The all-ceramic Rado wristwatch uses a minimal design to celebrate the material used

Remember the old pocket watches with the protective housing to safeguard the precious dial and the inner working mechanism? We have evolved quite far from that form factor of the very early watches – ending up with outrageous watch designs that call for attention. No doubt watch enthusiasts like owning the rarest timepieces that have a story associated with them or some kind of completely unrelated winning design inspiration. This watch by award-winning Dutch design house Formafantasma for Swiss watchmaking pro Rado, goes back to the roots in terms of sheer design – bringing back the nostalgic watch aesthetics to the fore. As Rado rightly said, “This special design edition draws on the historic idea of a closed watch to create a bold and impactful style statement that is designed to stand the test of time.”

A design that’s minimalistic, sans any fancy bodywork or dial movement that at times can be a bit too gaudy for someone who gives utmost value to time – and time alone! Aptly named the True Square Formafantasma, the rare wristwatch is the work of Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin, who’ve both rendered a closed dial ceramic case design and bracelet to perfection. Being crafted from the highest quality ceramic material, the watch stands-out with an all-white appearance. The automatic movement is of course Avanade garte Swiss actuated to perfection by Rado.

Pitched as a unisex watch, it has the sapphire crystal protecting the delicate mechanism inside – giving the just required glimpse of the current time via the contrasting watch hands in grey or matching white on the otherwise opaque watch face. On the back, the timepiece has a hypoallergenic titanium cover for all-day comfort. Just imagine sporting it for a high profile party with all-white attire or contrasting black or gray clothing. All eye-balls will be one you – for better or worse!

Designer: Formafantasma for Rado