In an unexpected turn of events, Rado has decided to combine two of their best-selling designs, the True Square and True Thinline, into one limited edition collection. The Rado True Square Thinline Les Couleurs Le Corbusier line-up features three ceramic watches adorned in earthy, autumnal tones. In an industry that seems to be going colour mad, Rado has stepped up and decided to take things even further. The ‘Master of Materials’ has always had a knack for adding explosive colourings to their designs, particular those crafted from ceramic, but for their latest, they have decided to deliver a trio of muted designs limited to 999 pieces each inspired by Le Corbusier’s colour theory. Okay, so first things first, who is Le Corbusier? Don’t worry, we didn’t know once either. This talented gentleman was a highly influential designer during the early 1900’s, a French-Swiss architect with a reputation for shaping the modernist movement. He is also remembered for his transcendent theory of colour which eventually led to the development of the Architectural Polychromy. His colour theory claims colour playing a significant role in evoking emotions and creating spatial illusions. Le Corbusier created a palette of 63 shades, some of which were introduced in 1931 and others later added in 1959, that were identified as “architectural, naturally harmonious and able to be combined in any way.” After 90 years, these colours still embody specific spatial and human effects and are now under the exclusive responsibility of Les Couleurs Suisse SA. As you’ve probably guessed, Rado has partnered with the Fondation Le Corbusier to licence these colours and combine them with their high-tech ceramics. It’s not the first time Rado have done this, having launched a previous True Thinline collection in bright Le Corbusier colours, but this is certainly the first time they have fused two of their models into one. The Rado True Square Thinline watch combines the square-shaped case of their True Square with the sleek, monobloc case of the True Thinline. There are three interpretations of the Rado True Square Thinline Les Couleurs Le Corbusier watch. The first in the line-up is presented with an iron grey matte high-tech ceramic monobloc case and crown with a matching iron grey sun-brushed dial with English green printed indexes and hands. To match, it offers a high-tech ceramic bracelet with midlinks in slightly greyed English green ceramic and a PVD-coated titanium threefold clasp. The second offers its matte high-tech ceramic case in a grey brown natural umber hue which contrasts beautifully to the cream high tech ceramic links on the bracelet and hardware on the dial. Finally, the third member of the Rado True Square Thinline Les Couleurs Le Corbusier collection is a stealthy, completely monochromatic design done in ivory black high-tech ceramic with a tone-on-tone dial. Each novelty is crafted from coloured high-tech ceramic with a 37mm by 43mm rounded square case, flat sapphire crystal glass and a Swiss quartz calibre housed inside. Without even trying these on, I can already tell they’ll wear extremely comfortably due to their slender size and the lightness of ceramic. The case backs deserve a special mention, as they offer sapphire crystal with the iconic Le Corbusier colours strips digitally printed across the width. From here, you can also view the model’s limited edition status out of 999 pieces. The Rado True Square Thinline Les Couleurs Le Corbusier watches are available to purchase individually for £2,200 or for true collectors, you can purchase an exclusive Collector’s Box which includes the new True Square Thinline Les Couleurs Le Corbusier timepiece in black alongside eight round Rado True Square Thinline Les Couleurs Le Corbusier models from the current collection. As a fan of Rado’s ceramic watches, it’s fun to see the Swiss watchmaker experimenting yet again with more colours and shapes. Combining the True Thinline with the True Square is a nice surprise, and as mentioned, I have no doubt these watches will wear effortlessly on the wrist thanks to their size and lightness.

It’s clear the world of Rado True Square Thinline Les Couleurs Le Corbusier is going mad about colour at the moment, and as someone excited for more shades brewing in brand’s collections, I’m a little sad Rado kept the entire collection here totally muted. Classic shades are timeless of course, but of all the colours on Le Corbusier’s spectrum to choose from, I hope they’ll pick some bolder and more brilliant hues next time. But what do you think? Let us know in the comments below.