The Rado True Phospo Design Double: Rado and Big-Game Design Studio

Rado has teamed up with another major force in the design world – and to glowing effect. Together with Swiss design studio Big-Game, Rado has created the True Phospo: a limited edition timepiece featuring Big-Game’s signature design approach as applied to one of Rado's most popular watch families.

Housed in a 40 mm matt black high-tech ceramic case with matching bracelet, the Rado True Phospo embraces minimalism, but with playful and unexpected elements. The black brass dial is perforated, allowing the Swiss automatic movement below to shine through – a thoroughly modern approach to the traditional skeleton watch. The perforations also provide an opportunity for the application of the luminescent indexes, which are created by filling the empty spaces with Super-LumiNova to create geometric shapes. Additionally, the hour and minute hands are tipped with Super-LumiNova, while the second hand is fully coated in the glow-in-the-dark substance.

"We like the contrast between the matt black ceramic and the phosphorescent Super-LumiNova coating," comment the three designers behind Big-Game. "This colour is not only beautiful, but also functional, as it allows the wearer to read the time in the dark." The watch is limited to 1003 pieces – 1000 for the general public, and one for each of the designers.

A little something extra

Big-Game’s design language is characterized by functionality, simple shapes, and a touch of the unexpected. Despite this minimalist approach, the creative trio manages to impart a highly distinctive character to the objects they create – an inventive ability that is perfectly reflected in the Rado True Phospo. “The key words of this project were minimalism and lightness, so we decided to make the design by removing material rather than by adding it," says Big-Game. “In general we like functional and efficient design that beautifies people's lives. For us a good object must not only be practical and well designed, it must also have a little something extra that gives it emotional value."

“As a luxury Swiss watch company we were of course thrilled to collaborate with the Swissbased Big-Game, and we couldn’t be happier with the result,” states Rado CEO Matthias Breschan. “With the True Phospo they succeeded in creating something quintessentially Rado: simple, beautiful and innovative.”

About Big-Game

Augustin Scott de Martinville, Grégoire Jeanmonod and Elric Petit are Big-Game. The studio describes their work as simple, functional and optimistic. They produce a variety of products and accessories for well-known companies. Big-Game’s work is often accessible, charming and, above all, useful. The studio has received numerous awards including the Swiss Design Award, the iF design award, the Wallpaper Design Award, the Good Design Award and Design Preis Schweiz. Big-Game's works are part of the collections of the Museum fuer Gestaltung, the Musée du Grand-Hornu, the Centre Georges Pompidou as well as the MoMA. The studio is based in Lausanne, Switzerland. In addition to their design work, the three founders of Big-Game also serve as professors at ECAL / University of Arts and Design Lausanne.