Last week, I had the pleasure of attending the official opening of the all-new Rado boutique on Melbourne’s iconic Collins Street, a confident, contemporary reimagining of the precinct’s signature heritage-listed features from a Swiss watch brand with plenty to celebrate in 2026.
Flanked by Rado ambassadors Ash Barty and Cam Green, members of Swatch Australia, and even an appearance from the Lord Mayor, Rado CEO Adrian Bosshard cut the ribbon on Rado’s first Australian brick-and-mortar; a place Australia’s discerning enthusiasts can finally call home within the new Swiss End, as dubbed by the Lord Mayor himself.
Though, as I mentioned at the time, I wouldn’t consider this official proclamation.
RELATED: Watch Of The Week: IWC Celebrates Mercedes-Benz With 140-Piece Big Pilot
But amongst the roaming canapés and free-pouring champagne, there were watches. Some, we’ve seen before; others, still enjoying something of an extended theatrical run since their first reveal, buoyed by the official cutting of the ribbon, and boutique-exclusives with just one place that Australian collectors can actually see in the blemish-free metal.
I’m talking, of course, about the Rado DiaStar Original Skeleton – our latest Watch of the Week. And as someone who recently sat Australia’s citizenship test, debuting a colourway that we’ve all no doubt seen before.
60 years since its debut, the DiaStar has remained largely unchanged – the innovative design produced to address one of the watch world’s biggest problems: timepieces that welcomed scratches like a horological moth to the flame, so Rado set out to do something about it.
Today’s iteration carries that legacy with a PVD gold bezel over Ceramos, radially brushed to a finish that shrugs off fingerprints as easily as the original DiaStar shrugged off scratches back in '62.
Underneath, the annular dial contrasts with a bright, vivid green; its flying indices, hands, and Rado’s enduring identifier, the anchor symbol, are all packed with red Super-Luminova, so the whole face lights up in an entirely different register once the sun goes down.
Just 555 pieces are available, so if you’re a collector who’s looking to add some much-needed green and gold to your weekly rotation, head down to 298 Collin Street for Rado’s latest boutique-exclusive – an unofficial love letter to its first Australian home.