Rado is way higher quality than Tissot. Tissot /Certina have rough things visible by the naked eye and they can't even align the numbers of the date-wheel perfectly. Rado is in a different league quality-wise. I had to inspect them with a magnifier but didn't find imperfections, it's easily Tudor level. The movements often upgraded versions with gold plated rotors (even when there is no sapphire caseback), no plastic parts and better regulation. Still a bit pricey for what you get but can't be compared to the aforementioned brands, only if you don't have in-hand experience with the pieces as they might look the same quality on the internet. So as a Patek and a Casio.
Although Rado is not popular over here in North America, they are highly respected in the East….They are not hurting in the least. Never heard of the other two brands.
In the 70s and 80s, I recall seeing displays of Rado in the finer jewelers in the U.S., but not so much as of late. A family member wears Ebel every day and owns dress watches she bought while in Switzerland. If not for her, I would have known nothing of the brand. A close friend owned several Movado Museum designs in his collection.
Rado is doing fine in Asia, India, even Latin America. Swatch Group is happy with their peformance I bet, especially with the buzz of the Captain Cook. The other two brands are absolutely in the doghouse; brands that have been forgotten.
Yup but I've heard Grand Seiko is starting to pick up in those markets also. Still more than a rado even with discounts though but I'm sure it's eating into some sales.
bah, not in Thailand, people watching more nowadays at Tissot, at least they have wider range, and in some level they feel like Rado is overpriced Tissot
I got my grandfather's Rado voyager inherited to me. It comes with an octagonal dial which I am not able to find anywhere else as of yet. The other octagonal dials are octagonal outside and circular from inside. So yeah, Rado is a really versatile watch. That 80's era watch I got from my grandfather is still modern enough and almost looks similar to casio's classic dial shape of its digital watches.
4:02 - "Rado is setting themselves up in a weird part of the market where they rely on the Captain Cook..." So, pretty much like Audemars Piguet with the Royal Oak?
A bunch of my non-watch buddies have Rados. Quartz and Automatics, usually ceramic, usually a gift for wedding, graduation or anniversary. One young guy I work with is looking to buy one because he likes the two-tone black and gold, with factory diamonds in a modern case and bracelet, as a much more affordable alternative two a two tone Rolex ("Rollie") with diamonds. I was very surprised. Seems Rado is super popular with non-watch-geek normies.
My Captain Cook was bought on a whim after watching a teddy video. Since then I’ve fallen in love with the brand and went on to purchase a Grande Seconde. I will continue to buy RADO. Will probably buy a Diastar next.
I actually said this Rado conversation to my local AD and he said I was talking balls, they sell quite alot of the ceramic watches, one of their more popular lines, also massive brand in Asia and the middle east.
Rado is extremely popular in many Asian countries. In fact, my Asian wife gave me a Rado as a gift, and it sits proudly in my Watchbox along with my Journe, Gronefeld, VC, Breguet, Rolex, and Omega.
People don't buy movements, they buy brand prestige and Rado has a lot of that. Same with Tag, Hublot, Breitling and many more. Only watch enthusiasts care about movements.
The rado captain cook is just so unique, good looking and detailed though and has ceramic. It’s all that goodness that you’re paying for and the movement (which most people don’t really care about as long as its solid) probably allows it to cost way less than it would have otherwise so it’s actually really good value. Idk about their other watches though.
One of the most uniformed watch reviews I have come across in a while. 1.Powermatic 80 has two movements, one with 23 jewels which is slightly less expensive, and another with 25 jewels, and this has three different modifications, some with plastic parts, and one top grade without plastic parts, with nivichron spring balance etc. and running to COSC standard +4 sec. So Rado uses only top grade Powermatic 80 which isn’t inferior to Longines, Tudor, or Rolex movements if not even better than some of them. Btw by the same logic, Omega is also using movements based on ETA. 2. Rado is not anywhere close to dying or depending upon the captain cook. Centrix and Hyperchromes are way more popular in the other half of the world (India, China, South Asia, Middle East) Rado has a market share of around 50 percent above 1000 USD price tag and is basically at the very epitome of luxury and considered just below Rolex. It's basically keeping the Swiss watch industry up and kicking in this part of the world.
