniversary model.

The new Anniversary model looks to the original for inspiration, but has been tweaked and updated. The case proportions have been slightly enlarged, making the case more pronounced than on the original model. The original measures 24mm wide, 34.1mm long, and 5.6mm thick, while in comparison, the new 40th-anniversary edition measures 28mm wide, 39.8mm long, and 7.3mm thick. The new model is still compact and elegant, but definitely more in line with modern tastes. The 40th-anniversary model retains the vertically brushed dial, PVD-gold case, and bracelet elements, which are starkly contrasted with black ceramic. The 40th-anniversary model updates the dial with applied SuperLuminova to the hands and indices, further enhancing the timepiece’s practicality.

 

Accompanying this anniversary model is a whole new collection of Integral models, with two new sizes. The small models measure 23 x 33.4mm, and the large models measure 31.5 x 44.5mm. The small models are available in steel, yellow gold PVD, and rose gold PVD, with black ceramic for the steel and yellow gold PVD models, and white and brown ceramic for the rose gold PVD models. The large models are available in steel and yellow gold PVD with black ceramic.

The small models all feature diamonds, ranging from diamond hour markers at 3, 6, 9, and 12, to a full diamond-set bezel model with an aventurine dial. The large models feature either applied baton indices or diamond markers at 3, 6, 9, and 12 o’clock. All models utilise quartz movements, just like the original.

If you happened to be relatively new to Rado watches, this event served as a great introduction. Members of the Rado team were present, with presentations set up throughout the Discovery Studio that showcased Rado’s materials science expertise. There were fun interactive displays, physical models showing each step of developing a ceramic case, and small trays with steel and ceramic plates for guests to scratch (you really can’t scratch the ceramic, I tried).

Since 1986, Rado has developed several other innovations in ceramics, including Plasma Ceramic, a metal-appearing ceramic that reaches 20,000 degrees Celsius (four times hotter than the Sun) during the treatment process. Alongside this was Ceramos (a steel-and-ceramic hybrid material), and over 30 different coloured ceramics. Best of all, there were watches featuring Rado’s different materials on display to check out and try on.

As the event came to a close, many guests commented on how great an event it was. Not only was it good company, cool watches, and great vibes, but I think everyone learned something about Rado. As stated in the intro, not only did this event celebrate Rado’s innovations, but it also showcased the great things to come from both Rado and the New York Times+Tide Discovery Studio. If you’re local or travelling to New York, making it out to a Discovery Studio event will surely be a delight for any watch enthusiast.