These new 30mm Rado DiaStar Original watches look sweet enough to eat
Nina Scally• The new Rado DiaStar Original watches are tailored towards smaller wrists with a new 30mm case size.
• Each watch features a tough platinum-coloured Ceramos bezel.
• The new colours of Glacier Lake, Turquoise and Dahlia, are vibrant and punchy and perfect for the lighter evenings.
The wait for summer here in “Sunny Britain” seems almost impossible right now. The days are short and the sun is almost non-existent, making the latest slew of new dial colours for the Rado DiaStar Original a refreshing and long-awaited treat. Eye candy they certainly are, and in more ways than one, since these new DiaStar watches call to mind the sweet treats you may pick up at a summer fete or boulevard while on vacation. Rado intends these watches to resonate with Gen Z: they’re decidedly more emotive than the more technical, rugged models Rado has been focusing on lately in the Captain Cook line. Encouraging self-expression, they target anyone on the hunt for something playful or needing a touch of colour to add to their collection.
More specifically, Rado names these three colours Glacier Lake, a kind of Nordic freshwater hue; Turquoise, a lagoon-type green; and Dahlia, a colour evoking exotic flowers. All three DiaStar watches come in at a new case size of 30mm, appealing to female fans more than they have ever done before. At best, the former 38mm models appealed to both men and women, or anyone with a small wrist, but the new trio is unapologetically feminine, with the emphasis less on case materials this time and more on trendiness and accessorising.
But that’s not to say the new 2025 DiaStar watches aren’t structurally impressive. Rado’s contribution to material research and development and its achievements in creating blemish-free watches started with the DiaStar, after all. Ever since its release in 1962, resistance and hardness have been at the forefront of everything the brand does, whether in the form of tungsten carbide cases, scratch-resistant sapphire glass, or tough high-tech ceramics. These new 30mm DiaStars also prioritise scratch-resistance: rather than the full tungsten carbide cases of the original, they feature steel cases with a highly scratch-resistant bezel made from Ceramos, a proprietary platinum-looking compound that’s 90% titanium carbide and an evolution of Rado’s tungsten carbide ‘hardmetal’.
The DiaStar is not everyone’s cup of Earl Grey, and, no doubt, there will be naysayers who find these three new colours too audacious given their already unconventional design. Nevertheless, they represent an interesting concept whereby the origins of the eccentric 1960s DiaStar have remained pretty much untouched, albeit with modern shots of colour that are poppy and punchy and ready to demand some attention. The dials boast brushing in two directions, welcoming levels of depth that should catch the light at different angles. Each display also features lettering in white, along with the classic swinging Rado logo at 12 o’clock. The rhodium-coloured hour and minute hands also provide clarity in the dark with an application of Super-LumiNova to their surfaces.
These new, smaller models echo the oval-shaped physique of the 1960s design. By that, I mean the DiaStar Original, not the rectangular profiles of the updated D-Star versions that arrived in 2011. All three feature a round dial, a shield-like bezel and a three-link bracelet that appears to protrude from the case itself thanks to hidden lugs. The top of the sloped, ovate case is almost turtle shell-like, hinting at the uninterrupted curves of its former relatives and equipped with a faceted sapphire glass.
Rado has equipped these new DiaStar Original models with the Rado R586 calibre. Said movement is an automatic number fitted with a Nivachron hairspring, and is based on an ETA calibre (we’re not quite sure which one exactly – there’s no information online about this specific calibre). Titanium-based, this type of hairspring developed by Swatch Group is resistant to magnetic fields and shock and temperature fluctuations for better precision. Rado doesn’t put this movement on show: instead, it sits behind a steel caseback, providing 100m of water resistance.
Rado DiaStar Original 30mm pricing and availability
The Rado DiaStar Original Automatic 30mm collection is available now. Price: US$1,550, A$2,450
Brand | Rado |
Model | DiaStar Original Automatic |
Reference Number | R12170323 (Turquoise) R12170333 (Dahlia) R12170343 (Glacier Lake) |
Case Dimensions | 30mm (D) x 11mm (T) x 35.6mm (LTL) |
Case Material | Stainless steel with Ceramos bezel |
Weight | 89.6 g |
Water Resistance | 100 metres |
Crystal(s) | Sapphire |
Dial | Turquoise/purple/cyan, swinging Rado logo |
Bracelet | H-link stainless steel bracelet, three-fold clasp |
Movement | Rado R586, ETA base, automatic |
Power Reserve | 48 hours |
Functions | Hours, minutes, seconds, date |
Availability | Available now |
Price | US$1,550 A$2,450 |