@@spursblood1I would, none of those appeal. I know everyone is supposed to love Tudor now but I'd far rather have a Captain Cook the automatic chrono is chefs kiss or an over pole.
I disagree about Rado, the materials they use, there finishing, quality and attention to detail and design is far better than other lower priced Swatch brands. Tag and oris used basse Selita and ETA movements used in Tissot and charged a lot more how are they different then Rado? It also about marketing and brand and Rado is seen as luxury in parts of the world where Hamilton is seen as professional tool. Rados designs are unique. If you want a tough material watch, Rado is the original pioneer.
Rado has one thing that most other brands of its price category does not. Originality in the design. If they introduce better movements the brand can really revive.
As my friends and I age, and as we pass on, I find that the heirs aren't interested in owning anything that we cherished. As collections go to auction, or disappear, I sometimes wonder where some of the more outstanding pieces, these objects of fine art ended up. In the 70s and 80s, I recall seeing displays of the uniquely designed Rado in the finer jewelers in the U.S., but not so much as of late. A family member wears Ebel every day and owns dress watches she bought while in Switzerland. If not for her, I would have known nothing of the brand. A close friend owned several Movado Museum designs in his collection.
I agree. Just bought a Roger Dubuis Golden Square watch. Just love it!!! Limited edition. I would never buy the modern watches. The old ones are so classically delicious. So elated with my purchase. If Roger Dubuis decided to go back to the original designs, we would all go crazy for sure!
Maybe Rado just hasn't enough stock to sell in US as demand is mostly taken up in other countries 😅 I have 2 Diastars and a True Square. Their ceramic is fantastic. It's really super scratch resistant and feels warm.
When more people from North America start valuing & purchasing more Rado watches⌚the price will go through the roof so i hope they don't fancy them as much as Asia 😊
Ebel were huge in the 80's. Their el primero Chronos were almost double the price of daytonas. Great design, great movement, great history. And then, towards the late 90's it all went south. Those vintage Ebels are sought after. Time to snap one up!
I believe it's going to be harder and harder to get bargains on 90's Ebel. Prices are steeping up dramatically. I got myself a 1911 steel ETA 2892 for a few hundreds one and half year ago and at today it went into the thousands. By the way, I love how it feels on my wrist and that 90's vibe... priceless.
My Rado Captain Cook is one of my favourite pieces and I wear it most days. It's beautiful in green face/Bezel and is popular in the UK as a brand. I do have a Tissot too although rarely wear it but do enjoy it when I do
Rado sell quite well here in the UK - they're available in many jewellers and watch retailers, and their ceramic models get decent attention from buyers.
Phenomenal content. Information like what you shared about Rado, which someone who does not work in watches is not likely to come across, is highly valuable and appreciated.
Agreed with many here about Rado being quite popular in parts of Latin America, Asia, Middle East. That said, from my enthusiast pov here in the USA, yeah I agree completely with John P that the movement grade isn't on par with the price point---esp considering that Tissot and Mido both commonly use the higher COSC grade Powermatic 80 at a fraction of the price. That said, the ceramic Captain Cooks really are cool, and have come an inch away from buying one a few times.
Rado feels like the "Oldsmobile" in the old GM lineup. Too many similar looking watches lost in the vast Swatch brands. I mean, who can tell the difference between Rado and Mido?
BS. You can most certainly tell those two brands apart. Rado vs. Titan on the other hand is a whole different kettle of fish; the latter is blatantly copying the first, though perhaps this is done above board via a licensing agreement.
