Rado HyperChrome 1616

Rado’s new HyperChrome 1616

Swiss watchmaker introduces adventurous style statement for gents

(Lengnau, Switzerland – 2016) Pioneering Swiss watchmaker Rado is beefing up its collection with the HyperChrome 1616, an oversized hypermasculine ode to the spirit of discovery. A reinterpretation of Rado’s vintage Cape Horn collection, the HyperChrome 1616 pays tribute to the 400-year anniversary of the brave discovery of this South American headland.

In 1616, two Dutch merchants pushed the limits of exploration with their discovery of Cape Horn, located at the tip of South America in a treacherous sailing route where the Atlantic collides with the Pacific. And now, four hundred years after the discovery of the watch’s namesake, Rado has relaunched its vintage Cape Horn collection – first introduced in the late 60s – with an innovative twist that reflects the brand’s ongoing quest for unprecedented designs and materials.

Rugged look, revolutionary construction The HyperChrome 1616 is the latest example of Rado’s boundary-pushing approach. In terms of both form and function, it is an audacious timepiece: Its angular, impossible to overlook case measures 46 mm, and it is available in two colours – black or metallic – each with an extra-wide leather strap. Where the Rado HyperChrome 1616 truly shines is in its use of light but ultra-durable materials: the brand’s signature high-tech ceramic, or titanium with an exclusive hardening treatment that is new to Rado’s range of materials.

Despite its hefty look, the timepiece is surprisingly light thanks to these materials: High-tech ceramic is a Rado innovation that is both harder and lighter than steel, and titanium is an even lighter material that the brand has improved with a structural modification on the surface of the metal, which far surpasses a mere layer or coating. Achieving a hardness of 1000 Vickers, the hardening treatment makes the titanium five times harder than watchmaking steel while being only half its weight.

With its rugged look and lightweight construction, the Rado HyperChrome 1616 is a bold and comfortable option for those willing to tread new sartorial ground.

About Rado

Rado is a globally recognised brand, famous for innovative design and its use of revolutionary materials to create some of the world’s most durable watches. Ever since its beginnings in Lengnau, Switzerland, Rado has had a pioneering spirit, with the brand philosophy “if we can imagine it, we can make it” still holding true today.