When Rado originally released watches like the Anatom (in 1983 as part of the DiaStar collection I believe), such timepieces epitomized modernity in two ways. The first way was with the case materials. Rado was an early innovator in materials such as zirconium dioxide (“high-tech ceramic”), which Rado used before other timepiece makers, starting in 1986 and eventually into its [now iconic] angular watch case designs. To celebrate the dark-colored, scratch-resistant ceramic material, Rado chose then-futuristic shapes and profiles for their watches, all while trying to honor the legacy of what makes a legible and comfortable timepiece. Today, Rado’s signature look remains, and yet many timepiece enthusiasts still have relatively little experience wearing Rado’s products.
The Anatom’s particular angular “bracelet-style” wristwatch design has been a staple of the Swiss watchmaker, which is part of The Swatch Group, for decades. Recently, Rado returned the Anatom watch to its collection and aBlogtoWatch reviewed it here earlier in 2024. At the end of 2024, Rado released new color versions of the Anatom Automatic, including finally offering a bracelet option for the case in addition to the black rubber strap. The Rado Anatom Automatic is decidedly a watch that is meant to be worn on a bracelet in my opinion (and if you prefer to do that with some diamonds, Rado has you covered too).
The Rado Anatom’s square-style case profile and size are remarkably flattering on the wrist. This is also a fact you can’t often readily determine for yourself unless you see the Anatom on your wrist or someone else’s wrist in person. I think the entire Anatom case package can look a bit visually strange if you aren’t used to it, especially if you only see it via pictures online. With that said, once on the wrist, the Anatom’s interesting looks, durable materials, and comfort help reveal a slick style that compliments the wrist nicely (as the name seems to imply).
Rado currently makes the Anatom Automatic in either their black-colored standard ceramic or their gray-hued and more metallic-looking gray “Plasma High-Tech Ceramic.” Within those two shades of ceramic are other cosmetic options including gold-toned metal accents, different dial colors, and, of course, different levels of diamond decoration (for the “Jubile” versions). The top-tier Rado Anatom Automatic models with diamonds feature some stones on the dial, as well as on the thin horizontal metal sections between the ceramic links.
The current Rado Anatom case is larger than the 1980s originals but still modestly-sized being 32.5mm wide and 11.3mm thick. I think of the overall design as what a 1980s futuristic Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso might be. The Anatom case uses an interesting-shaped piece of sapphire crystal over the dial using a technique that Rado helped pioneer in the 1980s as well. The cases are water resistant to 50 meters and contain Swiss Automatic movements produced for Rado by the group’s ETA manufacture. The movement inside of the Rado Anatom Automatic is known as the caliber R766 automatic, and it features a power reserve of 72 hours. Oddly, Rado doesn’t mention the frequency of this movement, and its performance measure doesn’t suggest any of the standard ETA movements.
ETA’s name for the Rado caliber R766 movement is the ETA A31.111. Interestingly, this relatively modern movement is a rework of the legacy ETA 2892-A2, in a similar vein as the ETA Powermatic series, but tuned differently. The Powermatic (not based on the 2892 as far as I know) lowered a frequency of 4Hz to 3Hz to double a roughly 40-hour power reserve to 80 hours. The A31.111 takes a previously 4Hz movement and bumps the frequency down to 3.5Hz while increasing the power reserve by around 75-80% to 72 hours. This family of movements is currently only available in Rado watches as far as I know, and are pretty much the only other Swatch Group movement outside of now older Omega Co-Axial movements that operate at this relatively exotic frequency. That’s pretty cool and that means there is a story to tell about the movement inside of the Rado Anatom Automatic as opposed to merely having the same automatic mechanical movement as so many other watches. The movement of visible through a sapphire window on the rear of the Anatom Automatic’s case.
I look forward to checking out one of these latest Rado watches myself. Currently, there are no quartz-based Anatom models, but the “Anatom Automatic” name certainly implies that some could come – especially with an even thinner case. For now, the eight versions of the Anatom Automatic are a good mixture of sporty futurism with the versions on the rubber strap to modern chic everyday elegance with the models on the bracelet. The watches are all about a celebration of simple symmetry, modern materials, and classic legibility. Prices for the Rado Anatom Automatic on the bracelet start at $4,400 USD for the black and steel-tone (reference R10201152). The black with gold tone (reference R10200152) and plasma gray with rose-gold tone (reference R10203102) Rado Anatom watches have a retail price of $4,450 USD. The Anatom Automatic in black (reference R10201712) with just three diamonds on the dial has a price of $4,550 USD, and Rado Anatom Automatic Jubile (reference R10204712) with diamonds on the dial and bezel has a price of $8,900 USD. Learn more at the Rado website.