Heres my true story. Knew of Rado forever. Was looking for a standout dive watch that suits my style. Discovered Rado skeletal all ceramic 43mm Captain Cooks. I was instantly sold! Today I have the limited edition, all ceramic reference on my wrist. Its such a fun and great standout watch! Absolutely love it.
I own several Rado dress watches from the 90's. To me, this was their golden period when their designs were minimalist and innovative. I stopped following them from the noughties onwards as they seemed to have lost their identity. I think it's sad, as those watch designs (a handful of which are still produced) were both unique and head and shoulders above the competition way above them. Value for money? Well as so many reviewers like to say, "if you like the watch, buy it".
Im a watchmacker, i repair ALOT of watches from the swatch group, and rado DOSE NOT USE the paowermatic 80 movment that tissot use, they usr a way better ETA2824 with unjusteble balance(only one pin for ajusting the balace spring) you need way more money and skill to make them... and they dont have plastic parts like the pwoermatic 80... The only down side of rado is the w.r its says 30m but its more like only 1m😂 alot of problems with the crowns ❤ keep then safe they will least for YEARS. And the ceramic ones breake a bit easy..and its a bout 20-60% of the watch price to fix them..depends on the modle
“We have nearly doubled our inventory” translation: watches aren’t selling well right now. “Right now is a great time to buy” Translation: please please buy now, we know the market is only going to get worse and we are sitting on more inventory than we can maintain” And comparing tissot to Rado is a ridiculous notion. Rado has never been popular in the US. And swatch doesn’t care because Rado does extremely well in other regions. Swatch doesn’t expect all their brands to do well in all markets. Their business model works.
Rado, Longines, Omega and Tag and almost everyone in luxury segment are in trouble! If u open them, u will find same ETA movements that can buy in much cheaper price from swatch or tissot!
I think that ALL watch are in trouble with a few exceptions. During Covid we saw the boom of interest for watches and on the same moment no production. So all the brands put the price up, now again everyone announced further increases due to the war etc. On the same time the jewellery or AD will be floated of watches and less people will buy. Everyone is pushing since last year to buy before January or February but my opinion is that in six months we will see again discount from 20 to 40% discount.
There is nothing wrong with Rado using the same movements like Tissot and others and charging 3-7 times most. Most companies do that. Movement is not the most expensive part of the watch. Most companies used 7750nor or 2892 and their prices ranged from a few hundreds to a few thousands. Rado problem is that ceramic is now much cheaper to produce than it was 20 years ago and they can't compete in that niche. They used to be much better quality in the past than now. I fancied their tungsten carbide bracelets and cases but I am not impressed by current stainless steel. They are like everybody else now. 2. Ebel was a great brand delivering better quality than Tag or even many Omega models. El Primero, 137 Lemania based among them. Even their ETA movements were always top level. Amazing bracelets and cases. They are still decent quality but much less so.
Tragic what has happened to Roger Dubuis, when you go back to the start the Hommage and Sympathie lines of the 90's are exquisite..... definitely a grail for me.
Rado is just too expensive for what it is. They should basically be half price but they're sold at what they're sold at because they're very popular in Asia and India.
Unfortunately many brands act like their movements aren’t just slightly modified ETA’s so that they can call them “in house.” Hublot gets a lot of backlash but probably should get more backlash for their overpricing and doing the exact same type of marketing.
Rado is out selling other big brands in Asia, India and middle east. I personally talked with a salesman in big authorized seller store in Saudi Arabia and he told me that Rado is responsible for more than half the sales of the store outselling Mido, Omega, even Hamilton.
this business of reinventing the same watch is a problem in the modern age. I make the point endlessly about IWC and baume and mercier - same watch. rado needs to be luxury in its own right
I bought a rado centrix with diamonds about 10 years back but my tastes have moved on since then. I now have an omega seamaster professional 300m but I've not sold the rado as the resale value is so low despite the watch doubling in price since I bought it that its just not worth selling and might as well keep it as a dress watch.
Never buy Rado at retail,even on grey market there hype is kinda dwindle and are not selling.Finding Ebel at the Movado outlet stores doesn't help there brand at all.
