Rado

Schlup & Co.

Schlup & Co. was founded in Lengnau in 1917 by the brothers Fritz, Ernst and Werner Schlup as a manufacturer of watch movements. Their first workshop was established in their parents' home, where they produced hand-wound movements with lever escapements.

The name Rado was registered as a trademark in 1928. The name is generally considered to derive from Esperanto, in which rado means "wheel", although the origin of the choice is not documented conclusively.

According to the Historical Dictionary of Switzerland, Schlup & Co. began producing its own watches under the Rado brand in 1954 and adopted Rado as the company name in 1957. The Green Horse, launched in 1957, was the first watch collection introduced under the Rado brand. The Golden Horse, another early Rado model, was also introduced in 1957.

DiaStar and expansion

In November 1961, Rado filed a patent relating to the use of a tungsten carbide-based hardmetal for watch cases. The following year, it introduced the DiaStar 1, which combined a hardmetal case with a sapphire crystal and was marketed by Rado as the world's first "scratchproof" watch.

Rado also introduced the Captain Cook diving watch in 1962. The original model was produced in relatively small numbers during the 1960s and was later revived as part of the company's collection.

Rado joined ASUAG in 1968. A new company headquarters was opened in Lengnau in 1975.

In 1983, ASUAG merged with SSIH. The combined group was renamed SMH in 1985 and became the Swatch Group in 1998.

In 2000, Rado had annual sales of approximately €230 million. At the time, the company had a strong presence in German-speaking markets and in countries including China and Saudi Arabia, while seeking to expand its presence in France.

In 2006, Rado employed about 300 people and produced nearly 400,000 watches. In 2024, a watch-industry reference work listed the company as having approximately 500 employees.