Description: This bold watch, housing one of the few complicated movements used by Rado-including day of week, date, 12-hour chronograph and automatic winding--is rather a departure from previous Rado production. It is not known how many hand-wound chronographs Rado made prior to the 1974 introduction of this particular model, but they seem to have been made in very small lots and are quite rare. Indeed, mechanical chronographs of any kind represent a very small percentage of the millions of watches Rado has produced in the past several decades. Even today, after a decade of strong interest in mechanical chronographs, the Rado line-up includes some automatic DiaStar chronographs available outside the US market only, and the newly introduced DiaStar Rattrapante, the brand's first split-seconds chronograph.

Only 1500 of the Valjoux 7750 automatic Rado were produced, between 1974 and 1980. (The Valjoux 7750 itself was introduced in 1973.) Three dial variations were offered, and each featured the bold styling for which Rado was known, but also included other features that differentiated this watch from similar models offered by other companies at the time such as Certina, Mido and Longines. A subtle difference, but one that represents Rado's desire to produce quality pieces is the use of the 25-jewel variation of Cal. 7750 over the more common 17-jewel variant. A more obvious, and eye-catching element of the Rado automatic chronograph is the interpretation of their famous rotating anchor. In place of a constant-seconds hand at 9:00 on the dial, Rado installed an anchor-shaped hand which, though it isn't particularly helpful in reading the seconds of the minute, is a clever variation of their aforementioned whimsical spinning logo.

The original bracelet with signed Rado clasp is present on this watch. The crystal & hands have been replaced and the case has been polished/brushed to approximate original condition.

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This watch has been sold.

Description: This is the uncommon chronometer version of Rado's original Diastar design. Though the movement date code 408 puts production in August of 1974 or later, it is very much like the 1962 Diastar which also featured a segmented, applied hour chapter, date window at 3:00, and the oval Diastar scratchproof case.

The case front shows no wear, though the back has some minor marks. The movement is keeping accurate time; service history is unknown, but the movement is clean; date functions properly at midnight.

The original bracelet with signed Rado clasp is present on this watch. Original inner and outer boxes are present, as is a Japanese-market hang tag with MRSP of ¥130,000, which is consistent with advertising of the period. A gallery of promotional materials related to early Rado chronometers, including the first series of Diastar chronometers can be viewed by clicking here.

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This watch has been sold.

Text and images © C. Bradley Jacobs, WatchCarefully.com

Description: This is a Rado Balboa Deluxe model with a dial made of a swirled blue mineral, possibly azurite or a dyed alabaster. It is different in shape than most Balboas and Diastars of the 1960s-1970s. As the name suggests, this was the prestige variant of the Balboa line. A vintage 1970s advert from Japan shows this model and another with gold-tone case and dial of tiger-eye.

The case shows almost no wear and the back has only minor scratches. The movement is running smoothly but its service history is unknown. Overall condition of this watch is 95% or better. Bracelet shown in images is probably not original.

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This watch has been sold.

Note: More specific information pertaining to the manufacture/issue date of this watch is welcome. Please e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

 Text and images © C. Bradley Jacobs, WatchCarefully.com

Description: This is a Rado Balboa model with a subtle rose gold-tone tungsten-carbide case and a dial made of opalescent material. It is similar to Balboas and Diastars of the 1960s-1970s, with a faceted sapphire crystal, date display at 3:00, but the dial of this is very uncommon. The anchor logo is a fixed version rarely used on automatics and more often seen on early Rado Quartz watches. The material of the dial has been identified though discussions at the EOT Rado Forum and with mineral experts as opalized ammolite (at right), a fossilized shell similar to mother-of-pearl. This particular dial shows characteristics similar to Opal and to Fire Agate, though these materials are much more difficult to slice thin for use as watch dials. Please see the photographs below, which show this dial, cased & uncased, with a variety of light sources and angles.

Another 1970s Balboa with a mineral dial, of black Goldstone (pictured above, right), is described here.

The case of the present watch shows almost no wear and the back has only minor scratches. The movement is running smoothly but its service history is unknown. Overall condition of this watch is 90% or better. 

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This watch has been sold.

Note: More specific information pertaining to the manufacture/issue date of this watch is welcome. Please e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Text and images © C. Bradley Jacobs, WatchCarefully.com

Brand: Rado

Model: Balboa V

Ref.: n/a

Issued Ca. 1970

Case: Tungsten-Carbide bezel, stainless steel back

Crystal: Sapphire with squared facets

Bracelet: Stainless steel with expandable clasp (not original)

Movement: ETA 2783, 25 jewels, gilt.

Description: This is an uncommon Diastar-like Balboa V model with tungsten-carbide bezel and a dial made of black goldstone. The Balboa line was apparently sold mainly in the Far East (see the gallery of vintage advertisements for images of some Japanese Balboa ads, showing a variety of Balboa case shapes). With a printed anchor logo (as opposed to the in-set rotating anchor found on most Rado automatics) and the white printing and marker elements setting off the stone dial material, this is a very distinctive piece. Highly reflective silvery specks are scattered throughout the material giving the impression of stars in a night sky. Click the links for information about a Diastar 13G with Tiger-Eye dial and a Diastar with similar black stone dial (also shown below).

The case shows almost no wear and the back has minor scratches. The movement is running smoothly but its service history is unknown. Overall condition of this watch is 80% or better.

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This watch has been sold.

Text and images © C. Bradley Jacobs, WatchCarefully.com

Description: Roughly contemporary to their first automatic chronograph was Rado's first automatic alarm watch (Ref. 680.7000.4). Production began in 1973, the same year that its power plant, the famous AS 5008, was introduced. This watch features a distinctive slate blue dial, a stainless steel case and fitted bracelet, and signed crowns. Only 1000 examples of this reference were made between 1973 and 1980. The low production totals, coupled with the fact that Rado made comparatively few complicated watches, make it a doubly rare item.

Information on the scratchproof sister to this watch--the Diastar 54 alarm--is available elsewhere on this site.

Data (courtesy Rado Watch Co.):

The original SK bracelet with signed Rado clasp is present on this watch.

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This watch has been sold.

Note: More specific information pertaining to this watch or similar models is welcome. Please e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..