I switched off when you said that the powermatic found in the cheaper tissot watches was the same. It's not as they have a few versions of this movement that share the same powermatic naming system.
I have a 18ct Ebel pre 1911 Sports. The weight and feel is lovely. Bought it for the metal but now don't take it off. Cheaper than the scrap price plus beautiful to boot. What's not to like?
This video is bs .. Rado was and is a popular watch and makes extremely high quality watches may be half the price compared to many brands like omega, cartier etc
Rados problem in Europe is the horrific model line up, the Captain Cook is the only watch that looks good, though I own a high tech ceramic and it stands up in quality to my omega, breitling and Rolex, quite honestly movement aside it blows away all my Hamilton's, I've never owned a Tissot as every one I've got hands on with feels like it's made of tin foil!!!!
Your comment about Rado needing to lower the price of their watches is missing the point of what I believe Swatch want the perception of the brand to be. It’s a high quality brand without the hype that the others have. You mentioned Longines, Tissot and Hamilton. Well should add Omega in the mix too, because why not. Those brands are talked about often, seen often and have massive hype. Rado not so much but people who know Rado know the brand. Looking at their products I like the True Square. It’s a skeletonised (kinda tourbillon) watch in a square case. It’s not an RM but it’s not meant to be. The Centrix is the classic dress watch ⌚️ from Rado.
I was about to buy the Captain Cook until I did some research and it had the same movement as my 200 Tissot...for this reason I went for the Longines Spirit and I'm so glad I did. I always thought about this and never heard anyone talk about it until this video. Great points..Rado needs to step it up...they ain't gonna fool me lol.
Longines only modifies the same ETA movements sold to Rado and Tissot. After they modify it, the call it something different. Anyways, Longines Spirit is a nice watch. I’ve been looking at the Zulu time quite a bit lately.
“Powermatic” or eta c07 (and “powermatic”is a Tissot term fyi) is a family of movements that has roughly 3 different levels with each movement, having its own different grades, So this is not necessarily true.
I do not agree with your points about Rado. Anyone holding a rado and tissot in the hand can tell the difference in material. The Diastar for example, you can not find such style and material in any tissot. There is actually a video on youtube of a guy showcasing the scratch resistance.
Correct. I have only been recently converted to Rado, and they are seriously underrated in the west. The build quality is superior to most of the lower to mid tier Swatch brands, and their design language is completely unique.
Typical US point of view. So what, Rado aren't big in the States, though I wouldn't be surprised if they are still growing with the popularity of the Captain Cook. Rado are doing fine. Just not big in the States, RU-vid and the internet. I'm sure if they paid the right group of Nth American influencers, this online "opinion" could change very quickly....
So they say the powermatic has plastic parts, and service will be hard. How does this relate to the captain cook? And how to check which movement is what without opening the case?
Don’t worry, Rado does not use plastic parts, they use the top grade powermatic movement with all metal parts and novichron balance. They are incredible. The movements with the plastic parts go to tissot. When u wear rado u join a very special club.
It surprises me that you lump Rado in with Ebel and Roger D…. Rado is huge in Asia….and sells more watches than Hamilton and Mido combined….my guess is that Swatch is happy with how these three watches brands line up.
I have three rados, the quality is on another lever. U dont get what they are all about. My every day one and favourite is a 30 year old integral. Its imaculate, they are called the master of materials for a reason. Tissot is not in the same league. In asia and Europe but not the uk its one of most prestigious watches you can buy. U are completely misinformed. And they are not made with tissot. Buy ur self a ceramica and shut up. U will never take it off.
I just find the rado cc odd looking with that concave bezel . Ceramic is a great idea but just didn't feel that refined to me. For rhein same money, I'd rather a b n m riviera
These low mid brands are now all trying to move up into space that Rolex and Omega left. Oris is the prime example. I do not think they doing a very good job but.
