Rado True Round x Les Couleurs® Le Corbusier® Special Edition

Rado True Round x Les Couleurs® Le Corbusier® Special Edition 

CELEBRATING THE BOLD VISION OF A MASTER OF MODERNISM

Disruptive, captivating, iconic. Three words that characterise the work of Le Corbusier, the Swiss-born design visionary, whose unique and striking approach to architecture has been captured in a new collection of special-edition Rado timepieces – which may also be described by those same three words.

The new releases are the latest output in a long-running collaboration between Rado and Les Couleurs Suisse®. For Rado, known as the Master of Materials, Le Corbusier’s bold designs and use of modern materials and statement colours strike a chord with its own approach to watchmaking and appetite for innovation. So far, the partnership has seen the release of 12 Rado watches, which focused on deploying contribution to modern architecture – which set the tone for the then-emergent Brutalist style – with each watch referencing one of his most epic projects.

Minimalist elegance

The first watch pays tribute to La Cité Radieuse, a vast, concrete apartment building in Marseille, France, completed in 1952, and which reimagined modern urban living. This special edition features an abstract inspiration of the building’s rough-cast, board-formed concrete, known as béton-brut, laser engraved in its high-tech ceramic dial. This offers a highly intricate interpretation of the concrete’s innate texture, with each minute detail intriguingly reflecting the light.

Each watch in the series combines four shades from the Polychromie Architectural. First introduced in 1931, and extended in 1959, the palette was identified by the great designer as being eminently architectural, naturally harmonious and able to be combined in any way.

This first watch is presented in Ivory White, reference 4320B, across its monobloc high-tech ceramic case and matching crown and bracelet, telling a story of pure, minimalist elegance. It is the first time that this specific colour has been deployed in high-tech ceramic. It’s worth remembering that the colour runs right through the material – the final hue is not just a coating or finish, but acquired during sintering, when it is heated to 1,450°C. Faithfully recreating an exact shade with this complex methodology is no small thing and took Rado’s experts years to perfect. This timepiece is complemented by hands in Lucent Sky Blue (32021), Luminous Ultramarine Blue (32020) and Light Ultramarine Blue (32023).

Monochromatic power

The second watch honours the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the USA. In a region so closely associated with American history, the Center’s bold aesthetic was a stark contrast against the leafy squares and Georgian architecture of Harvard University. As the only building Le Corbusier designed in North America – and one of his last, completed in 1963 – it is part of the nation’s cultural heritage.

An abstract evocation of its moulded concrete facade features in the dial of this special edition, similarly laser engraved in high-tech ceramic. Showcased in Iron Grey – specifically 32010 from the Polychromie Architectural – the piece conveys the monochromatic power of raw concrete, a material which allowed for the more disruptive, sculptural forms so associated with Le Corbusier. The watch’s lacquered hands offer a dramatic juxtaposition against the dial, in three additional colours from his palette: Cream White (32001), Powerful Orange (4320S) and Slightly Greyed English Green (32041).